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  • The Debutante

  • Written by: Jon Ronson
  • Narrated by: Jon Ronson
  • Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (41 ratings)

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The Debutante

Written by: Jon Ronson
Narrated by: Jon Ronson
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Publisher's Summary

This is the story of a Tulsa debutante who, as a result of a series of unlikely and often very bad life choices she made in the ‘90s, found herself in the midst of one of the most terrible crimes ever to take place in America.

Thirty years ago, award-winning journalist Jon Ronson stumbled on the mystery of Carol Howe—a charismatic, wealthy former debutante turned white supremacist spokeswoman turned undercover informant. In 1995, Carol was spying on Oklahoma’s neo-Nazis for the government just when Timothy McVeigh blew up a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people.

Ever since then, Carol has haunted the imaginations of survivors and investigators because of a rumor that had begun to swirl: If her information had only been listened to, she could have prevented the worst domestic terrorist attack in US history.

The question mystified Ronson. In The Debutante, he embarks on an investigative journey to seek the truth about the woman who grew up in a world of privilege and opportunity and whose teenage rebellion spiraled out of control, leading her to extreme radicalization.

The Debutante takes a closer look at Carol’s world, where truth is shrouded and seldom guaranteed. Rare court tapes, diary entries, undercover ATF surveillance audio, and interviews with those who crossed paths with Carol depict a complex woman whose motivations have been hypothesized about for decades. With curiosity and insight at the forefront of his work, Ronson delivers a new perspective on the extraordinary story of Carol Howe.

©2019 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2023 Audible Originals, LLC.

What listeners say about The Debutante

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

big fat nothingburger

I hope that podcasts will fall out of fashion soon. They're sensationalist with spooky music that rarely come up with anything substantial, often offering nothing more than a grammar lesson of modal verbs: could have, might have. This one is a perfect example of that, spending far too long and coming up with no real conclusions. Hours of build up that fall flat - you're better off listening to a work of fiction.

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Very Interesting

This is a good documentary with lots of information that wasn't widely reported about the Oklahoma City bombing.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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This was a major surprise

An investigative story about the worse disaster in Oklahoma…who was behind and the possible involvement of so many people and coincidentally still unclear if one or many
are responsible…scary as the hate hasn’t stopped, rather gotten worse ….

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Ronson, for the win!

John Ronson knows how to lure the listener in and keep you hooked on this very under-reported story. Incredibly well researched and the added element of using archived news broadcasts, police interviews and court transcripts makes for a perfect audiobook package.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great podcast

I love Jon Ronson and this is classic him - careful, complex deep dive journalism but told in an utterly compelling way. I binged this series in 1!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Fresh perspective!

Overall, I thought it was pretty good. Given the number of years the author worked on it, I was hoping for more substance.
I remember when this happened. So much of The Debutante was news to me!

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