Rating: 
Summary: Very lacking in credibility
Review: This book was a major letdown. It employs low standards of investigative journalism, especially in its willingness to accept without critical examination the claims of those saying what the author wants to hear. Not only do those claiming to have faked the Patterson footage lack physical supporting evidence, they can't even keep their stories straight. So they should be believed...why?A decade or so ago I studied the Patterson footage at length after taping a Discovery Channel program on the Bigfoot mystery. I was intrigued enough to play it through several times. One thing for sure: if the creature shown is really a man, it's a VERY large and heavy man, well beyond the dimensions of those now making these claims. What's interesting is the very fluid motion of the creature's strides and arm swings, which really do not look like a man laboring to imitate anything. With the plodding footsteps, you can see ripples (or waves) going up through the abdominal body fat/tissue. It's hard to imagine this with an ape suit. That doesn't mean that the film can't be a fake, but rather that it was done in an unusual way: covering the body with some kind of paste, and then applying fur or hair--so that the flexing of muscles and movement of tissue would be displayed. Since the claims made in this book are inconsistent with what I observed to be plainly shown on the film, I conclude that this is all as bogus as the author claims the film itself to be. The real question is whether in 1967 the man elaborately trashed in this book as a con man, deadbeat, loser, etc. could have pulled this off with the level of sophistication captured in the famous 16mm film. You have to wonder. One thing for sure, to appreciate this film, even as a hoax, you have to see it in motion--not just still frames. It's well known that the ape suit designer for "Planet of the Apes" told everyone on the set back in '68 that he also supplied the Bigfoot shown in the Patterson film. At least he has a consistent story and the proven ability to craft an ape outfit. Not that the Bigfoot here looks anything like what Kim Hunter wore in the movie. But if you want to believe such an account, believe his. Not the baloney spun in this book. My advice is to spend your money on a documetary program on this subject, and trust your own eyes and judge for yourself. Author Greg Long, in writing the most unobjective book ever written on this topic, says the Patterson film is nothing but an elaborate hoax designed to create a trip to the bank. Well, maybe. I'd agree that he's now an authority on that subject.
Rating:
Summary: too much monkey business
Review: First off, let me state from the start: I am 100% certain that the famed 'Patterson' footage features a guy in a suit. Having said that, I was quite eagerly awaiting this book, having heard from several different sources that it would be the definitive account of the '67 bigfoot hoax, the final nail in the coffin for all the sasquatch fans who hold this strip of celluloid to represent an actual unknown whatsis. But It Ain't. A huge disapointment. I like to think of myself as a fairminded person.If the 'bigfoot fraternity' expects me to accept the existence of their favorite hairy humanoid, then I need some proof. Show me! Hey, the modern world can be a pretty boring place, and it would be coolness to the Nth degree to discover that previously undetected herds of wookiees are roaming the deepest, darkest recesses of our remaining, unspoilt wildernesses. I just need too see the evidence. Don't expect me to take your word for it, that just because someone told you something to be true, that that makes it so. Mr. Long, you let me down. Because, in your haste to put this book together, you've resorted to the very same tactics that the bigfoot community employs. You don't show me any PROOF, you just say 'well, see, this guy told me it was true, and so, see, I don't need to show you any PROOF, because...well, see, this guy says it's true, so it MUST be'. Uh-uh. The bigfoot fans are expected to demonstrate the reality of their favorite furry folk hero before their claims can be accepted as true, and your claim to have 'uncovered' the truth behind the Patterson hoax must be held to the same standard. No - it is not enough to use anecdotes as 'evidence'. No - it is not acceptable to badger witnesses until they finally give in and give you the quotes you need for your book ( and probably only then because they are tired of being harrassed and just want you to go as far away as possible ). No - it is not only unacceptable to use base character assassination in an attempt to bolster your case since you lack the actual, physical evidence you so sorely lack ( the monkey suit ) it is morally reprehensible. I am quite sure that the 'true' story of the making of this film has yet to be told ( and, sorry bigfooters - that 'truth' is that this film is most definitely a fake ), however, this ain't the book. If one needs an example as to how NOT to do research for a book, then this title rates five stars as a sterling cautionary example of the roads not to go down in the breathless pursuit of proving your own preconceived notions. Please, do not spend your hard-earned cash on this ( as I did ). If you absolutely must read this, then I would suggest waiting for it to appear in the remainder bins, or, better yet, on the shelves of your local public library. Someday, in the (hopefully) not-too distant future, the TRUE story of the Patterson hoax will be properly documented in a reliable, engaging and engrossing account, and the 'bigfoot' footage will finally be relegated to the trashbin. If anything, this book should provide hope of sorts for aspiring authors. If this could be published, then certainly, almost anything else can.
