Book Description
"The Exorcist", a 1973 movie about a twelve-year-old girl possessed by the Devil, frightened people more than any horror film ever did. Many moviegoers sought therapy to rid themselves of fears they could not explain. Psychiatrists coined the term "cinematic neurosis" for patients who left the movie feeling a terrifying presence of demons. At the Washington premiere, a young woman stood outside the theater, trembling. "I come out here in the sunlight," she said, "and I see people's eyes, and they frighten me."
Among the few moviegoers unmoved by the horror were two priests, Father William S. Bowdern and Father Walter Halloran, members of the Jesuit community at St. Louis University. "Billy came out shaking his head about the little girl bouncing on the bed and urinating on the crucifix," Halloran remembers. "He was kind of angry. 'There is a good message that can be given by this thing,' he said. The message was the fact that evil spirits operate in our world."
Bowdern and Halloran knew that the movie was fictional veneer masking a terrible reality. Night after night in March and April 1949, Bowdern had been an exorcist, with Halloran assisting. Bowdern fervently believed that he had driven a demon from a tormented soul. The victim had been a thirteen-year-old boy strangely lured to St. Louis from a Maryland suburb of Washington. Bowdern's exorcism had been the inspiration for the movie.
The true story of this possession, told in Possessed, is based on a diary kept by a Jesuit priest assisting Father Bowdern. The diary, the most complete account of an exorcism since the Middle Ages, is published for the first time in this revised edition of Possessed.
Customer Reviews:
Essential inaccuracies.......2007-07-05
Perhaps the most important thing to know about this account of the "true" story that inspired The Exorcist is that the real boy in question did not live in Mt. Ranier. So all the facts presented here about that house, about those neighbors, or relating to that location - it's at best derived from erroneous sources, such as the early 1980's reports that first mentioned the abandoned Mt. Ranier lot, and at worst it's all fabricated. The real story can be easily found via Google searches. Knowing this, the rest of this account then falls into serious question, rendering the book virtually meaningless to anyone seeking the truth behind the Exorcist inspiration. It may make a good read, but it doesn't do much to present the true story. Try Google, and happy searching.
Just what the heck is up with those Ouija boards anyway?.......2007-04-07
This pioneering book and the story that it is based upon helped Willian Peter Blatty write The Exorcist.We all know what that did for cinematic history,don't we.Here, the subject of possesion is a boy in 1940's middle America who via an aunt and a Ouija board embark on the downward spiral toward increasingly volatile,abberant behaviors.One would think possibly schizoaffective or perhaps schizophrenic behaviors with psychotic aggression but perhaps not.Untreatable by local medicine and repelling local clergy he is referred to a different priest who with the help of other accolytes and assistant priests of a Jesuit variety embark on the long journey that is the ancient rite of exorcism.The story is clearly defined with just a sense of some holding back with regard to the true nature of the reality of the situation.The normal waxing and waning inherent in the ritual,the problems that can crop up that only insiders could know, as well as the continued path toward final expulsion are readily apparent and one gets the maximum treatment with full Roman Ritual furor.It is a story that perplexes the imagination but holds one fast as if the book were glued to your fingers.There are periods of fearful wonder and tactile and olfactory components along with the violence which are clearly felt.All does work out in the end,a rarity in these cases, but the story remains and leaves perplexing questions and doubts.There is the recorded event closely guarded by the church.The priests involved maintained silence until late in the case history.Both Blatty and Friedkin's'hollywoodization' if you will, does make more of the scene than is reported.Nonetheless,this exists as it is.Take it for what it's worth.Skip the movie of the same name,it stinks.Read the book,make your own judgements. If this is your stuff your money won't be wasted.The final opinion lies with you.Otherwise, enjoy some intense stuff.
High entertainment value.......2003-11-26
Whether or not Allen misses and distorts some of the historical information contained within his narrative, this work is still ultimately entertaining. It provides an extensive look at traditional demoniac psychology/experience, which is invaluable regardless of whether or not we believe in possession.
It also provides an interesting look at Christianity's handling of demons and exorcism over the centuries, and even if there are historical inaccuracies, this aspect of the book is undeniably valuable.
I am also impressed with Allen's style; he makes no attempt at sensational, horrific, "scary" language. It seems to me that Allen's goal is to provide an honest, impartial account. He leaves the reasoning to us.
Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, this book has something to offer.
A Big Book Of False Accusations.......2003-03-19
While the book is an interesting and entertaining read, most of it is untrue and horribly researched. The one star review lower on this page got it right. The facts that Mr. Allen gave as the boy's identity, his father, and where this all happened are all dead wrong. Nothing ever happened in the town or house that he said it did. It was apparent that Mr. Allen did minimal digging into the subject and just took what he found and threw it on the page with nothing to back it up with. What's even odder about this is how easily the real information(from the "Strange" Magazine)was found by that reporter. That Mr. Allen didn't take enough time to see that what was in front of his face was horribly wrong and what was right was not hard to figure out. When Mr. Allen was even contacted by the other reporter, he seemed to not care or answer any questions as to why he didn't go further to find the real truth. Everything he has stated about the boy and the location, is all wrong. Even the possessed boy himself stated that he never lived there and didn't know why people thought that. While the book is an interesting read, it can only be categorized under 'fiction', because that is what it is.
My strange experience with this book.......2002-10-20
I have always wanted to tell this story someplace, and here seems as good a place as any. I swear that what I am about to describe really happened. It was pretty scary.
Although we now live in Pennsylvania, my husband and I used to live in St. Louis. We know where the Alexian Brothers Hospital is and some of the other landmarks in the book. When this book came out it was released in St. Louis first, before it had a nation-wide release. I purchased the book with the intention of sending it to my father in NY State as he had liked the movie The Exorcist.
The first night I read 1/2 of the book. The following day while cleaning the livingroom I heard the distinct sound of rapping and/or scratching coming from a corner of the room, up near the ceiling. My husband laughed it off as either a mouse or my over- active imagination from the book, but later that night he heard it too. We had never in over 10 years had a problem with animals or mice in the walls, etc. In the book...the possession starts with rapping sounds.
That night I read the rest of the book, although by this time I was a little frightened. The following morning my mother in NY State called to tell me of an odd occurrance. The phone had rang the day before and when she answered it the person asked for "Sadie", my mother's name. When she said, "This is Sadie" the person started talking, according to my mother, "gibberish". She couldnt understand what they were saying or even if it was a male or female or what language they were speaking. When she asked who it was the person stated "Emily" which is my name. My mother said, "This is Emily, my daughter?" to which the person said, "yes" and then started speaking gibberish again. My mother hung up.
What is odd is that the phone number at the time was listed only in my father's name and I hadnt lived at home for almost 10 years. How did this person know BOTH of our names?
Because this freaked me out even more, that day I wrapped up the book and sent it to my parents. I didnt hear anything about it until about a week later when I asked my mother if she had the book, she said she did, and that my father would thank me for it but he wasnt at home. I asked where he was and she said that he was at the hardware store buying mouse traps as "We have heard scratching in the walls for a week now, so we must have a mouse."
