The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry, by Jon Ronson

[Andrea]

The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry was my Week 34 book about mental illness.

[Jody]

I read this recently and loved it. Such a fascinating read, and really engaging.

[Andrea]

Jody, this book is quite engaging. I think that Tony's case, in particular, serves as the its major impetus.

In The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry, Ronson writes about his encounters with the madness industry: academicians, clinicians, Scientologists, entertainment industrialists, etc. who engage with individuals displaying psychopathic behaviors. His journey begins when a neurologist asks him to investigate the origins of a puzzling book that she, as well as other many other academicians around the world, receives from an anonymous Swedish source. After a bit of digging, Ronson soon unearths the author and marvels at the consequential ripples that the book causes in society's pond. While this case does not involve a psychopath, it makes Ronson question the soundness of society's evolution and prompts him to take a closer look.

This read is far from overly clinical. Ronson, however, does maintain an impressive validity and sense of objectivity by repeatedly addressing his layman status, unhesitatingly admitting his potential fallibility, constantly citing his various sources, and intermittently including interview quotes. This combination of personal and detailed reporting eventually leads to a sound conclusion with which I tend to agree.