The Psychopath Test is a fascinating journey through the minds of madness. Jon Ronson's exploration of a potential hoax being played on the world's top neurologists takes him, unexpectedly, into the heart of the madness industry. An influential psychologist who is convinced that many important CEOs and politicians are, in fact, psychopaths teaches Ronson how to spot these high-flying individuals by looking out for little telltale verbal and nonverbal clues. And so Ronson, armed with his new psychopath-spotting abilities, enters the corridors of power. He spends time with a death-squad leader institutionalized for mortgage fraud in Coxsackie, New York; a legendary CEO whose psychopathy has been speculated about in the press; and a patient in an asylum for the criminally insane who insists he's sane and certainly not a psychopath. Ronson not only solves the mystery of the hoax but also discovers, disturbingly, that sometimes the personalities at the helm of the madness industry are, with their drives and obsessions, as mad in their own way as those they study. And that relatively ordinary people are, more and more, defined by their maddest edges.
Download and start listening now!
"Fascinating, wide-ranging book that raises great questions...and then questions all the answers.It's also funny, engaging, and hard to put down. I'm recommending it to everyone (and then we'll talk about people we know who just might score too high...) "
— Valerie (5 out of 5 stars)
“A book that [is] as cheerily kooky as it is well-researched.”
— Los Angeles Times“Engrossing…This book brings droll wit to buoy this fascinating journey through ‘the madness business.’”
— Publishers Weekly“Author/narrator Ronson’s likable personality makes the listening easy. All his wry humor, sarcasm, and droll wit are evident in his narration.”
— AudioFile“A masterful storyteller who shares a compelling tale about a quest for information.”
— BooklistEngrossing.... This book brings droll wit to buoy this fascinating journey through 'the madness business.'
— Publishers Weekly" This was a fascinating book, but it tended to be a bit disjointed in places. This was obviously a stylistic choice, but sometimes it just seemed rambly and unfocused. That said, it was a page-turner, and I wanted to read more. "
— Marziah, 5/19/2011" Being as I studied Psychology for my Bachelors this book intrigued me. The anecdotes were humorous and fun to hear, but the storyline and the purpose were convoluted and seemingly unresolved. Poor overall structure and wrap-up but overall good humor and interesting topic. "
— Cole, 5/19/2011" scary to thing that psychology is almost a pseudoscience, as reported by Jon Ronson. We are all a few check marks away from being labeled a Psychopath. <br/> <br/>It is a fun listen, Jon Ronson narration was good. "
— Ghostchaser, 5/17/2011" I couldn't put this down! Ronson is a great writer, weaving different stories in and out of each other. He keeps them all constantly fascinating and making you want to keep reading more. "
— Ryan, 5/12/2011Jon Ronson is a New York Times bestselling author whose books include tThe Psychopath Test and Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries, among others. He cowrote the screenplay for the movie Frank, which starred Michael Fassbender and Maggie Gyllenhaal. He is a regular contributor to This American Life.