Aliens, Ghosts, and Cults: Legends We Live

Looking for an academic approach to this topic? This is a good first step to opening that door. It is a fun study and even better if you can chat with others about it, or become a conspiracy theorist online ;)

Bill Ellis' book focuses upon a genre fascinating both to the scholar and to the layperson--the contemporary (or more commonly "urban") legend. Ellis' extensive discussion of legends and their ostention (in a sense, when narrative becomes action) is particularly pertinent given the current political climate and surge of legends since 9/11/01. He points out "traditional narratives exist not simply as verbal texts . . . they are also maps for action, often drastic action" (235) and calls strongly for the timely collection, documentation, and interpretation of legends for through inaction "we risk condoning by our silence actions that perpetuate intolerance and even age-old bigotry ( 243). Ellis' volume not only examines our cultural history through narrative, it gives insight into how to continue to examine the role of legend in society. While it is possible a non-academic reader might at first be deterred by the scholarly analyses, there is no need to be; the data itself is fascinating enough to engage any reader, and the analyses of the texts are direct and thoughtful. The volume is excellent for use as a classroom text (as I have) or as simply intriguing everyday reading. The topics range from legends of "Aids Mary" to UFO abductions, ghosts, and supposed Satanic murders.

From rumors of a ghost in a Pizza Hut to a writer who claims abduction by aliens, Aliens, Ghosts And Cults gathers the relationships between myths and legends and everyday life, considering how these legends become a part of common culture. Often revolving around spiritual and social issues are tales which have become imbedded in our culture, Bill Ellis' Aliens, Ghosts And Cults provides an excellent, highly readable cultural analysis.