The Haunting of the Presidents: A Paranormal History of the U.S. Presidency

Rating:
Summary: Well Written Ghost Stories
Review: I agree with the review posted by darkgenius below. The book simply does not provide enough documentation for its claims. Many of the stories seem to rest on the slenderest foundations. For instance, the authors recount a tale of George Washington encountering a ghost - or angel - at Valley Forge in 1778. This lengthy, detailed narrative, written in a pseudo-Biblical style, is attributed to Washington himself. However, we then learn that Washington didn't write it, after all - it was written up by a "young aide, Anthony Sherman, who many years later, in 1859, retold the account" to a reporter. So what we have is a second-hand story circulated 81 years after the alleged event (and bearing obvious references to the Civil War - astoundingly prophetic in 1778, but not so remarkable in 1859, when the war was imminent). Things get worse as the book continues. Nostradamus is dragged into the discussion. We hear of a ghost story reported by "an unnamed source" in "a national tabloid." The Bible Code makes an appearance. All credibility is lost. In the Foreword, Joel Martin says, "We wanted this book to be more than merely a collection of anecdotes." They failed.

Rating:
Summary: Well Written Ghost Stories
Review: I disagree with the one and two-star ratings. The book is well written and a page turner. In fact, I have been reading it late at night and sometimes the hair on the back of my neck stands up: not because I believe everything I am reading, but because the book can stand alone as a fine collection of well-written, entertaining ghost stories. If you are willing to suspend the "need to disbelieve" while reading the book, prepare to be spooked. If you are looking for concrete, logical proof of ghosts, you will be disappointed. (Hence my four, and not five-star rating.)

In my opinion, both authors respect the paranormal experience and avoid sensationalism. The authors claim to base the book on documents, both declassified secret service and CIA files and through old letters and transcripts. They also write that the White House is the most haunted house in the US. The book includes an extensive bibliography on the paranormal and a listing of presidential haunts by state because birthplaces can also be haunted.

Abraham Lincoln is the most documented sighting, especially at the time of FDR and World War II, but a total of 22 (or so) US presidents have been sighted, as well as former first ladies, and a few of the "first children."

*Haunting* goes deep into the history of the paranormal experiences of the presidents themselves. For example, George Washington, who never lived in the White House, wrote a friend that he had a "visiting angel" while at Valley Forge telling him he mustn't give up, even under the horrendous conditions. Then the book explores the documented visitation of Washington's spirit to the Union officer Chamberlain during the Battle of Gettysburg, giving the Union officer strategic advice.

According to written accounts, Washington also tried to warn Gen. McClellan that if he (McClellan) didn't take action soon, he would be removed from his post. McClellan did nothing and, of course, Lincoln did indeed oust McClellan, replacing him with US Grant.

But the best part of the book is about the ghostly activity at the White House through the years, and the First Families who were open to the experience, albeit secretly. I have always been fascinated with the *possibility* of a haunted White House, but this is the first book I have found on the subject. I visited the White House in an era long before 9/11 when you could actually tour the place, and I felt then that it was filled with otherworldly energy.

Many of us need concrete documentation of the paranormal experience, and the authors fail to provide us with it in some, but not all, circumstances. A few of us need less concrete proof because what the authors write "rings true" within us somehow. Does that make us more gullible? Perhaps, but all of us believe what we want to believe. I am a "skeptical mystic" and I took what was mine to take from the book and left the rest. I advise other readers to do the same.

Rating:
Summary: If Abe Lincoln hasn't haunted these guys, he should!
Review: If there were psychiatrists who treated books then this book would provide a valuable case study for some practitioner. This book has more personalities than the White House has ghosts. Overall the writing is fairly good which is a plus. On the negative side however, there are numerous historical errors that tend to make the reader leery of the book as a whole.

The first quarter of this book is made up of stories that include premonitions in dreams, curses, prophecies and a UFO or two. There is hardly a ghost to be found and after about fifty pages I almost gave up and put the book down. If you are looking for the ghosts that are hinted at in the title you could just skip the first ninety-seven pages.

Then, after trudging through the first unimpressive part of the book, the reader will come to the best part. The second quarter of the book finally deals with ghosts in the White House as well as the ghosts of former Presidents and First Ladies who reside elsewhere. The documentation is a little lacking but there are a few eyewitness accounts and these stories are at the very least interesting. I particularly liked the story of the former Garfield home in Hiram, Ohio as well as the story of Teddy Roosevelt caught on video by tourists at Sagamore Hill.

The next section deals with the spiritual beliefs of the Presidents and details various séances held at the White House. This section of course includes the Lincoln White House, and Lincoln becomes the focus for the next quarter of the book. This is an interesting section but is again not very well documented.

