The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson

Jon Ronson delivered an amazing look at the conspiracy underworld with "Them", his book detailing his attempt to find the secret cabal that pulls the strings of the world. In The Men Who Stare at Goats, Ronson dives into the murky subculture of American Black Ops. Did our country really try to employ people who claimed they could stop a Goat's heart from beating just by thinking about it? Would the US really think about utilizing tactics such as quick freeze sticky foam as seen in the movie "Hulk"? Was Barney the Purple Dinosaur an effective implement of torture? Can you mask subliminal messages in an all-girl Fleetwood Mac cover band's CD?

If you believe the book, the answer to all of these questions is yes. (In the case of the goats, it's more of a ...sort of. And the hamsters didn't fare much better.) Ronson manages to uncover indirect connections between our government and the Heaven's Gate mass suicide, as well as the training of some of the 9/11 hijackers. He follows one man;s quest to exonerate his father, who died under mysterious circumstances while working for the government. The book is humorous at times, but primarily it's unsettling. You've always thought these kinds of things happened. But only because 24 and The X-Files and Alias told you they might. When you realize it's actually real (there are photographs in the book), it becomes frightening. Our government has programs that make Abu Ghraib look like a daycare center. While it's being done for our protection, the underlying message becomes clear: How far is too far? What's really necessary? How much of this is driven by waste and corruption?

Ronson delivers another solid account into a side of life most people fear to examine. He doesn't politicize any of his findings, merely presents them for readers to make their own conclusions. He invites you to step out of your comfort zone and look for the truth.