Part I: Are Ghosts Real? Exploring the Supernatural

Dear reader have you ever heard the phrase “I went down a rabbit hole.”? Usually this is spoken when one looks up a fact that they do not know and are inevitably sucked deeper and deeper into a topic pulled along by their curiosity. They usually emerge from this “rabbit hole” filled with a wealth of random knowledge about this particular topic. Lately I have found myself pulled “down the rabbit hole” by the books I have been reading. One book recommends another and that book recommends yet another book on the topic I have been reading. Join me as I take you down the rabbit hole and share with you my strange journey through these books on topics of my interest.

Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey

I may have blogged about this title before as I first read this book last year. At that time I had no idea it would tie into the other books in my journey. Ghostland tells the story of famous American hauntings while exploring the real and true history behind the stories. This book features such famed paranormal places as the Winchester House, Alcatraz Prison, and the cemeteries of New Orleans to name just a few. Besides exploring the true histories of these haunted locations Colin Dickey asks some hard psychological questions. Why do we tell ghost stories? What makes a location haunted? Why is this haunting more famous than that haunting? What does the tale tell us about our values or guilt as a society? In exploring America’s tales of the paranormal, Dickey forces us to look within ourselves to discover truths about human nature, our society, and historical truths we may be too scared to face.

This was a very different read than other books on the paranormal that I have read. I would recommend this book to both believers and skeptics alike as it sheds light on the true origins of our ghost stories whether you believe in them or not.

Click HERE to request Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places

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