- The Men Who Stare at Goats
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This article is about the book. For the movie based on the book, see The Men Who Stare at Goats (film).
The Men Who Stare at Goats Author(s) Jon Ronson Country United Kingdom
United StatesLanguage English Publisher Picador
Simon & SchusterPublication date 2004 Media type Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
AudiobookPages 277 (first edition, hardback) ISBN 9780330375474 OCLC Number 56653467 The Men Who Stare at Goats (2004) is a book by Jon Ronson about the U.S. Army's exploration of New Age concepts and the potential military applications of the paranormal. The title refers to attempts to kill goats by staring at them. Research was carried out in part by Jon Ronson, but also by documentary filmmaker John Sergeant.[1]
Contents
Primary themes
The book examines connections between military programs and psychological techniques being used for interrogation in the War on Terror. The book traces the evolution of these covert activities over the past three decades, and sees how they are alive today within U.S. Homeland Security and the Iraq War. It examines the use of the theme tune to Barney & Friends on Iraqi prisoners-of-war, the smuggling of a hundred de-bleated goats into the Special Forces command center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and the connection between the U.S. military and the mass-suicide of members of the Heaven's Gate cult in San Diego.[2]
TV documentary
The book accompanies a three-part TV series broadcast on Channel 4 in Britain, Crazy Rulers of the World. The three parts were titled "The Men Who Stare at Goats", "Funny Torture" and "Psychic Footsoldiers" respectively. The idea of the project was to explore "the apparent madness at the heart of U.S. military intelligence." The series discusses and includes members of Psychological operations, First Earth Battalion, and also discusses Project MKULTRA and Frank Olson, including interviews with his son, Eric Olson.
Film adaptation
Main article: The Men Who Stare at Goats (film)A comedy film loosely based on the book, starring George Clooney, was released in Autumn 2009 by Winchester Films, BBC Films and Mandate Pictures. Grant Heslov directed from a script by Peter Straughan.[3] Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges and Robert Patrick starred opposite Clooney. The movie is set in Iraq and filmed in Comerío Street, Bayamón, Puerto Rico and the New Mexico Military Institute and centers on Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), a desperate reporter who stumbles upon the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney), who claims to be a former secret U.S. military psychic soldier re-activated post-9/11. Bridges plays Bill Django, the founder of the psychic soldier program and Lyn's mentor. Spacey plays Larry Hooper, a former psychic soldier who is running a prison camp in Iraq.[4]
Ronson dedicated his book to filmmaker John Sergeant, who worked intensely through 2003 and 2004 on the original documentary, and Ronson included an afterword commending Sergeant's research and guidance. However, Sergeant has not received any credit for his part in formulating what is the basis for this film.[1][5]
The film is prefaced with a title card reading "More of this is truer than you would believe."
The DVD release of The Men Who Stare at Goats includes a bonus documentary featuring Ronson and many of the people who figure prominently in his book.
References
- ^ a b Akbar, Arifa (2009-11-03). "Clooney caught in crossfire as war breaks out over latest film - News, Films". London: The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/clooney-caught-in-crossfire-as-war-breaks-out-over-latest-film-1813635.html. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
- ^ "Publisher Site". Jonronson.com. http://www.jonronson.com/goats_04.html. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
- ^ LA Times, November 01, 2009 by Geoff Boucher
- ^ "ComingSoon.net Article". ComingSoon.net Article. 2008-09-12. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=48782. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
- ^ "How My Involvement with The Men Who Stare at Goats Was Erased Entirely". Huffingtonpost.com. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-sergeant/how-i-was-airbrushed-out_b_362356.html. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
External links
- The Men Who Stare at Goats at the Internet Movie Database
- "The Crazy Rulers of the World" at the Internet Movie Database
- New York Times review
- Jon Ronson's visit to TMI
- PDF of original First Earth Battalion manual
Categories:- 2004 books
- Books about the United States military
- Parapsychology
- Supernatural books
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