The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry

Description

The Sunday Times top-ten bestseller from the author of The Men Who Stare at Goats "The belly laughs come thick and fast - my God, he is funny . . . Ronson's new book is provocative and interesting, and you will, I guarantee, zip merrily through it" Observer What if society wasn't fundamentally rational, but was motivated by insanity? This thought sets Jon Ronson on an utterly compelling adventure into the world of madness. Along the way, Jon meets psychopaths, those whose lives have been touched by madness and those whose job it is to diagnose it, including the influential psychologist who developed the Psychopath Test, from whom Jon learns the art of psychopath-spotting. A skill which seemingly reveals that madness could indeed be at the heart of everything . . . Combining Jon Ronson's trademark humour, charm and investigative incision, The Psychopath Test is both entertaining and honest, unearthing dangerous truths and asking serious questions about how we define normality in a world where we are increasingly judged by our maddest edges.

Jon Ronson is an award-winning writer and documentary maker. He is the author of three bestsellers: Them: Adventures with Extremists, The Men Who Stare at Goats and The Psychopath Test, and two collections, Out of the Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday Craziness and What I Do: More True Tales. He lives in London.

I began The Psychopath Test late at night, tired, dispirited and ill - then found myself laughing like the proverbial loon for page after page. -- Will Self * Guardian * The belly laughs come thick and fast - my God, he is funny . . . Ronson's new book is provocative and interesting, and you will, I guarantee, zip merrily through it. * Observer *