Books › The men who stare at goats
The men who stare at goats
First published 2004 · 282 pages
A deadpan, darkly hilarious descent into the surreal and unsettling world of military parapsychology.
What it feels like
Reading this feels like sitting next to a brilliant, slightly bewildered investigative journalist at a bar as he recounts the most absurd story you have ever heard. The pace is brisk and conversational, pulling you through a surreal landscape of New Age military experiments with a tone that is simultaneously deadpan and deeply incredulous. At first, the mood is purely comedic, reveling in the sheer eccentricity of soldiers trying to walk through walls or kill animals with their minds. However, as the narrative deepens, a subtle undercurrent of dread sets in, transforming a quirky historical footnote into a chilling commentary on institutional madness and psychological warfare. It is a perfect read for those who love their non-fiction laced with dark irony and profound absurdity.
- Mood
- surreal
- absurd
- paranoid
- unsettling
- Tone
- wry
- deadpan
- incredulous
- darkly comedic
- investigative
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- institutional madness · the absurdity of war · human gullibility · weaponized New Age philosophy
- The writing
- Conversational and deceptively simple, relying on a deadpan delivery to highlight the sheer outrageousness of the facts.
- The arc
- Begins with amused disbelief at eccentric military antics and slowly descends into a chilling realization of their dark, real-world consequences.
- Who it's for
- Readers who devour narrative non-fiction that exposes the bizarre, darkly funny, and unsettling corners of human institutions.
Content notes
- animal cruelty
- psychological torture
- warfare
- mental illness
About the book
A journalist tells intertwined anecdotes about US military forays into New Age and paranormal methods of war.
Description from Open Library.
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