This incident happened about 10 years ago. Nothing else happened after that, my parents never caught a mouse, the scratching stopped, and the book appears to be lost as I havent seen it when I have been over there. But it was very odd when it happened.
So...read the book, it is a fascinating story. But if anything odd happens to you or your family, please write a review and let me know. Thanks.
Book Description
Wanda Pratnicka's book describes an unacknowledged problem with which the majority of mankind is struggling, namely possession by ghosts. Ghosts are the souls of people who have died but who have not resolved to pass through to the other side of death's curtain. By remaining among the living they are the cause of anxiety, depressions, mood swings, explosions of negative emotions, mental illnesses and often also of physical illnesses.
Customer Reviews:
Possessed by Ghosts: Exorcisms in the 21 Century.......2007-07-16
Possessed By Ghosts: Exorcisms in the 21st Century is written by Wanda Pratnicka, world-renowned exorcist and psychic healer. During the thirty years that she has practiced her work, the author has noticed some very alarming trends. Growing up in the wake of war torn Poland, the author discovered that she could see, communicate with, and help troubled ghosts. From these experiences, the author learned that most ghosts simply do not know that they are dead. Furthermore, she also noticed this situation occurred not only to those who died in traumatic situations but also those who died while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or medications. Other ghosts were simply people unwilling to leave behind their possessions or family members.
Possessed By Ghosts: Exorcisms in the 21st Century outlines some very unique theories about ghosts and their activities after their deaths. The author believes that ghosts purposefully or unwittingly can and do actually cause potential harm, disease, and death to live individuals. Though her theories are no doubt coloured by her traumatic experiences with death and the dead in post World War II Poland, many of the author's ideas deserve some further consideration. At the very least, the author's plea that we grieve without pining for our dead loved ones is a very important message.
So-So.......2006-08-24
I was disappointed in this book, thinking it would have more to do with traditional possession. What the author writes about has more to do with blaming ghosts for every ill that befalls man. It got to be a bit much for me when the author blames alcoholism on the ghosts of previous alcoholics. The book does have some interesting theories, and some I can see being reasonable, but there are so many over the top theories here that I just couldn't finish it.
Pseudo-Science.......2006-03-07
As a boy I was fascinated by the stories about Daniel Douglas Hume, the psychic, and I have been a student of ghosts and demons ever since.However I have not taken leave of my senses; I still have objective intelligence and I search for individuals or literature that are game to explore the paranormal with a modicum of intelligence and open mindedness. This book by Wanda P is not to my liking: it is all anecdotal and dogmatic. Students of the subject of ghosts and demons etc. would do well to read Michael J. Cuneo's EXORCISMS IN THE LAND OF PLENTY, in which a lot is said about the kind of people who believe in such things and are easily deceived; he even brings out the fact that many such believers are victims of childhood sexual abuse. A similar thought is implied in Carter Gregory's THE FOURTH WATCH OF THE NIGHT, in which he studies the 1949 St. Louis exorcism and brings to light the influence of a ouija board and the victim's predator aunt. The book is also illuminating in that it offers a sound scientific explanation of the possession phenomenon.
Excellent among the best........2005-09-07
I have been researching the paranormal for many many years. I have tons of information that I have collected. Wanda Pratnicka, in my opiion, is very authentic. If I could only keep a half a dozen of my books on this subject, Possessed by ghosts would be included. It is written in a way that you won't have to sit with a dictionary to make sense of it. Everyone should read it because there are many people who are possessed by spirits, and don't realize it.
Interesting!.......2005-01-01
There are times when I am asked to read and review a work that I know I must put my own personal beliefs aside to be fair in my review, this was the case with the work "Possessed By Ghosts." Although I certainly do feel we are influences by those of the spirit realm, my take on whom or what we are dealing with is a little different than our authors. Nevertheless, her work was intriguing, interesting, well written and I sensed a sincere desire to help mankind as I read her book. That is always refreshing.
"Possessed By Ghosts," written by renowned exorcist and healer, Wanda Pratnicka is a work where our author opens her heart to you, and shares many years of her experience with freeing not only those troubled by ghosts, but the ghosts themselves.. Bridging this world with the next, she explains how she believes those departed influence our lives and often cause sickness and mishap. She gives testimonies and tells of different circumstances where this has occurred, taking time to answer the questions, you the reader, are sure to have. Carefully explaining her position as an exorcist and healer; Ms. Pratnicka offers solutions to these difficulties.
I believe we all have had some experience with those that we cannot see, even if we are not quick to admit it. In this work, Wanda Pratnicka offers you her answer to who these intruders from the spiritual side are, exactly what they are doing, and what you can do about it. Perhaps your answer lies within the pages of this work. You decide.
Shirley Johnson
Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review
Customer Reviews:
Amazingly, redundantly, mind-bogglingly BAD.......2007-07-28
Just as there are some works of plastic and painterly art so atrocious you just have to stand there and marvel at them, so this bestselling warhorse from the 1950s is a gob-smacking stunner. So marvelous it gets 2 stars rather than 1 (Amazon.com doesn't allow you less than one).
From the Time cover story on Cozzens we learn that this book was years in the making, and had been percolating in dribs and drabs since about 1930. This long gestation period may account for the book's lack of pulse and animal spirit--the sort of narrative drive that grabs you by the collar and demands that you turn the page, no matter how bad the characters or subject matter. But what sort of fetus do you end up with after a quarter-century? Trite subject matter, half-baked themes, and half-conceived characters.
And yet the thing was a bestseller. Must've been the title.
Delving into the the substrata of the novel and Cozzens's own biography, I gather that the novel took seed as a diatribe against religion. Narrowing his focus, he naturally took off on Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. Cozzens's driving vision, the thing he wanted to mock and bludgeon, was a picture of churchy old biddies who talked about things like the Trinity and the Holy Ghost...instead of Manly Things, the kind of stuff Harvard freshmen circa 1923 might talk about--you know...Science...and Literary Criticism...and Modern Thinking, you know...and Will There Be Another War?
The author's notion of a churchy biddy is herein caricatured as the uni-dimensional Polly Pratt, a wealthy Catholic lady who appears to have no function whatsoever other than to walk out on stage, stand next to a decaying stone fountain, and spout God-bothering drivel for a few pages, while the author (codenamed Arthur--geddit?) listens and smirks.
The remainder of the novel is just so much cornstarch and bromide: sub-John O'Hara recitations of small-town Pennsylvania scandal among the country-club set.
Overblown, pretentious and overrated.......2002-03-16
There are three subplots in this novel that intertwines around the life of attorney Arthur Winner. Sometimes interesting, this book is a chore to read as Cozzen's style is, well, wordy and ornate.
There is a scene where the central character and his sexually-repressed wife are in the sack ("Her." "Him", "Her", "Him." )...the instructions on how to program my VCR were more stimulating. Give me a break.
Maybe by today's overly PC standards this book could be considered mildly racist and bigoted, but I fail to see where. Catholics do take it on the chin, however.
