Castle, Harem, and the Manosphere: Jon Ronson Probes Modern Manhood

Slate’s Scaachi Koul reviews Jon Ronson’s The Castle: Adventures in a World of Unraveling Men, which follows a Connecticut castle built to host a haremlike plan and chronicles the manosphere. Ronson interviews the castle’s principal and those around him to examine male shame, purpose, and the broader cultural pull of online fame, arguing that men are adrift as women assume greater economic power. The book blends suspense with reportage and humor, not as a how-to but as a warning about a culture in flux—while offering glimmers of hope in places like UFC culture and moments of vulnerability that complicate the narrative. The piece emphasizes the grotesque images the castle evokes and notes that, despite occasional optimism, the overall trajectory remains troubling for gender relations.