Unbelievable: Investigations into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other Unseen Phenomena, from the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory
By paranominal
Published: November 3, 2009
Tagged with: Cold War Spies, Duke University, einstein, Five Senses, Ghosts Poltergeists, Grasp, Horses, Investigations, J B Rhine, Mysteries, paranormal, Parapsychology Laboratory, phenomena, Product Description, Rain Barrels, Rigors, Scientists, Stacy Horn, Telepathy, Unseen World
Ugh. This is a terribly-written collection of credulous craposity. Ostensibly a history of the Duke Paraspychology Lab, it uses the lab only as a springboard to promote nonsense like poltergeists, ghosts, and psychics. The work of the lab itself was interesting but accounts for only about a quarter of the book, the rest being a handful of sloppily strung-together anecdotes of well-trod territory such as the Amityville Horror and The Exorcist. It is also full of typographical errors, but that’s probably not the author’s fault.
You know what’s annoying? There are so many talented writers out there who can’t get their work published, but dreck like this just keeps getting churned out. Save your money and hours of your life; this book is not worth it.
Rating: 1 / 5
While it would be unfair to say this is a bad book, I find very litle worthy of recomendation. If you are looking for a a reasonably thorough bigraphy of the individuals involved in the Duke Parapsychology program, you will not be disappointed. If you are looking for some insight into the experiments the performed, an analysis of the results or some insight into their significance, prepare to be disappointed.
I can’t say that I wish I had the hours spent reading this book returned to me, I cannot suggest that you will be glad you spent your time with this rather banal work.
Rating: 2 / 5
Unbelievable does have it’s good points and bad. If I were able, I would rate it 2.5 stars. First off, it does a credible job at looking at paranormal events from a scientific viewpoint. After all, Duke University did run a lab where they generally focused on ESP and psychokinetic activities. During a small portion of the book they did discuss poltergeist activities as well as some evidence that lead to the writing of “The Exorcist,” both of which were entertaining and a welcomed break from the monotony of reading about ESP and psychokinesis. It’s too bad this section wasn’t further explored. They also proposed an interesting hypothesis: i.e. essentially, ghosts, poltergeist activities, and ESP might be created by the unconscious, psychokinetic capabilities of an individuals mind.
Unfortunately, for me, the story comes across as dry, at times boring and the thrust of the book dealt too much with ESP. Too be fair, the scientists themselves did not want to venture further from this for fear of ridicule. As it was, they had a difficult time trying to look at this topic alone without scorn from their peers. Experimentally, ESP was easier to set up and duplicate. They had hoped that by proving this, it would lead to other forms of psychic/ paranormal research which could then be explored.
All I know was that after reading it, I needed a fix of adventure and pure fiction. So I rushed to reread my Harry Potter. Long live Hogwarts!
Rating: 2 / 5
The unparalleled Stacy Horn strikes again in this thoughtful, detailed, and very readable history of a very specific and previously unexplored subject: the attempts by scientists at Duke University to provide quantitative and reproducible evidence of psychic phenomena, ESP, and even life after death. Readers looking simply for spooky or fantastic stories may be somewhat disappointed at some of the less-than-exciting experiments run at the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory, but readers seeking an in-depth and sympathetic group portrait of a group of individuals whose names don’t loom large in scientific circles (including the lab’s longtime director, J. B. Rhine) will enjoy this one immensely. As she did in The Restless Sleep (about cold cases in New York City and the detectives who investigate them), she tells a good story about individuals lost in history, and she does so through impressive research. Also of note here is her impressive detailing of sources (readers looking for similar books on her subjects can find them listed, handily, in her sources) and a very nice index, making this a book that might also be useful for students (and the reference librarians who help them).
Rating: 5 / 5
Whether you’ve read everything ever written on the subject of parapsychology or nothing ever written about it, this book will amaze you. I am an avid reader of everything and anything if the subject matter even remotely interests me. With Unbelievable, Stacy Horn has written a very entertaining and informative book about fascinating subjects that kept me wanting to learn more. And she does not disappoint.
Her devotion to research and attention to detail make for a mesmerizing thought-provoking story.
I was so impressed with her writing I went in search of her other books to read them too.
Rating: 5 / 5