Rating: 
Summary: Three stars for the interest this book created
Review: Not much real hard evidence or new theme within, just another fellow that claimed to be in a bigfoot suit but you should read this so you can truly appreciate books like Jerry D. Coleman's "Strange Highways" and his work, research and thoughts of over 35 years on Bigfoot and other cryptids (hidden animals).
Long gets three stars just for his ability to get this one printed and talked about so much in the Cryptozoology circles.
Rating: 
Summary: Some people Simply Cannot Handle the Truth
Review: This will be one of many books on this subject coming I sure. It's time to put this hoax to sleep. As a long time science educator and researcher of bigfoot I have spent many hours discussing bigfoot with students and scholars. For years I have questioned why the patterson film creature has no gluteal cleavage. Why is bigfoot wearing pants? Why does bigfoot have shoulder pads and its arms hinge in the wrong place? Why does this supposedly female bigfoot have hair covered breasts? Anybody, after taking time to study the film can walk like the creature in the film. It's easy, try it. Patterson was fixated those loose flaps of skin about the upper arms, and why does by female creatures. Is it any wonder that he later filmed a female? I thought the film was a fake over 30 years ago and nothing has changed my mind since. This book will open the doors to publically challenge those have a religiuos fanaticism about bigfoot. They hold the patterson film in the same esteem as if it was a film of Christ himself. They will fight this. Grown men who have sworn the film is real will not go down easily. They will get angry and threaten but they will finally be exposed as the unscientific men that they are. A belief in the film does NOT make it real. Time to grow up and face facts. It ain't real folks. The film is a fake so get over it and look elsewhere for evidence.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book - Must Read!
Review: The Making of Bigfoot is a wonderful book with a wonderful story. Filled with colorful characters and a fascinating theme--who's in that Bigfoot film?--, this rich and detailed nonfiction book is an engaging journey on a road to the truth. As the evidence mounts, it's impossible to deny that the Roger Patterson film couldn't be anything else but a hoax. The central real-life character of the book, Roger Patterson, who is clearly a con artist, was obviously a liar driven by greed. Why so many people have accepted the Patterson Bigfoot film for so many years is beyond belief. Long raises so many questions and provides so much information that at the conclusion of the book, the truth is undeniable: the film is a fake! I recommend the book for its style, pacing, its many internal stories, its suspense, and the powerful way that Long proves his case. And the book is a memorable slice of America's cultural history. I couldn't put it down. Five stars!
Rating:
Summary: Dismal failure
Review: Well some may think me partial to the topic and of the mind to strike out against anyone who would attack something of special interest to me. That may be true so I have held off until I did purchase my copy through Amazon and did read it. Then I had to look at what was written, striking out the words Bigfoot and some of the people and places I know and know of, replacing it with any other topic. What I found seems right on the verge of being criminal. Criminal in how Greg Long acted, spoke to and of, wrote and now defends his methods and theory in the name of "critical-thinking". It reminded me of other logic streams I have witnessed in such groups as supremacists exhibit. What could have been, should have been seems to have gotten lost in the writings of Greg Long with "The Making of Bigfoot". The only reason it deserves to be on anyone's book shelf is to show future would-be-debunkers how not to do it. Greg put in a lot of effort with this book but let his ego and bias taint everything he wrote about. It calls into question more on his own motive than that of Roger Patterson. There is no science in it. There is no earth-shattering evidence presented. He shows us scraps of paper with no chain of custody. Only second hand information, conjecture and arguments, except for the documentation of what Greg and his wife consumed while driving to and from his interviews, that we get from first hand. For all that he did (Greg) to produce this book, he undid it all with the last chapter. One is left with a feeling that he left the story unfinished and dramatized for something in the future. I do not recommend for anyone to purchase this book but to seek it out in a library or as used if you feel that you should read it. Greg misses one very important fact in all of this. The people who look for or claim to have seen, casted tracks of or filmed such a creature are held to a very high standard in producing evidence that science will look at. It begs the question why is this not so with all these so called "critical thinking" people as well?
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Expose!
