“Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries” by Jon Ronson

Jon Ronson has always been known for his willingness to write about the facts which are stranger than fiction. As it happens, the world has more than enough weirdness to go around, and Jon has made it his goal to explore that weirdness, and bring it to the rest of us, no matter how it may be, in a way which allows us to relate to it, and that’s precisely what he did in Lost at Sea, his latest novel right after his widely-acclaimed The Psychopath Test.

So what kind of weirdness does Jon talk about in his book? Well, to give you a brief glimpse into what his writing holds, he basically covers many of the bizarre things people believe. For instance, he looks into the case of a pop singer who awaits only one thing: the inevitable alien invasion.

If that’s not to your liking, perhaps you are going to like the passage where he explores the concept of there being robots amongst us, programmed with emotions, or the part where he investigates the tactics used by credit card companies.

It’s truly a melting pot of all kinds of things, and the only factor which they truly have in common is their weirdness (or the fact that you didn't know about them before). What I liked about this book is that contrary to most other works of writing, this one looks at what may seem like fringe groups of society, people who believe things which most of us are willing to deny as fantasy.

However, as the book progresses further and further and he reveals more details about the people involved in his mysteries, it became apparent to me that these people weren't crazy or outlandish, nor were their beliefs… sure, what they think may not be in tune with what we believe, but in the end, they were still regular people.

After all, how can you prove that an alien invasion isn't coming? (Yes, I know the burden of proof lies on the one who thinks its coming, but the point is, in this world, we know nothing for sure). All in all, I find it to be an enthralling exploration of humanity’s weirdness.

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Jon Ronson Personal site Jon Ronson is a journalist of Welsh ethnicity, a radio presenter, a documentary filmmaker, a so-called gonzo journalist, and of course, an author, who as it happens specializes in non-fiction. The Men Who Stare at Goats, one of his more popular books, was actually adapted into a major movie, and some of his other works have certainly ensured he be noticed, and those include The Psychopath Test and Lost at Sea.