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The Psychopath Test

The hilarious Sunday Times bestseller from the author of The Castle

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The Psychopath Test

By: Jon Ronson
Narrated by: Jon Ronson
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Uncover the madness at the heart of society in this Sunday Times bestseller.

'The belly laughs come thick and fast' – The Observer
'Chirpy, inquisitive, funny' – Craig Brown

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.

 Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Psychology & Interactions Social Sciences Mental Health Crime Thought-Provoking Funny Health
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Critic reviews

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)
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.
All stars
Most relevant
When I initially read the blurb for this book I thought it was a novel, as it sounds a lot like one of those books by Carlos Ruiz, with important books at the centre of a mystery, It's not a novel, although it contains plenty of material that would make a good one.

I looked forward to hearing about who he was going to talk to next, and whether they would turn out to be an actual psychopath. I would have liked to have heard more about psychopaths in industry, and whether David Icke might be onto something. It is a little bit superficial, but I wasn't looking for an academic text, I like audio books in particular with a bit of a lighter tone.
The book is about the author's encounters with people who might or might not be psychopaths, how he interacts with them, and how he feels about them. There is a a little bit of history and background, but most of the time he refrains from any exposition, relying on straightforward accounts of what happened when he met these people, and leaving you to draw your own conclusions.
There is, as another reviewer said, a certain amount of repetition. There is also an awful lot of "I said", "he said", which I think is the author's writing style, and didn't annoy me, but I did notice it. I thought it lost focus towards the end, and became more about madness in general that psychopaths in particular.
However, none of the negatives spoiled it for me, I enjoyed listening to the author read his own book, I wish more would.
If you are interested in this, look out for the Horizon program "Are you good or Evil", on BBC. It's not available at the moment, (Sept 2011), but I am sure it will be repeated.
I found the subject interesting, and the book was engagingly written and told, and I am coming to believe that the narrator can make or break an audio book.

Very enjoyable

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It's always a bit of a gamble reading something in your own line of work and I generally expect to be a bit irritated. I was a bit irritated occasionally when Jon Robson seemed to see psychopathy, developmental disorders, eccentricity, psychosis, low mood, ptsd etc etc as one big mass of 'madness', but in fairness, he is a journalist, not a psychologist and he did tease out many of the interesting issues that we all ponder too. I was never totally clear what the book was supposed to be about. It certainly isn't just about psychopathy, but it's probably all the better for that. All in all I'd recommend it - but if you're not a mental health professional and you're particularly interested in an issue he brings up, do do your own research as well.

Enjoyable read, albeit some confusion about "madness", psychopathy and mental health"

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I loved this audiobook. The storyline was interesting, it's real food for though and I love the fact it's read by the author. 10/10

A great listen

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I didn't know what to expect really, I generally read and listen to fiction, but I was hooked with this book. It had mystery and discovery and enlightenment. Interesting characters, who actually exist. Would, and have, recommended this, and will be getting further Jon Ronson books.

Excellent

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Well read.

Fell like I learnt about psychiatry and psychology.

Very much enjoyed the narration and will listen to more Jon Ronson books.

Very enjoyable and informative

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