The Haunting Of America: From The Salem Witch Trials To Harry Houdini (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
Just read some reviews of this book, and I wonder if the reviewers read the same book I'm reading. I think this one is very interesting and a fun read. Also don't get the sense that the authors believe everything they are writing about as some reviewers suggest. They seem to have a healthy dose of skepticism. I'm enjoying it. It's a good book for people who are curious about paranormal events in our history. I'll definitely delve into some of the stories more by reading other books, but this is fun summer read. So disappointed. I enjoyed The Haunting of the Presidents by these authors, and was expecting something similar. I did not expect entire chapters on Lincoln and other Presidents to be almost identical in both books. After a very short bit on Salem and the Founding Fathers, most of the book details the spiritualism movement. That's been done before, and far better, in a book called Lily Dale. The only interesting insight in that section is the relation between the women's rights movement and the spiritualism movement. All in all, I was not impressed. Better books on the topic are Spook, Lily Dale, and the excellent Not in Kansas Anymore ( by the same author as Lily Dale).
What do You think about The Haunting Of America: From The Salem Witch Trials To Harry Houdini (2009)?
A great history of the paranormal (specifically mediums during the age of spiritualism) in America.
—Ivan
A great book for history buffs. I thought it would be a more "ghost-story-try-to-scare-you" book.
—margaret
