Paranormal America (second edition)

Within the academy, it will be of particular interest to scholars focusing on the paranormal, esotericism, and the other blurred boundaries between the religious and non-religious in Western society. ~Reading Religion

Paranormal Americais an excellent text for parlaying this interest into an exploration of the sociology of religion. ~Nova Religio

Paranormal America takes the reader on a thought-provoking journey into the study of paranormal beliefs and experiences in the United States. The authors do not take a position with regard to the reality of the paranormal, but, as is appropriate for social scientists, simply seek to describe the prevalence of paranormal beliefs and the characteristics of the people who hold them. This is done not only by summarizing the results of surveys, but also by relating personal accounts and interactions. For example, in this book we are introduced to psychics, UFO abductees, and a self-proclaimed warlock. We go on a hunt for ghosts and a search for Bigfoot, and we learn about the types of equipment that ghost hunters and Bigfoot searchers use. Regardless of one’s personal view with regard to the paranormal, it makes for interesting reading, and the personal accounts serve to develop and put faces on the survey data. ~Review of Religious Research

This is a fun read. Armed with a wealth of stories and a trove of recent surveys, the authors introduce us to those who believe and experience the paranormal. This is an engaging and eye-opening book that offers an abundance of new insights, dispelling some popular stereotypes and reaffirming others. ~Roger Finke,Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies, Pennsylvania State University

This is not merely a second edition of an already fine book, but a landmark in the evolution of modern culture, documenting the significant increase of public interest and richness of popular culture about possibilities that exist just outside the boundaries of science and religion. Nicely blending research data with descriptions of first-hand experiences, it raises the possibility that secularization is actually spiritual diversification, rather than religious decline, and provides a rigorous but poetic basis for many future scholarly studies and personal explorations. ~William Sims Bainbridge,author of eGods: Faith Versus Fantasy in Computer Gaming and Across the Secular Abyss

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