Review: I recently finished Greg Long's fascinating account of both Roger Patterson's life and his film of an alleged Bigfoot creature. It's apparent from reading the many negative reviews posted on here that they have not even read the book but are simply criticizing either the book's conclusions or selected out-of-context statements made in the book in order to discredit the witnesses. The book is well-written for the most part, and does an excellent job of providing essential background of who Roger Patterson really was. The authored interviewed family members, friends, and business associates who were well acquainted with Patterson, and there is simply no denying that the man was less than sterling. From these many interviews and other evidence, one can only conclude that Roger Patterson was a completely dishonest man. It seems he leached off of everyone he came into contact with and failed to hold down a steady job. The man clearly had talents but unfortunately his lack of a work ethic made it impossible for him to utilize those talents constructively. I agree with the author that the reliability of the film is very much dependent on Patterson's credibility, and when you find out that Patterson was fixated on the Bigfoot phenomena throughout the last 15 years or so of his life, this can only make the film highly suspect. Anyone with a lick of common sense and with an ounce of scientific literacy would conclude from an examination of the film, it's lack of providence, and Patterson's shameless dishonesty, would at least conclude that the film, if not completely proven to be a hoax, is certainly not conclusive evidence of a new species. The man who claims that he was the one wearing the suit is very credible and believable. His story is consistent and if one reads the book, one will come away believing him. Even Patterson's brother-in-law believed the film was a hoax, and he was financially involved in the film's distribution and marketing. Greg Long has done a great service is writing this book and exposing Roger Patterson for being the fraud he was. It is sad that this man wasted the last years of his life believing in fantasies and conning the rest of the gullible world into buying this blatent hoax. Plus the burden isn't on the skeptics but those who persists in believing this rather amateurishly made film. The book is an excellent read and presents a fascinating history of both Patterson and the Bigfoot culture that he helped create and give live to.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the final word, but worth a look to judge for yourself
Review: I saw Long's book and, having a passing interest in Bigfoot, I picked it up to see what he said about the Patterson/Gimlin film being a hoax. I know the Bigfoot community is up in arms about it, but it seems to me that much of the comments are by those who have not read it, or already have their minds made up. I can't say that I cared much for Long's writing style, it was a little too personal, a little boring, and un-journalistic for me. And he may have overstated some of his claims, but a lot of people (not just Long) do seem to raise some very valid suspicions about the film and Patterson himself. You can't just ignore the evidence. The book is not the final word on the case, but its critics must do some real explaining, not just nitpicking, to dismiss it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Enough Journalism Involved
Review: I'm not really sure what to think about the Patterson film and as I am interested in this topic, I was hoping for an incisive, detailed look at the film and how it might have been made, hoax or otherwise. Unfortunately, this book is more the tale of a reporter piecing together anectdotal evidence about someone based on hearsay and opinion rather than an investigation into the making of the film. I was prepared to welcome an expose of a hoax (should it be a hoax), but from the very start the introduction to the book presents the case for a hoax on the basis of something like "we don't believe in this film because we think Roger Patterson might have been able to fake it." That's not meant to be (and isn't) a quote from the book, just my emphasis on what I think the attitude of this book is. And that would be fine, but why not set out to prove it with facts? Instead, I'd say this book does little more than offer an opinion. The central concept of this book revolves around the idea that Patterson faked the footage with a costume he either made or purchased and perhaps modified. The book presents interviews with the alleged costume maker (even picturing an ad selling the costume), the alleged costume wearer and a score of others who swear that they know that Patterson made or had a costume. Where is the costume and isn't the logical approach to show the reader something that really looks like something that Patterson showed us in the film? Seems like it should be fairly simple to do with all these people claiming inside knowledge of the hoax. (Some people Long interviewed don't even offer strong opinions, they just act suspicious, in Long's view!) Maybe the latter could have been done, but the fact that it wasn't done by Mr. Long is a little troubling given his strong assertion of a hoax. It just seems that Mr. Long is only willing to go so far, and no farther, to make his hoax claim. Mr. Long, if there is a hoax, let's expose it! If not, well let's leave it at that. Bob Mack, Indianapolis
Rating:
Summary: Interesting book, worth reading
Review: I started reading this book after my husband threw it down in disgust. He's an avid bigfoot enthusiast. He and his friends really, really hate Greg Long. I wanted to find out why. So I read the book. I liked Mr. Long's personal style. I felt as I were going with him as he tracked down details about this story. He made the people come alive, as if I were right there during the interview. I had seen the PG film many times before. My husband and his friends (in person and online) talk about arm length ratios, stride, musclature and stuff like that. It's pretty convincing, and the film looks so real. But when I read about the kind of man Roger Patterson was, and the details of the story, I began to have real doubts about whether the film is real or not. Anyway, the book was a quick read, provided lots of interesting interviews, and brought up many questions about the film. I had to laugh at the bigfoot hunters that my husband and his friends admire so much. They came across as men who really need to get a life. But that doesn't surprise me at all, knowing the bigfooters. So many of them are just grown-up adolescent geeks who need something to care about. So, read this book. If someone you know is a bigfoot enthusiast, Mr. Long will give you questions to drive them crazy. It's fun to do. They're so emotional about the sasquatch. But then again, as I tell my family and friends who laugh at my husband's obsession, bigfoot is not just a creature, it's a religion.
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