Paranormal America

Reviews / Votes

"Sociologists all, Bader and Mencken and Baker have written a solid book on an esoteric topic . . . this is the most authoritative profile this reviewer has encountered on Americans who believe in or who have experienced 'paranormal phenomena'." - S. Krippner, Saybrook University (Choice Magazine) "The book provides solid evidence on a number of topics about paranormal belief and practice that have been much debated by social scientists." - Andrew McKinnon (Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion) "(The Authors) have used the data from the Baylor Religion Survey, and relevant field work, to provide a demographic profile of paranormal beliefs in the United States . . . The strength of Paranormal Actvivity lies in it's ability to avoid joining the debate on either extreme. Reporting the field work in a straightforward manner, the book allows for the statistics to stay in the forground." (wordpress.com) "Paranormal Activity is the ultimate anthology of the educational, religious, sexual, and monetary factors that influence people's perceptions and interests in the parinormal . . . The book deconstructs what would normally be dry and stuffy scientific data into cleverly engaging sections." - Kyle B. Morton (Fate Magazine) "Paranormal America provides an in-depth analysis of beliefs and experiences that lie outside the realm of maintream religion and science, or at least those that exist at their furthest edges, and it will serve as a seminal wok for future research on the paranormal." - Paul J. Olson (Sociology of Religion) "Paranormal America is an authoritative but extremely readable analysis of an important but often ignored subculture. This fine book explains how many people seek personally-relevant meaning in a chaotic and often alienating world. In these pages we learn much not only about believers in ESP, Bigfoot, and astrology, but also about the general ways in which all human minds make sense of our perplexing position in the universe." - William Bainbridge,author of Across the Secular Abyss: From Faith to Wisdom "It is accessible to any reader with an interest in the convergence of paranormal beliefs and religion. The thought-provoking narrative will not disappoint experts on the topic. Highly recommended" (Library Journal) "The authors convincingly show that believing in flying saucers or some other paranormal subject-Bigfoot, ghosts, astrology, psychics-is not fringe at all. More than two-thirds of Americans accept the reality of at least one such phenomenon." (The Washington Post) "What makes Paranormal America a fun read is that one would assume scientists would poke more fun at people who study paranormal activity. Instead, they blend skepticism with data and great details that leave readers with a sense of balance." (Austin American-Statesman Blog) ""This is an interesting study which is likely to be referred to by sociologists for some considerable time to come, and no doubt put to various, sometimes mutually contradictory, uses." (The Magonia Review of Books) "Entertaining sightseeing in a world that is often trivialized by academics."" (Journal of American History) "Paranormal America presents an array of fascinating data derived from a large-scale survey on areas of human experience that are sorely in need of scholarly attention." (Journal of Religion and Popular Culture) "It's a rare delight when a book comes my way from a publisher that is both engrossing and intellectually stimulating. Paranormal America: Ghost Encounters, UFO Sightings, Bigfoot Hunts, and Other Curiosities in Religion and Culture, is one that ably checks both columns and will likely soon be nestled on my shelf next to Glen Chilton's The Attack of The Killer Rhododendrons and Gregory L. Reece's Weird Science and Bizarre Beliefs: Mysterious Creatures, Lost Worlds and Amazing Inventions... I wholeheartedly recommend this second edition as a strong entry point for anyone interested in the paranormal, whether as a curiosity or academic pursuit." - Journal of Religion and Culture