| BOOK REVIEW
BY CHRISTOPHER BALZANO OUR RESIDENT MEDIA
REVIEWER
HAUNTED AMERICA
TOURS
Monthly Book
Review
Welcome to hauntedamericatours.com
Book Review! Each month we will feature a
book review of the latest and best paranormal,
spiritual and metaphysical books around. By
none other then the Best Resident Par normal
Book Reviewer around The Great Christopher
Balzano.
Zombies: A Field Guide to
the Walking Dead
Buy
it here now!
BY Bob Curran
(Author), Ian Daniels (Illustrator)
New Page Books; September 2008
1601630220
In the paranormal world there is a movement
to classify and understand everything. Local
and national titles look to shed light on
all the dark places of the world and demystify
what we have always had a hard time explaining.
What happens to those elements of the supernatural
that cannot be classified easily? They often
get lumped together and fall into the heading,
the unexplained within the unexplained. Zombie
stories usually end up there, and Zombies:
A Field Guide to the Walking Dead by Bob Curran
looks to explore that crack and see where
these stories might live.
Dr. Curran has long been known in the field
for his titles on British myths and vampires,
and he has previously touched upon the subject
of the undead, but Zombies is his first work
to explore the phenomena from a literary and
sociological angle. It would be hard to give
a complete picture of the history of the undead
without this approach, and Curran’s
academic side allows the reader to be firmly
placed with both feet on the ground while
understanding there might be something behind
the folklore that rings true.
Zombies tells the history of the supernatural
being, from ancient Egypt to fairly modern
times, all the while offering the reader a
chance to admit the stories might be nothing
more than the remains of oral history. Zombies
are such a crucial element to some cultures,
and the collected accounts say something about
the societies that create them. In uncovering
some of these old myths, Curran has a platform
to discuss the issues of those cultures. This
at times can be redundant, but the stories
themselves keep the reader invested.
One of the more historically relevant chapters
of the book recounts the people who made their
living in the early days of European medicine
by stealing bodies. From hopeful young doctors
to kings of the lower classes, these hunters
looked to advance our understanding of the
human body, and line their own pockets, by
digging up and dragging the dead. Curran lifts
some of the darker characters in history to
the level of twisted Robin Hoods, and the
comparison is both eerie and literary brilliant.
The same hand skillfully tells the tales of
the half-dead, or criminals who were unsuccessfully
executed and lived to tell the tale.
The book follows in the tradition of field
guides by New Page and other publishers who
merely look to get the information out there,
and for that reason should not be purchased
by people looking to zombie hunt or to use
it as an actual field guide. There is little
mention of stories in the past decade and
very little attention given to American cases.
The book is much more about the big picture
and less about scary stories to keep you up
at night.
Zombies: A Field Guide to the Walking Dead
is proof there is still room in the paranormal
field for books that look at the old mysteries,
and acts as a reference book for people who
have a general interest in the unexplained.
Dr. Bob Curran uses the vehicle of zombies
to tell is something about ourselves, and
if zombies do in fact say something about
who we are, perhaps the fact they continue
to escape a clear classification points to
just how mysterious our civilization is.
About Christopher
Balzano
Christopher Balzano is now Haunted
America Tours resident Book and Media Reviewer.
Balzano is the founder and director of Massachusetts
Paranormal Crossroads, an online collection
of legends and ghost stories from Massachusetts
and the surrounding states. He has been investigating
the paranormal for more than ten years and
has been writing about those experiences for
the past five. He has been a contributor to
Jeff Belanger's Encyclopedia of Haunted Places
and Weird Massachusetts and was one of the
writers behind Weird Hauntings. His writing
has been featured in Haunted Times and Mystery
Magazine and has been covered by the Boston
Globe, the Boston Herald, the Standard Times,
and Worcester Magazine.
Balzano is the author of several books about
regional hauntings, including Dark Woods:
Cults, Crime, and Paranormal in the Freetown
State Forest and Ghosts of the Bridgewater
Triangle, as well as the collection of true
ghosts stories Ghostly Adventures and the
new how-to paranormal book Picture Yourself
Ghost Hunting. He has appeared on radio stations
in Massachusetts and throughout the Internet,
as well as being called upon by television
shows to comment on ghosts and urban legends.
He now runs the paranormal news from Ghostvillage,
one of the oldest and largest web sites dedicated
to the paranormal.
Please Also see: 20
Questions with Christopher Balzano
BOOKS BY CHRISTOPHER
BALZANO
Picture
Yourself Ghost Hunting by Christopher Balzano
.jpg)
BUY
IT NOW!
| "Picture Yourself
Ghost Hunting: Step-by-Step Instruction
for Exploring Haunts and Finding Spirits,
Spooks, and Specters" introduces
novice paranormal explorers to the history,
techniques, and equipment used in the
search for proof of life after death,
or simply, ghosts. Written like a field
guide to ghost hunting, the book begins
by examining what a ghost is, and isn't,
and presents a brief history of ghosts
and the pioneers of the ghost hunting
field. You'll review what has already
been discovered and the tried and true
methods and tricks that have been successfully
used by seasoned ghost hunters and their
outcomes. You'll also take a look at
the different types of equipment used
to both search for and communicate with
ghosts, as well as how to approach the
hunt depending on the location. Finally,
you'll learn how to assess the evidence
that you've gathered and what it all
means, and how to avoid the pitfalls
that are the stuff of popular ghost
legends. Written by an avid and experienced
paranormal researcher, "Picture
Yourself Ghost Hunting" is filled
with firsthand tips and advice, including
a 90-minute interactive DVD featuring
tutorials and interviews, and is both
a reference and a source of helpful
inspiration for any aspiring ghost hunter.
|
BUY
IT HERE NOW!
| There are certain
towns that we all associate with ghost
stories and sightings. But creepy
encounters happen everyday all throughout
this country-in towns that you may
never have heard of, to normal people,
just like you!
With Ghostly Adventures, you can
travel to these terrifying towns and
share in the scare. Let ghost guru,
Christopher Balzano, be your guide
through the jaw-dropping true tales
that happen all around the U.S., in
places like:
In the Boston hotel where old Mr. Parker
returns to check on his guests
the lost village of Dudleytown, Connecticut,
where all residents vanished without
a trace
the Summerwind Mansion in northeast
Wisconsin, whose secret compartment
housed a man's corpse for years
Terrifying true tales and frightening
facts come together to create hours
of eerie entertainment that you can
read on your own or out loud with
friends. With Ghostly Adventures,
you can stop just wondering about
ghosts and get to know them yourself!
Christopher Balzano: is a teacher
and folklorist. He has been investigating
the unknown for twelve years and is
currently running the Massachusetts
Paranormal Crossroads website. His
writing has appeared in The Haunted
Times, Mystery Magazine, as well as
Unexplained Paranormal Magazine. His
investigations have been covered by
The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald,
The Standard Times, and Worchester
Magazine. Balzano lives in Boston,
MA.
|
BUY
IT HERE NOW!
| Throughout
its long history, Freetown, Massachusetts,
has been a hotbed of criminal and
supernatural occurrences in the town's
State Forest. This is the first account
of how its darker side connects hauntings
with violent crime and local cults.
Native American ghosts roam here and
evil lurks, making the forest a haven
for nasty creatures (the Pukwudgies).
A witch looks for favors from young
men, satan cults thrive, and killers
kill. Read first-hand accounts from
police officials and criminals about
the forest. Learn why hauntings continue
today. Many come here to enjoy the
beauty of Freetown State Forest; these
are the stories of those who cannot
leave.
|
BUY
IT HERE NOW!
|
