Haunted Heartland

This book's got it all--ghosts, disappearing hitchhikers, spontaneous human combustion, psychic detectives, haunted mines, vanishing ships, mysterious lights, death cars, and exorcisms. There's even a story of automatic writing.Whoever dreamed America's Midwest could be so haunted?Beth Scott and Michael Norman tell good stories, too. There is some repetition, which is to be expected in a collection of 120+ stories--it's amazing how many Midwestern towns are haunted by a 'lady in black'--but some of the tales (as far as I know) are completely unique. One of my favorites is "The Abduction of Oliver Larch." Here's how this mysterious tale from Indiana starts:"In the eerie, flickering glow of a kerosene lamp, Matthew Larch followed his son's footprints in the snow. They started at the kitchen door and extended some seventy-five feet from the house. There were no other marks on the freshly-fallen flakes."Young Oliver's tracks just stopped. The oak water bucket he had carried lay on its side several yards to the left."Matthew Larch huddled under the dark sky with the small group of family and friends. Not a word passed among them. They listened intently, but could scarcely believe their senses."Oliver was crying, his voice growing fainter and fainter as he screamed for help...screamed from somewhere above them...in the black, cold sky."This incident took place on Christmas Eve, 1889, so forget about helicopters.The stories are arranged by state, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The authors do not claim to be psychics or ghost-hunters. Some of their tales are pure folklore. Others have been collected from books or periodicals of limited circulation. Many of the contemporary accounts have never been published, before appearing in this book.If you are interested in the unusual or the terrifying, read "Haunted Heartland" during one of our Midwestern thunderstorms. Especially if the lights go out and you have to read by the flickering glow of a candle.

Who doesn't enjoy a good ghost story? For the most part, it doesn't even matter if the story is true or not. Perhaps the best thing about this book is the fact that its authors are not trying to prove or disprove any of the stories. Each tale speaks for itself. Some are somewhat funny, almost all of them are weird, and a few of them are downright spooky. As an added bonus, we learn a little bit about the history of the American Midwest; most of the stories carry the reader back a century or more in time. There are ten to fifteen tales from each of the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin. For the most part, all of the stories are hum-dingers. About a dozen of them struck me as pretty scary, so I would not recommend this book as a late night read except for those of more stalwart heart than I possess. There are a couple of stories that don't fit into the typical haunting milieu, but such stories are so interesting that the authors surely could not resist adding them to the collection. For the most part, though, these tales reflect hauntings in the traditional sense, and many contain accounts of actual sightings of ghostly figures. The authors do a very good job in telling the stories, giving us enough information to appreciate and understand each unique mystery while refraining from offering any conclusions of their own. You can read a few tales at a time or sit back and dive into large sections all at once; the organization of the tales by their respective states of origin is well-done and helps to maintain a cohesive framework to the entire book. I was thoroughly entertained and intrigued from beginning to end.

It is rare to find a book that purports to relate "true" ghost stories that does so in a way that neither accepts nor denies out of hand the veracity of the stories. Sources are quoted, stories related, narratives spun without any editorial voice saying "this is folklore" or "this is fact". I guess at my age I don't need to know whether ghosts really exist to be fascinated in them. As Carl Sagan said, (paraphrased) "I am tolerant of ambiguity in this regard". I have many books on my nightstand, but somehow "Haunted Heartland" always works it's way to the top of the stack, upside down, open to a story that I've probably already read 7 times, and can't wait to continue at bed time. This is the perfect nightstand book, but I'd recommend you buy a nightlight to go with it. You'll need it... PS - I have ordered the second book from these authors on this topic, titled "Haunted America", and am waiting for the UPS truck to pull up!

I love how this book is divided by States! Some of the stories in my state were really close to home. It made me want to go check it out for myself! I read the entire book and it was fantastic! I'm looking forward to another book by the same authors, because they're true story accounts are so chilling!