The final quarter of the book leaps off into silliness. It is almost entirely taken up by Nancy Reagan and her psychic and Hillary Clinton's supposed chats with Eleanor Roosevelt. There is one nice little section near the end of the book that deals with hauntings in the DC area but the stories are brief and again lack any documentation. Finally, in an apparent attempt to kill what little credibility this book has, the authors bring in mediums and converse with the dead Presidents. They even manage to ask JFK about Marilyn Monroe's suicide, which fits in perfectly because these authors buy into every conspiracy theory ever conceived.

Basically, I was disappointed with this book. It is a fun read at times but most of the time it is just off the wall and silly. There simply has to be a better book on this subject out there somewhere and I would like to find it. Maybe I should find a medium and ask JFK what he thinks.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible claims with few details or supporting evidence
Review: The idea of assembling together evidence on the reported hauntings at the White House and other important historical sites seems like an idea long overdue. One hears stories about Lincoln's ghost and other such rumors, but there really is no authoritative book detailing all of the facts and legends. Unfortunately, I must say that there is still no such authoritative book. Martin and Birnes have certainly presented readers with a lot of information; apparently, they have never met a rumor or unsupported fact they didn't like. That becomes a problem. These pages contain more ghost references than I would ever imagine possible, thus making the need for supporting documentation crucial. Frankly, almost nothing the authors give us supports what they are saying. Going beyond the sore lack of provenance to these reports, I became increasingly frustrated at the huge leaps of faith and incredible assumptions the authors try to pass off as fact. More times than I can count, we are told that this ghost has been known to appear here or that ghost would return a century later. Only rarely do we get any details whatsoever to back up these incredible statements. Matters only get worse as one forges ahead. Along with the lack of any detail whatsoever, the authors begin to tell us that a certain manifestation must surely have been that of a certain individual. Somebody may or may not have seen something at a certain place, but the authors conclude that the person almost certainly witnessed the apparition of some famous person. When they delve into the subject of spiritualism and psychic abilities among the presidents, they provide private dialogue between parties that they cannot possibly have documented. The most absurd statement in the book involves the authors' refusal to let the supposed death curse on zero-year presidents die; perhaps, they opine, President Reagan began "dying" at the hands of Alzheimer's Disease before he finished his second term.

There are just tons of examples of unsupported accounts and conclusions in this book, so many that I cannot put much faith in anything reported on these pages. I know this is not an academic text and I don't expect footnotes, but I do expect to actually learn the most basic of details of the reports cited. There is a significant bibliography in the back of the book, but even there the authors say that there was not enough room to list all of the sources they used. The trouble does not end here, as the authors make authoritative statements about such controversial events as the Kennedy assassination; these guys have an answer for every mystery in American history. Undoubtedly, there is some factual, important information in this book, but it's hardly worth finding amid the morass of unreliable reporting. While this book was interesting, I began to regard it as rather foolish halfway through it. The authors have some of these spirits making more public appearances in death than they ever did in life. My final complaint concerns the political agenda that clearly finds its way into the final hundred pages; the authors resort to snide comments and accusations that made clear their stand on modern-day politics. I don't care what the authors' political views are, but I don't think they have any place in a book supposedly devoted to presidential hauntings.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Fiction
Review: This was an entertaining book, but it bothered me on a few levels. For one, with the exception of Richard Nixon and Abraham Lincoln, the author makes Republicans out to be jerks. If one is going to write a book about political hauntings, I feel it is less distracting to keep oneself completely objective. There were several comments throughout the book, as well as the way certain stories were told, that show that Martin and Birnes are hardcore Democrats. Nothing wrong with being a part of either party, but this is not a book about bipartisanship. It's about the paranormal.

The lack of documentation, or outright misuse of it is another bothersome point. For example, in the retelling of Washington's angelic vision, we learn that there are no primary sources for this story, and it was in fact, published in 1880, well after the Civil War, which is important (read the book if you want the whole story). This robs the story of credibility entirely as it is, but the authors refer to this vision as though it were undeniably real for the rest of the book. The same goes for any story that has no real documentation or real support. The authors try to convince you that the paranormal version of the story has to be true, ignoring other, more plausible factors. It seems that they are trying to turn every last creak in the White House into something it probably isn't.

Historical accuracy is also a problem. While for the most part, the book is right on, there are a few gross inconsistencies. This robs the book of credibility as well.

While I am a believer in the paranormal, and ghost stories fascinate me, as do psychic experiences, even the most die hard believer should know that we have to research and document information for it to have any credibility whatsoever. Just because one believes does not mean that one believes all that they read.

I will from now on stick to the Norman/Scott books, which do not try to cram belief down one's throat, but rather, tell the story and the evidence to support it or discredit it.