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Title: The Haunting of the Presidents: A Paranormal History of the U.S. Presidency by Joel Martin, William J. Birnes ISBN: 0-451-20804-8 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: 04 February, 2003 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3 (4 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Well Written Ghost Stories
Comment: I disagree with the one and two-star ratings. The book is well written and a page turner. In fact, I have been reading it late at night and sometimes the hair on the back of my neck stands up: not because I believe everything I am reading, but because the book can stand alone as a fine collection of well-written, entertaining ghost stories. If you are willing to suspend the "need to disbelieve" while reading the book, prepare to be spooked. If you are looking for concrete, logical proof of ghosts, you will be disappointed. (Hence my four, and not five-star rating.)
In my opinion, both authors respect the paranormal experience and avoid sensationalism. The authors claim to base the book on documents, both declassified secret service and CIA files and through old letters and transcripts. They also write that the White House is the most haunted house in the US. The book includes an extensive bibliography on the paranormal and a listing of presidential haunts by state because birthplaces can also be haunted.
Abraham Lincoln is the most documented sighting, especially at the time of FDR and World War II, but a total of 22 (or so) US presidents have been sighted, as well as former first ladies, and a few of the "first children."
*Haunting* goes deep into the history of the paranormal experiences of the presidents themselves. For example, George Washington, who never lived in the White House, wrote a friend that he had a "visiting angel" while at Valley Forge telling him he mustn't give up, even under the horrendous conditions. Then the book explores the documented visitation of Washington's spirit to the Union officer Chamberlain during the Battle of Gettysburg, giving the Union officer strategic advice.
According to written accounts, Washington also tried to warn Gen. McClellan that if he (McClellan) didn't take action soon, he would be removed from his post. McClellan did nothing and, of course, Lincoln did indeed oust McClellan, replacing him with US Grant.
But the best part of the book is about the ghostly activity at the White House through the years, and the First Families who were open to the experience, albeit secretly. I have always been fascinated with the *possibility* of a haunted White House, but this is the first book I have found on the subject. I visited the White House in an era long before 9/11 when you could actually tour the place, and I felt then that it was filled with otherworldly energy.
Many of us need concrete documentation of the paranormal experience, and the authors fail to provide us with it in some, but not all, circumstances. A few of us need less concrete proof because what the authors write "rings true" within us somehow. Does that make us more gullible? Perhaps, but all of us believe what we want to believe. I am a "skeptical mystic" and I took what was mine to take from the book and left the rest. I advise other readers to do the same.
Rating: 5
Summary: One of the best books I ever read
Comment: I totally disagree with the other two comments on this great book. Joel Martin has once again outdone himself. I could not put this book down until I was finished and then wanted to read it again!! The stories about the hauntings of the White House were so detailed and fascinating that I felt that I was actually experiencing them in person. I highly recommend this book to everyone. It is a wonderfully different look at our history and the personal lives of our leaders.
Rating: 1
Summary: No Credibility
Comment: I agree with the review posted by darkgenius below. The book simply does not provide enough documentation for its claims. Many of the stories seem to rest on the slenderest foundations. For instance, the authors recount a tale of George Washington encountering a ghost - or angel - at Valley Forge in 1778. This lengthy, detailed narrative, written in a pseudo-Biblical style, is attributed to Washington himself. However, we then learn that Washington didn't write it, after all - it was written up by a "young aide, Anthony Sherman, who many years later, in 1859, retold the account" to a reporter. So what we have is a second-hand story circulated 81 years after the alleged event (and bearing obvious references to the Civil War - astoundingly prophetic in 1778, but not so remarkable in 1859, when the war was imminent). Things get worse as the book continues. Nostradamus is dragged into the discussion. We hear of a ghost story reported by "an unnamed source" in "a national tabloid." The Bible Code makes an appearance. All credibility is lost. In the Foreword, Joel Martin says, "We wanted this book to be more than merely a collection of anecdotes." They failed.
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Title: Historic Haunted America by Michael Norman, Beth Scott ISBN: 0812564367 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 15 October, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places by Brad Steiger ISBN: 1578591465 Publisher: Visible Ink Pr Pub. Date: September, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Race Against Evil: The Secret Missions of the Interpol Agent Who Tracked the World's Most Sinister Criminals by David Race Bannon ISBN: 0882822314 Publisher: New Horizon Press Pub. Date: January, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: The Ghost Next Door: True Stories of Paranormal Encounters from Everyday People by Mark Alan Morris ISBN: 0595269443 Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. Pub. Date: 11 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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Title: Possessed Possessions : Haunted Antiques, Furniture and Collectibles by Ed Okonowicz, Kathleen Okonowicz ISBN: 0964324458 Publisher: Myst & Lace Pub Pub. Date: January, 1996 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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