The Haunting of America

June 8, 2009
Birnes (The Day After Roswell
), star of the History Channel's UFO Hunters
, and veteran paranormal expert Martin chronicle a wide variety of what they view as occult and mystical experiences in a comprehensive account that spans centuries, from colonial times to 9/11. There may well have been black magic practice in Salem, they speculate, and recount George Washington's purported prophetic vision at Valley Forge, strange sightings of Washington's apparition at Gettysburg and elsewhere, the Bell Witch of Tennessee and Lincoln's precognitive dreams, while introducing such key figures as the charismatic Franz Mesmer and Margaret Fox, whose controversial spirit rappings prompted the surge of 19th-century spiritualism, even after her later revelation that she was just cracking “the joint of her big toe.” Covering chicanery and conjurers, demons and guardian angels, skeptics and believers and a woman who's convinced her recurring dreams prefigured 9/11, Birnes and Martin have produced an informative and entertaining overview that will leave fans of the occult eager for future collaborations by these authors.

July 1, 2009
Intriguing but insufficiently skeptical account of the paranormal in American history.

The tone of this purported history is set by the introduction, in which the authors ask readers to consider"the provocative possibility of extraterrestrial intervention and influence" on Earth's earliest humans, suggesting that various religions' legends may have been real-life paranormal phenomena. Birnes and Martin, who have collaborated on two previous volumes (The Haunting of the Presidents: A Paranormal History of the U.S. Presidency, 2003, etc.), parade a series of supernatural-themed events from the 1690s to the early 20th century. The stories are interesting enough and give the reader a taste of how widespread belief in the paranormal was at one time in American culture. However, the authors relate some rather dubious tales without passing judgment on their credibility, a disingenuous sort of neutrality that will drive away serious students of history. Several pages, for example, are devoted to George Washington's vision of an angel at Valley Forge; only afterward, without much comment, do Birnes and Martin acknowledge that the story does not appear in any of Washington's own voluminous journals and correspondence, but comes from a sketchy second-hand newspaper account by one of the general's aides. In a long section that documents the Spiritualism fad of the 19th century, the authors strongly imply that medium D.D. Home, whose supposed achievements included levitation and clairvoyance, may have been the real deal, skating over considerable skepticism about him expressed then and now. Readers will find some diverting tidbits involving such famous figures as Abraham Lincoln, Harry Houdini and Thomas Edison, but those who want a more critical guide to this subject should look elsewhere.

Shallow and unpersuasive.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 15, 2009
Following "The Haunting of the Presidents", Birnes ("The Day After Roswell"), star of the History Channel's "UFO Hunters", and Martin present this new title, which the jacket copy proclaims to be "the only book to tell the story of how paranormal events influenced the United States." It certainly is not, though it might be the first one with a 50-page introduction discussing such topics as Sumerian astronomy, Egyptian pyramids, and magic and divination in the Bible. The authors begin the U.S. section with an overly simplistic analysis of the Salem witch trials, stating that they're rooted in Calvinism (why similar trials occurred in Europe among other Protestant sects and Catholics is never addressed); they then proceed to discuss Spiritualism, psychic research, and paranormal events. The authors use primary sources at times, as well as secondary sources, encyclopedias, and less-reputable texts (e.g., Zechariah Sitchin, who believes humanity was founded by aliens). In some cases, they gloss over historical difficulties with their source material yet criticize other scholars for bias. VERDICT Excellent bookse.g., Mitch Horowitz's "Occult America" and Herbert Leventhal'sscholarly "In the Shadow of the Enlightenment"are better purchases.Dan Harms, SUNY Cortland Memorial Lib.

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2009
As in The Haunting of the Presidents (2003), Birnes and Martin assess American history as it has been affected by the occult and movers and shakers who openly embraced spiritualism. Proceeding episodically, they identify and discourse on high points in what they contend is the entrenched history of paranormal influence on our national life. Particularly interesting is their consideration of levitation as demonstrated by Daniel Dunglas Home, who became the most famous and enigmatic physical medium of his time. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, among other contemporary notables, attested to Homes ability to perform levitation as well as to his proficiency as a medium. In fact, Homes feats were remarkably well attested by witnesses, and in 1871 skeptical physicist Sir William Crookes found, much to other Victorian skeptics disappointment, that Hume manifested an unknown force that could be scientifically detected. Also considered are the long-standing rivalry between debunker Harry Houdini and Conan Doyle, in his dotage a famously naive believer in the supernatural, and a surfeit of other kooky people and occurrences. Great bedtime reading.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)