Recommended Read - The Haunting of Twentieth-Century America by William J. Birnes and Joel Martin

The Haunting of Twentieth-Century America by William J. Birnes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


While I haven't read the predecessor to this book, I still obtained a lot of interesting information and greatly enjoyed my read. The copy I had was an uncorrected proof, so there were still a few editing errors. However, this book contained well-researched ideas and presented interesting claims for the reader to ponder. From exploring the Nazis and their ties to the occult, to psychic dreams, and even to the use of astrologists by former U.S. Presidents, this book opens the readers' minds to the idea that paranormal events occur in many aspects of life.

As a college student working on my undergraduate degree, I actually had the chance to take Parapsychology, and so was familiar with some of the stories presented in this book. However, the Parapsychology of modern times does not match its early roots as described in this book. No longer is Parapsychology setting out to prove paranormal events, but rather is used to dispute claims ranging from spirits to religion. Personally, I find this to be slightly sad, and wish that Parapsychology would go back to its roots.

Though skeptical of some things, I still believe that there are paranormal events that happen every day that cannot be explained away with science or reasoning. This book helps solidify my belief. Though dry in some parts, it is overall a very good read and I recommend it to believers and skeptics alike.



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