VOYA

Even in modern society, where scientific, tangible research is highly valued, fascination with the supernatural remains strong. In these two series entries, the question of ghosts’ existence and the experiences of those who seek them out as a vocation are explored. In Ghosts, the author relates a variety of supernatural encounters throughout history, including the ghost that haunted infamous Chicago gangster Al “Scarface” Capone until his death. Ghost Hunters investigates how the relatively new science of paranormal research took root and how it has permeated current popular culture. Each volume in the set provides insight into the paranormal as perceived throughout history, using various narratives and sidebars and an in-depth look at the people on both sides of the debate and their attempts to prove or disprove their beliefs. In addition, there are extensive source notes to make further research easier. The concise stories are fascinating and informative, with the individual authors relating the facts in an unbiased manner that allows readers to draw their own conclusions. In addition to the usual reasons given by skeptics for the paranormal, such as overactive imaginations and paranoia, scientific explanations on topics like electromagnetic fields and both sides of the brain trying to work together (cerebral fritzing) are explained as possible culprits behind many “ghostly” mysteries. There is also acknowledgement by the individual authors that although the existence of paranormal entities has never been proved, it has also never been disproved, noting some cases that science has rendered inexplicable. With all of its strong points, a drawback of the series is that it becomes repetitive, with the same stories and people featured several times in the different volumes. Although this repetition would not be an issue with a student researcher consulting one book, it could be frustrating when attempting to use the entire set.—Julie Watkins.