The Locals: A Contemporary Investigation of the Bigfoot/Sasquatch Phenomenon

Rating:
Summary: Fun, but disappointing
Review: Thom Powell, a middle school science teacher, writes pretty well, especially entertaining stories about hunters and hikers scared silly. The first part of the book, his enthusiasm is pretty infectious. But the second half...I think his credibility gets stretched, because his reasoning seems flawed. Whether the stories related to him are true or not, why he buys them is what bothers me. He doesn't seem to understand, there are some people that just like to yank your chain because they like to yank chains. I always get amused when people claim they can tell who's a liar or a hoaxer -- not all liars are teenagers with time to kill and potty humor. Some people DO lie, and do it well, For NO REASON other than it thrills them.
And he wastes two chapters on the paranormal aspect with the 'vanishing' act and UFO stories -- under the guise of being -- dare I say it -- "fair and balanced" or "leaving no stone unturned." I don't doubt the author's sincerity, sanity or credentials, but I think he could use more editing and self restraint.
If I was mildly curious about bigfoot(s) -- wondered if there was something to all of it, and this was the first book I read about it, it very well may have squashed my curiosity quickly, and I would probably go back to thinking it was all baloney. As it is, the thought of a "hoax of epic proportions as to be impossible" doesn't seem so improbable after reading something like this. At the very least, I feel as if my chain has been yanked.