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The Last Days of August

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The Last Days of August

By: Jon Ronson
Narrated by: Jon Ronson
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About this listen

Jon Ronson, the creator of Audible Original The Butterfly Effect, delves into the pornography industry again as he unravels the never-before-told story of what caused a beloved 23-year-old actress’s untimely death.

In December 2017, famed adult film star August Ames died by suicide in a park in the Conejo Valley. Her death came just a day after she’d been the victim of a social media pile-on by fellow porn professionals—punishment for her tweeting out something deemed homophobic.

A month later, August’s husband and pornography producer Kevin Moore connected with journalist Jon Ronson to tell the story of how cyberbullying via Twitter killed his wife. Neither of them could predict the rumors and secrets that Ronson would soon hear, revelations that hinted at a very different story—something mysterious and unexpected and terrible.

Please note: This audio features sexual content, adult language, and references to suicide and violence that may be upsetting to some listeners. Discretion is advised.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.

©2018 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC.
Media Studies

Go behind the scenes with Jon Ronson

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About the Creator and Performer - Jon Ronson

About the Creator and Performer

Jon Ronson's nonfiction books include So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, The Psychopath Test, Them: Adventures with Extremists, Lost at Sea and The Men Who Stare At Goats. They have all been international and/or New York Times bestsellers.
Most recently he made the acclaimed, award-winning podcasts Things Fell Apart (BBC), The Butterfly Effect and The Last Days of August (Audible).
His books have been translated into more than 30 languages, and his two TED talks have been watched over 30 million times.
The Psychopath Test spent more than a year on the UK bestseller list.
So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed is frequently cited as having started the conversation about the perils of social media shaming. The book is taught by educators across America and inspired an episode of Black Mirror, Hated in the Nation.
The Men Who Stare At Goats was adapted into a film starring George Clooney.
Jon’s original screenplays include Okja (Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal) which he co-wrote with Bong-Joon Ho, and Frank (Michael Fassbender, Maggie Gyllenhaal) which he co-wrote with Peter Straughan. Jon also wrote the short e-book Frank: The True Story That Inspired the Movie.
In the US Jon has contributed to This American Life, the New York Times magazine and GQ. In the UK he’s written regularly for The Guardian. His many documentaries include Stanley Kubrick's Boxes, The Secret Rulers of the World, and the multi award winning BBCRadio 4 programme Jon Ronson On...
He lives in New York. @jonronson.
She is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business. She has received several certifications in Human Resources and Diversity and Inclusion. including her Professional in Human Resources (PHR), Certified Diversity Recruiter (CDR), Certified Diversity Practitioner (CDP), and Certified Diversity Executive (CDE). She is also a Certified DISC Instructor.
Deaver's most recent works are Hunting Time, a Colter Shaw novel, and The Broken Doll, a four-story collection from Amazon Original Stories. His Shaw novel, The Never Game, will be a CBS Prime-time series later this year.

What listeners say about The Last Days of August

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Amazing

Jon Ronson does it again! Very impressed with this heartbreaking yet nuanced look at a complicated situation.

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Wonderful Podcast ❤️

A wonderful podcast series that investigates with empathy and intelligence so many complex subjects - mental health, suicide, relationships & the porn industry. ❤️

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Great podcast

This story was really interesting and good quality and I hope audible does more podcasts.

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Yassss Jon

Interesting story, engaging, moving , enlightening read by Jon himself whose soothing voice makes me feel like the world is going to be a better place.

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brilliant, insightful and profoundly sad

another great piece by Mark Ronson. an excellent refection on the impact the porn industry has on the young women working in it. an excellent piece that is better understood within the context of the #metoo movement

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Classic Ronson

If you enjoyed the butterfly effort this is a good side story. classic Ronson story telling. showing a story from all sides and ties up the loose ends nicely.

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Tragic and addictive

Jon Ronson has crafted an addictive and saddening look at the pervasive misogyny of the porn world and it's many victims.

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Edgy and provoking

A courageous and riveting exploration of a short life and the complexity of ascribing any singular reason for its end.

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I’ll never watch porn again

What a ride of journalism. People are massively annoying. This poor girl didn’t deserve her end

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excellent

jon ronson is fantastic, i hung on every word and if i thought id missed something i quickly went back and relistened. the investigation that he underwent is compelling with all aspects looked into.

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