Beth Scott (1922–1994)

From the book:“The line between reality and legend in these stories is imprecise at times. Some are clearly rooted in the folklore or storytelling tradition of a particular locale.” What I admired most about this author was this declaration that he wasn't pushing the reality of ghosts or hauntings down the readers throat...but offering us his experiences as well as the experiences of ordinary folks like you and I and just letting us believe or disbelieve. Most everyone, at some time in show more their lives...has enjoyed a good ghost story. Memories of a childhood Halloween or sitting around a campfire on a dark night trying to scare one another to death...most of us first began our journey into ghosts and hauntings accompanied by plenty of goosebumps and chills. Mine and my cousin's childhood ghostly experience was at the knees of my Irish grandmother who eagerly told us stories of her beloved Ireland's haunted past and present. She believed ever word and had a willing, eager audience. Michael Norman reminded me so much of that dear lady. He has obviously done a great deal of investigation and we visit not only Wisconsin, but also southern Ohio where there is a locally known folktale of a ghostly wolf that has been heard for well over a century. He and his mates are hunted until one by one they make their way to the “dying place of the wolves.” From the book: “Some of these ‘true’ ghost stories have been told and retold so many times...each recitation adding its own twists and turns, that it’s hard to know for certain where, when or how each one originated. But they all have one element in common: they are said to have originated with an actual event, as far as I can tell.” Other stories in the book fall more within the controversial realm of parapsychology as they deal with people who claim to have had perplexing encounters with something they consider to be of supernatural origin. An example that Norman points out. From the book: “His sister was one of the sources. She heard his voice and felt his presence in their family home many years after his death. She had very specific, very credible encounters with her deceased older brother. I believe she believed in what happened to her.” It doesn't matter if you are a sceptic or a believer...these stories are full of paranormal, creepy fun.... but you may want to leave a light or two on. show less

Creepy and informative...
This book takes you on a state-by-state tour of haunted places in America and Canada.
Instead of just presenting fact after fact in a boring outline sort of fashion, this book gives a definitive narrative in each chapter and on each subject it covers. I think I like that the most about this book. It tells the ghost stories as exactly that, stories. And it tells them in a way that I feel they were meant to be told.
This book really sheds a light on some of our most show more haunted places here in the United States and even has a bonus section of a few areas in Canada. It tells you the background information on why they are deemed to be haunted and true first witness accounts of people that have actually seen the hauntings in these places. Be forewarned, this book does not leave out many details and some of them are rather gruesome.
Dates and records are included in this book but again they are not written about in a boring way. They are very cleverly interweaved into the narrative. Very well done.
Suggestion: read this book along with a map of the United States so that you can pinpoint each location you would like to visit and see for yourself. 😉
I would definitely recommend this book to anybody who's looking for good haunts across America and Canada, or to anybody who would like to know a little more history about our country and the ghosts that remain here. 👻 show less

I can't speak towards the entire collection of short stories from across the midwest but I saw a paperback copy of this book in a B&N back in about 1998 and was struck by one of the very stories that were whispered about on my college campus at the time. I also experienced a disturbance referenced at one of the locations in the story while living on campus. I have since found original newspapers from the 1920's, 1950's, and 1970's that were referenced in the story. The story in this book is show more almost exactly as whispered by students back in the 1990's on campus and corroborated in newsprint... show less

For the most part, the entries in this book are entertaining but not terribly well written. They don't seem particularly well researched either, going over a lot of ground that other books cover without adding much.

The main reason I keep this book, and the reason I recommend it to others, is because of the excellent, clear, well-researched, and interesting entry about the Bell Witch of Tennessee. I haven't found a better summary of the Bell Witch events anywhere.