Any regular reader of this blog knows that I've got a thing for ghosts (
it's the whole worshiping death and spending quality time in the underworld thing). I consume pretty much any and all media I can get my hands on regarding ghosts - whether I expect it to be good or not.
When I stumbled upon
Haunted Asylums, Prisons, and Sanatoriums: Inside Abandoned Institutions for the Crazy, Criminal & Quarantined
by Jamie Davis I knew I had to read it. You see, most ghosts are totally benign and absolutely nothing like the rampaging fright-makers you see on sensationalist paranormal television. However, the ghosts of criminals, the insane, and the criminally insane are a different story. I've dealt with an insane ghost and it was terrifying. I came to this book in the hopes of finding new and interesting information on atypical hauntings, but was disappointed.
Reading the introduction to this book I was immediately put on guard by the author describing her view of ghost hunting as a thrill-seeking activity. Don't get me wrong, I totally see the appeal of spooking yourself silly in "haunted" places, but lauding it doesn't exactly give me confidence in the veracity of ones stories. Thankfully, the author is really good about identifying her experiences as only that and doesn't make mountains out of molehills. No shifting tree branches that
are obviously signs of demonic activity!!!! Just honest experiences of being creeped out in exceedingly creepy places.
This books is basically a paranormal tourism guide and it serves that function pretty well. Each chapter is about a visit the author made to a different paranormal hotspot and contains some basic historical information, the author's experiences while there, and info on how you can visit (many location offer regular tours or Halloween attractions). It's written in a very matter-of-fact, guidebook style (which is fine, but it's not exactly flowing prose). I do like that author has a webpage with all of the video, audio, and photos taken at each location so you can look and see for yourself.
This book is fine when the author is talking about the history of the location, but I had some trouble enjoying her descriptions of her personal experiences. The problem is that the author is clearly an amateur ghost hunter, so she doesn't exactly offer deep insights into the paranormal. If I want to hear about someone being freaked out by shadows I'll watch it on tv where I can enjoy the jump cuts and the soundtrack can get me invested. Reading about it just falls flat. Nothing all that extraordinary happens. There's really not much in this book that you can't get from surfing the web, though perhaps not quite so conveniently packaged. This book feels like the writer watched a few seasons of
Ghost Hunters
and then spent some time cruising paranormal hot spots to see what all
the fuss is about. While there's nothing wrong with that, it's just not
the book I wanted to read.
If you're a seasoned ghost hunter or serious paranormal enthusiast, don't bother with this book. There's just not enough added knowledge or even entertainment value to make it worth the money. If you're an armchair ghost lover or someone looking to plan a trip to a haunted place then you might enjoy it, but there are better sources out there.