This was almost a good novel. John Cheever does this type of thing much better.
a carefully written novel for perceptive readers.......2001-08-10
This book combines a number of uncommon qualities that will reward the patient reader: it is beautifully plotted, with no loose ends or errors in continuity; it is based on meticulous (but not flaunted) research into the subjects depicted; and it realistically portrays aspects of modern life that rarely draw the attention of serious novelists. Here, as in his other major works, Cozzens focuses on people's jobs -- how we make it through the day, dealing with the unattractive challenges life throws at us. Admittedly, his outlook on many topics is old-fashioned (something he acknowledged), but he generally appears to be someone honestly trying to look at the world as objectively as he can. (If one reads his major works in chronological order, it becomes clear how this striving for objectivity enabled him to grow beyond many of the prejudices of his class.) A priceless view of one aspect of modern American life.
A master craftsman and conservative novelist.......2000-05-12
First of all, Cozzens remains an impressive manager of his material. Multiple plots and personalities weave tightly through the work, and just when you think that the novel is nothing but a big pile of disconnected pieces, Cozzens turns just a couple of corners and the whole things snaps into place in a stunning moment of revelation. It's masterful craft, and both emotionally and intellectually moving.
On top of that, Cozzens manages to write for grownups in a world where compromise, settling, and just muddling through are sometimes as heroic as it gets-- sacrifices must be made, and it's NOT always a bad thing. If you find Steinbeck a tad too mushy, Hemmingway too mannered and ballsy, and Fitzgerald too melodramatic, this underappreciated author may be for you, and this novel is a great place to start.
An excellent book about humans under the stresses of life.......1999-03-27
James Gould Cozzens is an outstanding author who writes fairly-long, serious books which address important issues regarding the myriad stresses of human life. By Love Possessed is an interesting story which deals with matters of responsibility and conscience. If you are not put off by this sort of thing you will probably find this book both rewarding and enjoyable.
Book Description
This new translation also includes the chapter `Stavrogin's Confession', which was considered to be too shocking to print. In this edition it appears where the author originally intended it.
Customer Reviews:
one of dostoyevksy's best.......2006-12-20
this poor novel does not get the attention it deserves. it is far better than the idiot and on par with notes from underground. this is dostoyevsky's most precise response to chernyshevsky's brand of moral nihilism that was corrupting the youth of 19th century russia. and, of course, this corruption ultimately triumphed: lenin, after all, named one of his pamphlets after chernyshevky's "what is to be done."
the problem is not the philosophy of determinism itself: it is the slippery slope determinism takes into moral nihilism. i STILL hear members of my generation speaking against ethics in favor of "science" -- sadly they, like chernyshevsky's and stavrogin's mob, cannot recognize the simple "science" of social contract. thus, i suppose, the book remains somewhat relevant.
anyhow, this novel has all of the elements of a dostoyevskian masterpiece: love, death, and philosophy. read it and you wont regret it.
The Laodiceans.......2006-09-02
The four years that Dostoyevski spent in a Siberian prison for "liberal" activities during his mid-twenties indelibly influenced his later literary efforts. It can be argued that all of his major works deal, in one way or another, with the connection between criminality and the inordinate prevalence of self-will in the human character. Most of his characters, from Raskolnikov to Ivan Karamazov, display the same thought tormented traits and general lack of moral consciousness; but they have one more important trait in common: that no matter how reprehensible, they are able to be redeemed by the acceptance of Christianity, more specifically Russian Orthodoxy. Two other character types fascinated him: what he conceived to be the positively good man, Prince Myshkin of the Idiot, and what he saw as the consummate evil personage. It is in this novel that Dostoyevski wanted to examine the latter idea.
Intrigued with the literary possibilities of dualism, Dostoyevski set out to write, in 1869, the "Life of a Great Sinner", going so far as to make preliminary character sketches that would eventually result in the character of Stavrogin. But as he began work on this novel, current political events and the newspaper coverage of a sensational murder which had overtones of political conspiracty lead him to rethink this literary plans. Once again, his penchant for writing about the crimianl mind held sway. But instead of writing two novels, one philosophical, one sensational, Dostoyevski decided to combine both ideas into one novel; the result was The Devils. Any such amalgam, attempted by a less talended author, would have lead to certain disaster; but because of Dostoyevski's brilliance, his effort was at least partially successful.
It is Dostoyevski's comic brilliance and his ability to create believable characters that saves this novel and places it in the top tier of Russian literature. Although the novel seems torn with itself, in many places, resembling a book looking for a reason to exist, the author was able to create a cast of characters that hold the book together: the enigmatic Stavrogin; the quixotic Stepan Trofimovitch; Pyotr Stepanovitch, the revolutionary ring leader and perhaps the true "evil man" that Dostoyevski was attempting to describe - together with all the towns people, petty revolutionaries, intellectuals and criminals that have their role to play in the drama that unfurls.
It has always struck me as strange that Stavrogin has always been described as Dostoyevski's "evil" man and not Pyotr Stepanovitch. Stavrogin always seemed to me as neither capable of complete evil nor of good, occupying a place somewhere in the middle. It is by no coincidence that Dostoyevski twice mentions the passage from Revelations, "Write to the Angel of the Laodicean Church" (once in the originally expurgated Stavrogin's Confession chapter, and in the chapter describing Stephan Trofimovitch's last wanderings) and the implications are clear. It is much better in God's eye to be either cold or hot rather than just lukewarm, a description that best suits Stavrogin's aimlessness better than any other dramatic descriptor.
Rats with perverted minds .......2006-08-26
Dostoyevsky's possessed are not only the politically perverted minds, but also the psychic, religious or amorous possessed.
One of the main characters of this book could only express his love in a letter left after his death, having waited for more than twenty years to speak.
The most possessed characters however are the revolutionaries. Their portraits and ideas are forcefully foreboding the mass killers to come (Lenin, Stalin, Mao or Pol Pot), who turned against their own population and fellow travelers: `We will have to face thousands and thousands of (killings).'
Their policies are extremely cynical ... but not for themselves:
`There will be total obedience and total depersonalization ... Because no sooner people have a family and experience love than we begin to desire to own things. We shall kill that desire; we shall strangle every genius in infancy; everything must be reduced to the common denominator of complete equality.'
Except ... `you are placing yourself outside the system? ... Yes, because `slaves must always have rulers.'
All means justify the ends (take over complete power): volunteers prepared to assassinate anyone, arson, subversive propaganda, myths.
A very intriguing part of this book is Stavrogin's confession of a child rape. It reminds one of a very disturbing scene in London's Covent Garden's told in the author's memoirs `Winter Notes on Summer Impressions.'
This book shows also Dostoyevsky's deep pessimism: `Life is pain, life is fear, man is unhappy.' `The higher the stage of development a man reaches, the more prone he becomes to cynicism.'
This slowly progressing novel with the author's perfect sense of drama is a very disturbing read.
Highly recommended.
