Other subtitles Ronson considered for Lost at Sea:
People are Crazy
The Truth is Stranger than Fiction
I Can't Make This Shit Up
Things That Make You Go Hmmmm.... (I know, that one totally dates me)
WTF? No, Seriously, WTF?
So basically, this is a compilation of articles Ronson has written in the past decade or so, with some post scripts about what happened after the stories were published, such as the reaction of his subjects. Ronson's wry, self-deprecating sense of humor permeates these pieces and he walks a fine line between asking hard questions and trying not to alienate his subject. (A number of them are not happy with the articles that he writes.)
Many of the articles are about crazy people, with the question being whether or not they actually believe their own bullshit. There are religious and new-age nuts, some homicidal maniacs, a few sexual predators, and other garden variety crazies. And a few less nutty crimes/mysteries, like people who tried to cheat on a game show (or did they?) and how so many people can simply disappear from cruise ships. There's also a series about people in different income brackets, from poverty level up to a billionaire (with each subject making five times as much as the previous one), which I found extremely interesting.
Here's the thing: none of these mysteries are actually solved. Ronson asks a lot of questions, but that doesn't mean anyone's telling him the truth, or at least not the whole truth. So if you're happy to ponder the complexities of the human mind, this book is for you. If you have a strong need to know the "truth," this is probably not the book for you.
People are Crazy
The Truth is Stranger than Fiction
I Can't Make This Shit Up
Things That Make You Go Hmmmm.... (I know, that one totally dates me)
WTF? No, Seriously, WTF?
So basically, this is a compilation of articles Ronson has written in the past decade or so, with some post scripts about what happened after the stories were published, such as the reaction of his subjects. Ronson's wry, self-deprecating sense of humor permeates these pieces and he walks a fine line between asking hard questions and trying not to alienate his subject. (A number of them are not happy with the articles that he writes.)
Many of the articles are about crazy people, with the question being whether or not they actually believe their own bullshit. There are religious and new-age nuts, some homicidal maniacs, a few sexual predators, and other garden variety crazies. And a few less nutty crimes/mysteries, like people who tried to cheat on a game show (or did they?) and how so many people can simply disappear from cruise ships. There's also a series about people in different income brackets, from poverty level up to a billionaire (with each subject making five times as much as the previous one), which I found extremely interesting.
Here's the thing: none of these mysteries are actually solved. Ronson asks a lot of questions, but that doesn't mean anyone's telling him the truth, or at least not the whole truth. So if you're happy to ponder the complexities of the human mind, this book is for you. If you have a strong need to know the "truth," this is probably not the book for you.
