Paranormal America [Kindle Edition]

First I have to make something clear: This is not a book about the paranormal. It's a book about the people who believe in the paranormal. The authors go on ghost and bigfoot hunts, indulge in psychic readings, consult UFO trackers, and refer time and again to a couple of religious surveys. They do not expound on the paranormal itself, merely the people who make these things a part of their lives. Interestingly enough, most of us do just that in one way or another. That's what this book is about.

Considering it's written by a group of sociologists, the book is well-written and easy to digest. These three authors, who had to stick out like sore thumbs everywhere they went, interview dozens of people who have made bigfoot, ghosts, UFO's, psychic phenomenon and extreme religious worship integral parts of their lives. It's a curious mix, and the make up of that mix is what interests the writers. They analyze and dissect (not literally) the people they meet and try to categorize them in different ways. It's an interesting journey, even if the end result is simply to say that almost all of us believe in some sort of paranormal activity, with more joining the movement all the time.

If you are one of those that are deeply involved in the paranormal, you might not find this book very interesting. In fact, despite their best efforts to be politically correct, I think some might take offense at the conclusions derived from their data. But if you're interested in what type of people believe these things, then this is a good read.

This book is a thoroughly engaging and well-written summary of research conducted by a group of sociologists who investigated, not paranormal phenomena, but rather the PEOPLE who BELIEVE in paranormal phenomena. Although the authors themselves are skeptics, they never pass judgment on their subjects. Instead, the researchers carefully and dutifully report, without editorializing, exactly what their subjects say about their paranormal experiences. The authors go along on a ghost hunt, a bigfoot hunt, and have their fortunes told by soothsayers. The stories of these excursions and the people who lead them provide interesting background information which breathes life into the authors' raw data, charts, and statistics. Personally, I don't believe in any paranormal phenomena, so I greatly admire the authors for their ability to complete this work without once rolling their eyes or winking at the camera, so to speak. This is a fun, interesting, and informative book.

This book is unique in that it is not about debunking the paranormal, despite the fact its authors are all sociologists. Most books about the paranormal written by academics tend to treat the topic with disdain. The authors of this book make no judgements about whether paranormal phenomena exist. Instead, they discuss what people believe and endeavor to figure out why, but they do so without derision. The book contains interesting statistics based on Baylor University's religion surveys, all of which lead to a surprising conclusion--that believing in the paranormal is no longer a fringe belief, but quite mainstream.

If you haven't read the book, knowing what the authors conclude is hardly a spoiler, for this is just one of many conclusions reached in the book. As someone who believes in the paranormal, and doesn't take offense at the words belief or believer, I found this book refreshing and interesting.