Talking about a revolution.......2005-05-05
In a small provincial Russian town, the curious set of inhabitants is augmented by the arrival of Peter Verkhovensky and Nicholas Stavrogin along with a small disparate group of followers. Tensions rise within the town's high society as Peter and Nicholas bring with them both revolutionary plots and uncomfortable memories of the past. The plotters too are divided - riven by conflicting egos and rivalries. Can all these tensions be resolved peacefully?
"The Devils" is an uneven and patchy work, yet I found it strangely compelling. Using the first person narrative in a kind of chatty reminiscence, Dostoyevsky succeeded in drawing me into the plot and heightening the tensions between the characters to create a claustrophobic effect: the characters' discomfort with themselves, with each other and with the state of Russia all add to the unstable mixture.
There's a lot of introspective stuff about revolutionary theory, deism, atheism and the rights and wrongs of violent protest. However, given the subject matter, all these are essential to the plot and interesting. The reader is drawn into Dostoyevsky's critique of contemporary Russia and the revolutionary theories which were used to promote change - an authoritarian view propped up by a curious theory of equality. In the mouth of the character Shigalyov, this "freedom under repression" becomes a chilling precursor of Soviet Russia.
Be careful to get an edition with an appendix containing the missing chapter omitted from the first edition in 1873, as it is important to an understanding of Nicholas Stavrogin.
G Rodgers
The Possessed, or, Demons.......2004-08-12
Demons opens up with a brief exposition on the two decade long relationship between the reckless, impulsive poet, Stepan Trofimovich, and the woman who keeps him, the rich, aloof, forever exasperated landowner, Varvara Petrovna. Theirs is a strange relationship, but perhaps not so uncommon then as it would be now. Stepan Trofimovich's reputation lies on the creativity of his youth, now, approaching fifty, these glory days are all but behind him. He has become little more than a celebrated scholar. Varvara loves him, but is waiting for him to declare it, something he will never do. While much given to spouting romantic phrases in both French and Russian at the drop of a hat, he is a flighty, inconsistent man. He loves her very much, but prefers to reveal his feelings to the mostly nameless narrator with moans and groans about his fate.
During this long 'Not an Introduction', we are introduced, also, to the many and varied inhabitants of the small Russian town. Most of the characters - and even many of the very minor ones - are fully fleshed out, with families, backgrounds, desires, thoughts, hopes, dreams, motives. A few in particular stand out. There is Krillov, the man who is determined to end his life not through depression or melancholy, but through a choice, allowing himself to be the first man to have free-will, and thus to become God. But he is burdened with this responsibility, endlessly philosophising with himself through sleepless nights. Shatov, the bitter student, a man who wants to fight God but cannot, who tried his luck in America and failed. Karmazinov, the once-great author, losing his talent and perhaps his mind, inflated by an unjustifiable sense of self-worth. Lebyadkin, the drunken captain with the lame sister, a secret shame he never reveals. Through these characters and more we are able to ascertain the political, philosophical and economical feelings of the times, and every one becomes a fully realised, three dimensional character.
Nikolai Vsevolodovich and Pyotr Stepanovich, a son each to the two characters mentioned above, return to the town after years of being away. Stavrogin (Nikolai) is respected and feared, he carries a dark secret. Verkhovensky (Pyotor) is a mystery, and seems able to worm his way into upper society with ease. As the book develops, the two are involved in ever more intricate schemes, always hinted at and never revealed, while all about the Russians are living their lives. Tracts are written, political meetings are held, Verkhovensky and Stavrogin seemingly the masters of this game, however, in their meetings, it is uncertain which one really knows what is going on, and who is the true power.
In typical Dostoevsky fashion, all emotions are felt perhaps too well, with people moaning and crying and fainting and falling to death from shock. This romantic touch adds greatly to the drama of the story, more so as the plots thicken, intertwine, and begin to be revealed, and as the body count increases, so too does the tension. One of the last chapters, involving Verkhovensky and Krillov, is perhaps the greatest, containing such a breadth and depth of ideas about reality and God as to make one step back and reflect on what he has read. The ideas presented, all throughout the book, are lucid, coherent, and undeniably powerful. Add to this the completely realised characters, and what is left is a brilliant book that looks at the social forces of an ideological revolt under false pretenses, and just what man is prepared to do to gain power. The only negative is that the second to last chapter is a - necessary - disappointment, flatly written and seemingly tacked on, but apart from this, it is one of the greatest books I have read.
Book Description
The Self Possessed is a multifaceted, diachronic study reconsidering the very nature of religion in South Asia, the culmination of years of intensive research. Frederick M. Smith proposes that positive oracular or ecstatic possession is the most common form of spiritual expression in India, and that it has been linguistically distinguished from negative, disease-producing possession for thousands of years.
In South Asia possession has always been broader and more diverse than in the West, where it has been almost entirely characterized as "demonic." At best, spirit possession has been regarded as a medically treatable psychological ailment and at worst, as a condition that requires exorcism or punishment. In South (and East) Asia, ecstatic or oracular possession has been widely practiced throughout history, occupying a position of respect in early and recent Hinduism and in certain forms of Buddhism.
Smith analyzes Indic literature from all ages-the earliest Vedic texts; the Mahabharata; Buddhist, Jain, Yogic, Ayurvedic, and Tantric texts; Hindu devotional literature; Sanskrit drama and narrative literature; and more than a hundred ethnographies. He identifies several forms of possession, including festival, initiatory, oracular, and devotional, and demonstrates their multivocality within a wide range of sects and religious identities.
Possession is common among both men and women and is practiced by members of all social and caste strata. Smith theorizes on notions of embodiment, disembodiment, selfhood, personal identity, and other key issues through the prism of possession, redefining the relationship between Sanskritic and vernacular culture and between elite and popular religion. Smith's study is also comparative, introducing considerable material from Tibet, classical China, modern America, and elsewhere.
Brilliant and persuasive, The Self Possessed provides careful new translations of rare material and is the most comprehensive study in any language on this subject.
Customer Reviews:
Primary research at its best.......2007-01-14
Being a genealogy/historical records buff, I loved Salem Possessed. Rather than relying on court records or newspaper articles, the authors look at previously overlooked records to discover the origins of the Salem with trails. The authors use Parris's sermons, wills, civil court records, tax records, censuses, and more. The books' thesis is that the witch trials sprung from personal power struggles, family legacies, and societal conflicts between agrarian and commercial lifestyles. A must read for anyone who thinks they know about the witch trials.
A Rational Look at an Irrational Moment.......2006-03-25
From an enormous body of surviving documents, the authors piece together a micro-historical account of life in 17th century Salem (Danvers), MA, comparable to Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie's classic description of a medieval French heretic town, Montaillou: the promised land of error. Their conclusion: "the witchcraft outbreak was rooted in the prosaic, everyday lives of obscure and inarticulate men and women. ... The spark which finally set off the volatile mix [of geography, economics, politics, and the times] came with the unlikely convergence of a set of chance factors in the early 1690's." Among these chance factors were the arrival of a new minister (Samuel Parris) and his voodoo-practicing slave (Tituba), heightened interest in fortune telling and the occult, a long-standing feud over land between the Putnams and Porters, the Montague-Capulet marriage of Joseph Putnam and Elizabeth Porter, and perhaps most of all, the peculiar political and economic status of Salem Village.
