The Castle: Adventures in a World of Unraveling Men
Sep 2026 · Sold by Penguin
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About this ebook
"Fantastic and intensely of-the-moment… It’s a dogged feat of investigation from one of our greatest non-fiction storytellers." —Patrick Radden Keefe
“Brilliant… A blockbuster portrait of men gone mad.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
From the bestselling author of The Psychopath Test and So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed comes a darkly comic trip to the furthest reaches of the masculinity crisis
His only child is lured to a mysterious castle in the forests of New England late one night, sending Jon Ronson on an extraordinary adventure into a dark world of unmoored men desperately searching for purpose and control—whatever the cost.
With zero warning, the crisis of masculinity and its bizarre, wrecking-ball manifestations had crashed into Jon’s life. As his investigation deepens, urgent questions come to light: What exactly is “Princessing”? Why did a lawn care influencer dress as a baby in front of billions of online viewers? How did a paid-up member of the Skeptic Society derail his life in the name of a warped vision of chivalry? And, more pressingly, why are two recently released murderers on their way to pay Jon a visit?
In our rapidly changing society, many men have become detached from reality; some are behaving like separatists, while others have fallen deep down ideological rabbit holes. Is this a complete fracturing of society, a new era of disinhibition where anything goes?
Drawing on his trademark brand of humor, psychological insight, and unrivaled prescience, The Castle marks Jon Ronson’s long-awaited return to the written page in his darkest and most insightful book yet—one where he throws open the doors to the Castle and reveals a new lost generation of men.
“Brilliant… A blockbuster portrait of men gone mad.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
From the bestselling author of The Psychopath Test and So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed comes a darkly comic trip to the furthest reaches of the masculinity crisis
His only child is lured to a mysterious castle in the forests of New England late one night, sending Jon Ronson on an extraordinary adventure into a dark world of unmoored men desperately searching for purpose and control—whatever the cost.
With zero warning, the crisis of masculinity and its bizarre, wrecking-ball manifestations had crashed into Jon’s life. As his investigation deepens, urgent questions come to light: What exactly is “Princessing”? Why did a lawn care influencer dress as a baby in front of billions of online viewers? How did a paid-up member of the Skeptic Society derail his life in the name of a warped vision of chivalry? And, more pressingly, why are two recently released murderers on their way to pay Jon a visit?
In our rapidly changing society, many men have become detached from reality; some are behaving like separatists, while others have fallen deep down ideological rabbit holes. Is this a complete fracturing of society, a new era of disinhibition where anything goes?
Drawing on his trademark brand of humor, psychological insight, and unrivaled prescience, The Castle marks Jon Ronson’s long-awaited return to the written page in his darkest and most insightful book yet—one where he throws open the doors to the Castle and reveals a new lost generation of men.
"Fantastic and intensely of-the-moment… It’s a dogged feat of investigation from one of our greatest non-fiction storytellers." —Patrick Radden Keefe
“Brilliant… A blockbuster portrait of men gone mad.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
From the bestselling author of The Psychopath Test and So...
Ratings and reviews
4 reviews
Lauren
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October 30, 2026
"According to the Brookings Institution's Richard Reeves, by 2022 one in six American men aged between twenty-five and fifty-four wasn't working." It was a quick read but doesn't mean it was cohesive. It's supposed to be yet another book about the masculinity crisis but offers no suggestions. He uses some anecdotal examples of problematic men: Chris Mark, Charles Cady (the enabler), Hugh Hefner, Edgar Vidaurri, Greg Chism (#Elsagate), Durianrider some YouTuber, Elliot Hulse, Dan Bilzerian, Andrew Tate, Joe Rogan, Chris Williamson, Tim Schmoyer, Andrew Gold, James Bloodworth, Richard Hrannon, Richard Dawkins, and of course Armie Hammer. I'm purposely skipping a big chunk of the book written about Chris Mark and his castle where he lures women because he's the least interesting part of the whole book. He could've expanded on this quote though: "Until the 1990s, people fired from their factory jobs might have sought solace in the church, or at least joined clubs or organizations--bridge clubs or the Mason's or the American Legion. But no more. They weren't even bowling alone, because they weren't bowling. They were staying home." Here is where I insert a book everyone should read, that literally is aptly titled, Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam. Where he touches on the direction of society and guess what a big chunk of it is about the decline in attending church. I noticed Ronson had nothing positive to offer about Christian men and how they are faring. He mentions Joshua Hawley only in a negative light and I felt he showed extreme bias. Yes so many men are opting out. The stats do show 6.7 million men aren't working about 4%. I thought he was going to explore this more. But he doesn't want to touch the DEI push with a ten foot pole. I don't feel he's entirely honest in his conclusions. "Even so , the idea of male vulnerability endured, like a new experiment in masculinity." Indeed. But is this the answer?
Love Music
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September 20, 2026
Cloning is identity theft duplicating accounts, bank fraud, credit card fraud, copyright infringement, and duplicating debits. It is also illegal in the United States 🇺🇸 🇺🇲
About the author
Jon Ronson is an internationally bestselling author, journalist, and filmmaker whose books have been translated into more than thirty languages. His nonfiction titles include So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, The Psychopath Test, and Them: Adventures with Extremists. Two of his books, The Men Who Stare at Goats and Frank, have been adapted into feature-length films, and his TED talks have amassed more than thirty million views. Ronson is also the host and producer of multiple radio programs and chart-topping podcasts. He is a regular contributor to This American Life and lives in New York.
Jon Ronson is an internationally bestselling author, journalist, and filmmaker whose books have been translated into more than thirty languages. His nonfiction titles include So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, The Psychopath Test, and Them: Adventures with Extremists. Two of his books, The Men Who ...
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