One of the reasons life in Salem, even before 1692, is so well documented is because its inhabitants were a querulous, litigious bunch, frequently bringing lawsuits against each other: "What made Salem Village disputes so notorious, and ultimately so destructive, was the fact that structural defects in its organization rendered the Village almost helpless in coping with whatever disputes might arise." About fours years before the witchcraft crisis, both the King of England (to whom colonists owed allegiance, and looked to for support), and the Governor of Massachusetts were removed from office. A new governor was not in office until 1692, after the crisis had already begun.
What people in Salem most quarreled about land. Salem Village quite literally had its back up against a wall, the Ipswich River. There was no room for expansion, and average landholding size had decreased by half, from 250 acres in 1660 to 125 in 1690. (Carol F. Karlsen makes a good case in The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: witchcraft in colonial New England, that women, rather than their male counterparts, who inherited or controlled land were "at risk" of being accused witches.) When young girls resorted to fortune telling to know who their future husbands might be, they were seeking urgent, practical, economic help in a "down market."
The farming community of Salem Village was also encroached politically and economically from the more urban, coastal Salem Town to its south, and eastern Salem Village which naturally aligned itself with Salem Town. Salem Village had "no ecclesiastical apparatus." It had no church and had to travel a long distance to Town Center for communion. Salem Village balked at paying taxes without what it considered necessary services, and in 1690 requested independent township status. In the decade or so before the witch crisis, Salem Village had gone through three unordained ministers before settling on the divisive, but ordained, Samuel Parris. Those aligned with Parris, mostly farmers located in western Salem Village, "treated those who threatened them not as a political opposition but as an aggregate of morally defective individuals ... it was a perfectly normal procedure for a town to rid itself of deviant and threatening individuals - by changing them if possible, by exile or execution if necessary."
As does Richard Godbeer in Escaping Salem: the other witch hunt of 1692, Boyer and Nissenbaum ask why events in Salem went so awry. There had been many witchcraft cases tried throughout the colonies and in Salem before 1692. For two centuries, Europe had been in the midst of a "witch craze" that claimed as many as 100,000 people. (By comparison, the Spanish Inquisition only executed about 5,000.) But in previous cases - in the colonies, and in Salem - executions were rare. It's surprising to read that elsewhere, before 1692, people were accused of witchcraft and brought to trial more than once over their lifetimes, without suffering execution or significant punishment. And therein might lie some explanation.
There was an intellectual and class distinction about what constituted witchcraft. To the literate, learned community, the crime of witchcraft was making a covenant with the Devil; a kind of super-heresy that not only denied Church dogma, but actively aligned itself against the Church, and God. Among the "obscure and inarticulate men and women" of Salem Village and elsewhere, witchcraft was magic; spells, amulets, potions, and the like that gave witches advantage over someone. It was easy to show someone had advantage - their livestock did not die when others did, or their children were healthy, or they were rich, had more land, and so on - but it was more difficult to show someone made a pact with the Devil. Who could give witness but the Devil himself (who lies), and the accused, his servant? Magistrates were more likely to err on the side of the defendant, and acquit accused witches - sometimes, even reversing a jury's verdict - to the consternation, fear, and dissatisfaction of the accusers. An ideal condition for vigilantism.
(In 1933, in my hometown, mobs broke into the jail, and beat two accused kidnapper/murderers senseless, then dragged their bodies across the street to the park where they were hanged, their bodies mutilated, and set afire. One reason "obscure and inarticulate men and women" in my town took such drastic action was s string of kidnappings, most notably that of Charles Lindbergh's son, that had gone unpunished.)
What made Salem Village erupt was not just pent-up rivalries and conflicts, but what's now called lack of "adult supervision." Why didn't someone simply tell the young accusers to go to their rooms and behave themselves? Why were they taken seriously? (English law at that time, did not admit evidence from anyone younger than fourteen years old.)
It can't be overlooked that Tituba, and the original accusers were members of Reverend Parris' household. Already the target of attacks from forces aligned with Salem Town, Parris easily equated himself, as representative of the Church, with the Church and God himself under attack. "The prevailing motif of that commentary [in Parris' Sermon Book] - from 1689 to 1692 at any rate - is one ofn encircling menace: a menace which thrusts closer and closer to the heart of the Village as it becomes increasingly cosmic in origin. In this quite specific sense, Parris unconsciously helped set the scene for the climax of 1692."
Boyer and Nissenbaum make a good case that the antics of the accusers - mostly young girls, but including young women as well - had more in common with the behavior of people at revival meetings such as the "Little Awakening" in 1734 Northhampton, MA, or the "Great Awakening" and "Second Great Awakening" in 19th century Kentucky. The very use of the word "awakening" - a stage in mysticism - is significant. As medievalist Teofilo F. Ruiz points out in his UCLA course The Terror of History: Mystics, Heretics, and Witches in the Western Tradition, mysticism has always been one of the few avenues open to women to achieve equality of power and influence. Boyer and Nissenbaum conclude, "the young people of both Northhampton and Salem Village at least momentarily broke out of their `normal' subservient and deferential social role to become the de facto leaders of the town and (for many, at least) the unchallenged source of moral authority."
Reverend Parris, like Senator Joseph McCarthy, benefitted in his role as leader in this war against "the invisible world." Again referring to the similarities between Salem and later revival movements, the authors conclude: "The crucial difference between the two episodes is the interpretation which the adult leadership of each community placed upon physical states which in themselves were strikingly similar." The beleaguered Parris saw witches. Others would later see God. What was needed, and arguably, was eventually provided by Governor Phips, was someone to say "Reverend Parris. Have you no shame!"
Salem, 1692.......2005-09-09
Why did the social fabric of Salem break down so thoroughly that by 1692 people were being accused of and executed for witchcraft? This book attempts to answer that question with a number of possibilities. For me the clearest answer had to do with the separation of Salem Village and Salem Town and how they perceived each other: Town was bigger and had the political clout to control the Village; Village wanted independence, which meant the right to elect its own leaders and, even more important, be independent in church matters. What was truly unusual about this arrangement for Salem was that the Village was caught in the middle between Town's dominence and the taste of independence it was allowed to savor - but never really have. This bred contempt and eventually the only means they felt available to force resolution, which went beyond the political and ecclesiastical realm in which they had no power anyway: witchcraft. The authors lean toward the psychology of guilt and accusation in proposing answers, which might be all well and good, but the answers are more basic and obvious than that, I think. A well written book, admirable for the extent to which original sources are utilized.
Excellent narrative on a misunderstood period of history.......2005-08-13
This book chronicles the interesting events that shaped Colonial history in the fall of 1692. Hundreds of people were accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts, and 19 of the accused (probably all innocent) were put to death. The mass hysteria that invoked this terrible event was brought on by a combination of communal hysteria, frustration with wealthy social classes, and the rigid interpretation of Puritannical laws. An excellent narrative for anyone interested in the development of early North America.
economic determinism .......2005-07-15
Boyer and Nissenbaum undertook their research to explore the interaction between everyday life in Salem, Massachusetts and the extraordinary events of the witchcraft trials. They researched the court records of the trials, personal accounts, census records, and church documents to understand the motivations behind the accusations. Boyer and Nissenbaum conclude the accusations sprang from different political, social, and economic views of the direction for Salem and the Massachusetts Bay colony.
The village of Salem experienced civil discontent for years prior to the violence of the witchcraft trials. The townspeople were divided into factions centering around the Putnam and Porter families. The Putnams supported the old order, pursued a primarily agricultural way of live, resisted efforts to introduce mercantilism into Salem Village, and wanted independence from Salem Town. The Porters linked themselves to larger community, engaged in commerce, accepted incorporation with Salem Town, and resisted separatist efforts. These competing ideologies divided the community.
The selection of ministers, including Samuel Parris, provided a focus rather than a cause for the animosity. The witchcraft trials tapped into this rancor and intensified the enmity between the sides. The struggles concerning witchcraft reflected a conflict over the economic future of the town.
Boyer and Nissenbaum reevaluate the witchcraft trial in their study. The events in Salem Village happened because of the unique conditions of that community. Salem Village lacked autonomy and power, but had a taste of independence through their separate meeting house. These conditions fostered the spread of the accusations.
The authors argued that the adults in Salem Village interpreted the behavior of the girls to suit their political and social goals. Northampton, Massachusetts experienced similar incidents in 1735. Their minister interpreted the occurrences as the hand of God, rather than the work of the devil. The Salem ministers saw the devil's work because of underlying social and political tensions.
Boyer and Nissenbaum show the economic differences between the witches and victims by mapping their residences. The former advocated continued economic diversification and mercantilism, and aligned themselves with Salem Town. The latter group came from an entrenched agrarian contingent who experienced economic dislocation and loss of status because of the limited amount of arable land. They felt pressured to join the new order and resisted this development. This underlying tension strengthened the accusations.
Boyer and Nissenbaum's book contains an innovative approach using social and economic factors to understand the phenomenon. Quantitative methods provide a useful tool to study this period. The book illustrates the underlying economic component of this issue.
Average customer rating:
- A 'wicked' sense of humour
- Poorly written and not very interesting
- Contemporary Classic
- The struggle to keep one's sanity
- I Loved It.
|
Running from the Devil: A Memoir of a Boy Possessed
Steve Kissing
Manufacturer: A Crossroad/Carlisle Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Religious
| Leaders & Notable People
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Special Needs
| Specific Groups
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Memoirs
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
New Age
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
| Astrology
| Chakras
| Channeling
| Divination
| Dreams
| General
| Goddesses
| Meditation
| Mental & Spiritual Healing
| Mysticism
| New Thought
| Reference
| Reincarnation
| Self-Help
| Theosophy
| Urantia
| Visionary Fiction
General
| Occult
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Inspirational
| Spirituality
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Diseases
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
| AIDS & HIV
| Brain
| Cancer
| Cardiovascular
| Communicable
| Diabetes
| Digestive Organs
| Extremities
| General
| Psoriasis
| Viral
General
| Neurology
| Internal Medicine
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Neurology
| Internal Medicine
| Medicine
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0824521056 |
Amazon.com
This memoir about a "boy possessed" reads like a cross between The Exorcist and David Sedaris's Me Talk Pretty One Day. Having been born into a Catholic household and eventually becoming an alter boy, Steve Kissing's childhood relationship with the Church was characterized by the usual bouts of reverence and guilt. Then one day, at the age of 11 years old, he suddenly started hallucinating and hearing a garbled voice in his head while sitting in his fifth-grade classroom. He managed to push the incident out of his mind until a few months later when the visions and voice returned during Sunday Mass. At this point, Kissing assumed it was the devil taking over his soul. After all, he was certainly a likely candidate, considering that he had recently shoplifted candy among other moral transgressions. From here the memoir takes on a hilarious and tragic storyline as we follow this poor possessed soul through his teenage years. When the devil possesses Kissing, he conjures up visions that are simultaneously bizarre and familiar—close friends suddenly look like Helen Reddy or Henry Kissinger, or even the Joker from the televisions show Batman.
All along he was afraid to tell anyone about his run-ins with Lucifer—-not even his parents knew. "I worried too that telling someone would only anger Satan and incite more trouble, sort of like telling a teacher that one of the eight graders is harassing you. It only seemed to make the bully all the more eager to catch you alone on the way home from school," he writes. "I was not about to be a Satan snitch." It would take five years of literal living hell (which he manages to describe with just the right amount of humor and heartbreak) before discvoering what in the hell was really going on. This is one of the most entertaining and twisted Catholic coming of age stories ever written. --Gail Hudson
Book Description
A funny, endearing coming-of-age tale, set in the '70s, that speaks powerfully and poignantly to the influences of family, faith and fate.
Customer Reviews:
A 'wicked' sense of humour.......2003-11-14
A very honest and funny insight into the mind of an adolescent still caught partially in a childlike, literal understanding of the world, as he progresses to the more rational world of an adult. It's fascinating to see how the author's interpretation and understanding of his affliction are influenced by his environment, in this case his Catholic faith. A true life bildungsroman with both funny and poignant moments, this book has universal appeal. What resonated with me was seeing how our childlike interpretations so significantly effect our development (and no doubt continue to do so). One is left wondering whether this particular guy's crazy interpretations of events were such a bad thing for him after all. A really enjoyable read.
Poorly written and not very interesting.......2003-11-09
I ordered this book with high extectations. I heard the author interviewed on a local radio station and read the reviews on this website. It all seemed quite positive. I ordered a copy for myself and for members of my bookclub. Unfortunately, the book really is dreadful. I returned all copies to Amazon for a refund. This is the first time I've ever done that. There are two problems with the book. First, it is poorly written. You as the reader will have to work hard to get through it. Most sentences have a strange and painful construction. There is a beginning clause followed by a comma, then another clause elaborating on the first clause, then another comma with a third clause elaborating on either the first or the second clause. Get the idea. Do you want to read a whole book like this? Worse, what could have been an interesting story comes across as dull and lifeless. Clearly the writer thinks plopping down all these abbreviated ancedotes of people and things from his life will be very entertaining. Sadly, it reads as a rambling scattershot. Order the book and you will work hard to read it while asking yourself why you are spending your time doing it
Contemporary Classic.......2003-09-01
At first you don't think young Stevie Kissing is going to win. But somehow, in the strangest of adolescent maneuverings, he does. You must read this memoir to find out how. And you will rarely stop when you begin reading. In Running with the Devil, an older, wiser Steve Kissing looks back with brilliant narrative drive to a delusional childhood. He chronicles the unruly effects of not a lapsed Catholic childhood, but one that was given to inadvertant bouts of, well, hallucinations, bad dreams, and unreliable goals. And he captures in utter poignancy and hilarity what it means to feel ostracized and clearly puzzled by a strange affliction obsessing him.
It's this juggling act of emotions that occurs with the reader and in the prose that give this memoir the brilliant edge the best creative nonfiction offers. You often don't think young Steve Kissing is going to win, but he does, and once you start in - as I said before - you are not leaving his side as a reader who shadows every page with him.
The struggle to keep one's sanity.......2003-06-21
Running From The Devil: A Memoir Of A Boy Possessed is the personal testimony of Steve Kissing, a Catholic school student who grew up during the 1970's with problematic seizures and a sure inner conviction that the Devil was striving for his soul. Instead of seeking help, Steve stayed silent out of fear, and Running From The Devil is the memorable story of his struggle to keep his sanity through hallucinations and the difficulties of growing up.
I Loved It........2003-06-21
I just finished reading Running From The Devil. I couldn't put it down. Steve writes about his experiences growing up and thinking he is possesed with the devil, in all actuality he is having seizures. This book was both sad and at the same time histerical. I can remember growing up the same era he did and doing some of dorky things that he did, but not with the demons that he experienced. I am a nurse at a seizure clinic and have heard similar stories to Steve's. I can hardly wait to share his stories/experiences with our patients and reassure them they are not the only ones who experience these weird episodes. I highy recommend this book to all who have seizures or know someone who has them. It really gives insight to what that person is experiencing.
Book Description
Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince is the definitive biography of one of the most talented and enigmatic musicians of our time, a figure who has seized international attention for decades and will continue to do so, both for his artistic talent and his bizarre behavior. While a handful of quasi-biographical efforts have been undertaken on Prince, Possessed is the first full-length, full-scale biographical treatment. Drawing on sources unavailable to other authors, it is the first book to fully analyze the creative legacy and unveil the psychology of this tortured, messianic artist whose ceaseless reinventions have at times rendered him a profoundly original artist and at other threatened to make a mockery of himself and his music. Blending biographical storytelling, pop cultural history, and music scholarship, the book will appeal to a broad general audience as well as to music fans.
Author Alex Hahn, a journalist who has written for The Boston Globe and The San Francisco Chronicle, taps key sources - such as friends, employees, and industry insiders - to place readers at the scene of some of the artist's most important recording and song writing sessions; relate how his compulsive sexual behavior led to revolving-door romances with Kim Basinger, Carmen Elektra, Vanity, and others; reveal that Prince on many occasions plagiarized band members' musical ideas; and explain why he has become such a paranoid, vindictive, and isolated figure. The book also draws upon the hundreds of interviews given by Prince over his career.
The book contain 30 high-quality photographs of Prince and his associates from all points of his career.
Possessed also contains the most detailed appendix of song and recording session information ever assembled for a pop musician, including information about Prince's vast canon of unreleased music and the hundreds of songs he has written for other pop artis
Customer Reviews:
Essential Prince.......2005-09-08
A comprehensive overview of the life of one of the greatest musical minds of the pop world. Hahn shows how Prince went from prodigy to pop star to pompous recluse. Starting with his early years right up to the the new millenium, we see how Prince's flame shined so brightly after years of hard work, only to have it snuffed by ego, selfishness and totalitarianism. Plenty of great research by Hahn, who gets his info straight from those close to the Purple One, including band members, engineers, A&R people and tour manager Alan Leeds who also worked for funk godfathers James Brown and George Clinton. Excellent and complete discography including unreleased material. A must for any fan of His Royal Badness!
My only complaint is that Hahn seems biased in favor of the successful Revolution/Purple period and very critical of the later New Power Generation band. Though the lite pop of the Revolution era was the highlight of Prince's career, the musically superior NPG yielded much greatness although its R&B/rap/funk seemed less accessible to mainstream audiences. In fact, it was Prince's increased musical output and each album's lack of contiuity (jumping to different musical styles like jazz, techno, reggae, r&b, rock opera, etc) that contributed his downfall. In the end, it seemed Prince lost his focus and idealism and needed to find purpose again to regain his throne.
Stand Back.......2005-04-13
Hahn's book is good but, as some of the other reviewers mention, it is written too much on a schematic of pre-1988 = good, after 1988 = bad. Prince has been humbled, I suppose, and now he plays his greatest hits like clockwork and has attained a semblance of his former fan base. But on the whole his career has been too complicated to fit into the traditional "rise and fall" motif.
Hahn does name names and he's pretty harsh on our boy Prince, who comes off sounding like he's trapped in his own world, unable to break out and see what's real. He is haughty, weird, and troubled. But Hahn is also genuinely interested in the music, and in seeing who did what in the various incarnations of Prince's collaborators.
Prince is a sparkplug of energy with a fantastic melodic line and a master of r'n'b. I love the story of Prince helping out Stevie Nicks during the writing of "Stand Back" one of her signature tracks from the 1980s. It's a shame nothing from his sessions with Kylie Minogue ever saw the light of day; but Hahn holds out a ray of hope that someday, way down the pike, we will hear everything because Prince is a sort of packrat when it comes to holding onto the all precious tapes (obsessively, like Howard Hughes holding onto his fingernail clippings).
Excellent book!.......2005-01-04
As another reviewer wrote, if you don't want to see anything negative written about Prince, don't read this book. But again, if you don't pick up and read this well researched and written work, you will truly deprive yourself and miss out on something great. Furthermore, if you really love Prince, you will accept his rough behind the scenes side as well as his stage image. Sure, we want to see our idols as flawless, but realistically, that is not the case. The book takes you on a fantastic journey of highs and lows throughout the artist's personal and business relationships, financial hardships, and his creative triumphs and failures.
There were times during my reading of the book that I actually despised him for his treatment of others, especially those who really cared about and stood by him, but then again, that's his personality, and who am I or anyone else to judge? The scary thing is, I see a lot of myself in him, not musically, but personality wise. I really felt bad after reading about how he lost his child. In fact, that was the most heartbreaking part of the book to me. After finishing the book, I watched "Purple Rain" again for the umpteenth time , and it is strange how my perspective of the film was altered by the bio.
Some of the content will be shocking and downwright offensive, and upon completion of the book, you will either love Prince or hate him. Either way, the fact remains that Prince, no matter what his faults or weaknesses are, is one of the best artistic geniuses of our time and has left a permanent footprint on pop culture. Even his worst detractors give him credit for his abilities. Frankly, I couldn't imagine what life would be like without his music. I now have a newfound respect for Prince, in the sense that he is as human as the rest of us. Get this!
Interesting.......2004-10-01
Not too bad.
Now it all makes sense about Prince to me.
You give someone enough power and reign, don't think that they will give it up so easily. (I'm talking about the music making)
He did it ALL, and wanted ALL the credit and control.
Even though I'm sure his former band*Slaves contribute in assisting with the new music,but he didn't give credit were I believe credit was due to them.
Good-not great book. But it answered some unanswered questions, and I believe they were the most accurate taking account from those who worked and dealt with Prince and both a professional and personal level
The Early Days.......2004-05-14
After reading original guitarist, Dez Dickerson's newly released book, "My Time With Prince", I was thankful for real first-hand observations and insights into the Purple One's beginning. Without the agenda set forth in "Possessed", Dez shares about the youthful, innocent, and extraordinary path that Prince and bandmates experienced. Legend has it that Dez is the only band member who was not required to sign a confidentiality agreement, allowing him to finally come forth with this rare up-close biography. Very interesting comparison reading.
Book Description
"Researching and writing this book often felt like the literary equivalent of a solo crossing of Antarctica." Lynley Hood
A City Possessed is a strong, compelling and shocking story about one of New Zealand's most high-profile criminal cases - a story of child abuse allegations, gender politics and the law. In detailing the events and debates leading up to and surrounding the Christchurch Civic Creche case, Lynley Hood shows how such a case could happen, and why. Her penetrating analysis of the social and legal processes by which the conviction of Peter Ellis was obtained, and has been repeatedly upheld, has far-reaching implications - not only for our justice system, but for the way in which we see ourselves.
Ms Hood is clearly interested in the truth, and in careful research, rather than holding a view and sticking with it through thick and thin. This is an important book - clearly written, well-researched, assiduously referenced, and a compelling read. Dr Alison Jones, Director of the Institute for Research on Gender, University of Auckland
Hood says that when it comes to the Ellis case, and the manner in which those accused of sexual abuse of children are dealt with generally, grave injustices are and have been perpetrated. Much in this case went haywire. The result is a book that will elicit strong responses; outrage and bewilderment among them. Brian Turner, poet and publishing consultant
This book is a work of scholarship of the highest academic standard. The interpretation is a very important one, and one that is clearly supported by the evidence. Professor Mark Henaghan, Dean of Law, University of Otago.
Customer Reviews:
"..likened to a Russian novel..".......2002-08-21
"It has the intensity and variety of one of those great Russian novels of the nineteenth century.." Elric Cooper, Theatre Director & Arts Commentator.
"A book that has been likened to a Russian novel with its vast and diverse cast of characters and its extraordinary complex plot". Bookmarks, Radio New Zealand, July 2002.
A must-read.......2002-06-13
Hood has taken on a massive project - to not only explain the obvious flaws in the prosecution of creche staff, but to base the entire sordid mess in the social and political context of the time. The analysis of how sex abuse "experts" were able to change the political and legal basis for prosecutions (while "learning on the job"!) is a disgrace to the NZ justice system and parliament. That disgrace is completed by the current Minister of justice refusing to read this meticulously researched, brilliantly told, and lion-hearted work. What are you scared of Mr Goff?
I frequently read the book into the small hours, and re-read many sections. I recommend it as a rivetting experience. It certainly has global sifnificance because several overseas cases are also examined in some detail.
Letter to the New Zealand Minister of Justice.......2002-05-20
After reading "A City Posessed" I wrote the following to the New Zealand Minister of Justice, Phil Goff, which also sums up my feelings about Lynley Hoods book. A masterpiece of patient and objective research.
The Hon Phil Goff
Parleimant House
Wellington.
I have just put down Lynley Hood's book, "A City Possessed", all 672 pages of it, and if I had any doubts about a miscarriage of justice, then such doubts are now completely dispelled. I cannot see how any reasonable person reading this book could harbour doubt on the innocence of Peter Ellis.
It has been reported that you have not, indeed will not, read "A City Possessed" because you have faith in the justice system; in the original verdict, the appeal court decisions and the subsequent enquiry. I urge you to read the book.
Lynley Hood was able to impartially and objectively examine every facet of the case, whereas all stages of the several judicial proceedings were narrowly focused and circumscribed by rigid procedures that, under the amended rules of evidence relating to children, inexorably tilted the case in favour of the prosecution.
In her enquiries, Hood was not bound or beholden to anyone, was not subject to professional pressures, pride or prejudice, the need to achieve a certain result, or to jealously defend an `expert' position. Nor was she swayed by emotive and uneducated public opinion or the baying of a sensation seeking media. She bases her conclusions on a comprehensive analysis of a set of persuasive facts and on what, to any reasonable person, must be compelling and logical inferences.
On the other hand, from the outset there is evidence of prejudice, hysteria and contamination of evidence, coupled with a clear case of tunnel vision on the part of police, `experts', social workers and the interviewers - in other words, they were so determined to believe the worst, that ultimately they could not see the wood for the trees. Although not heard by the court, the extra-curricular activities and utterances of constables Eade and Legat, especially to the parents on the guilt of Ellis, were reprehensible.
Lest you may feel that I am yet another lay observer, I was formerly an Inspector of Police (not in this country) with CID experience and frankly, I would not have entertained a case built upon such weak, tainted, often contradictory and demonstrably prejudiced evidence.
Please read the book, initiate a fresh enquiry if necessary, but above all, without delay, ensure that Peter Ellis receives justice.
Book Description
This book explains how an exorcism of a spirit is performed a distance, not in the presence of the client. It traces the normal progression that a dying person experiences, and explains why a normal death often does not occur resulting in the spirit of the dead becoming earthbound. That spirit then seeks and possesses a living person who must be depossessed. This book explores a comparative simple, safe and effective way of performing an exorcism. Watch for these Signs! * Anti-social Behavior * Extreme Negativity * Deep Depression, 6" x 9"
Customer Reviews:
nice premise, weak development.......2003-11-09
so, this book is about clearing "possessed" people of the souls of the dead who are possessing them. the procedure given is to be used as a distance (only) method. personally, i think the author vastly exagerrates the problem of possession by the dead, while completely ignoring the possibility of obsession and possession by other kinds of spirits. the author also spends a lot more time discussing diagnosis, (by means of pendulum dowsing,) than is really necessary, especially considering the treatment is harmless even if the victim isn't really possessed. still, an interesting item to read, and about the only non-christian book about exorcism of any kind on the market.
Books:
- Professional Active Server Pages 3.0 (Programmer to Programmer)
- Quilting Possibilities...freehand Filler Patterns (Golden Threads)
- Shades of Gray
- Signal Integrity Issues and Printed Circuit Board Design
- Street Angel
- Suffering and the Sovereignty of God
- The American Practical Navigator: "Bowditch"
- The Apocalypse Reader
- The Birth of Tragedy & The Genealogy of Morals
- The Book of Leviathan
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Ten Traits of Highly Effective Principals: From Good to Great Performance
- How to Discover Your Purpose in 10 Days God's Path to a Full and Satisfied Life
- Glamorous Disasters: A Novel
- History: Fiction or Science
- History: Fiction or Science
- Introduction to Stochastic Search and Optimization
- Life With an Indian Prince: By Archives of American Falconry
- Sihanouk: Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness
- Harmonisation of European Taxes: A Uk Perspective
- The Biogeochemistry of Iron in Seawater
Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans
The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel
An Exorcist Tells His Story
Interview With an Exorcist: An Insider's Look at the Devil, Demonic Possession, and the Path to Deliverance
The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren
