I want to start off by thanking Netgalley and Citadel Press for letting me give my honest review for both the book and the audiobook.

If you are looking for a ghost story book then this isn’t for you, it tells more about the women surrounding the stories. That is what I really loved about the book and how they really brought the women back to life. There are some places in the book that people might take a different way, which is understandable. They could have worded it differently, I think it would have made a difference. You have to remember that most of the stories about the ghost take place before modern times, the women acted and were taught very differently than we are now. Now I am really excited to do my own research on the stories and women mentioned in this book.

For the audiobook, I really did like the narrator. She didn’t make it sound like she was reading a textbook. That did make my enjoyment of the book, so much better.

A fascinating and well-organized book of some of the most notable ghost stories in American lore. The coauthors take turns showcasing the stories of women who have gained notoriety and fame both in life and the afterlife.

Narrated by Linda Jones

Just today, I finished listening to A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN by Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes. I thought it made a fine audiobook, in the sense my grandmother used the word "fine": "It would be just fine to see you for dinner on Sunday, Dona." I always took this to mean she was high-mindedly pleased I would present myself. Jones narration felt dry, but it suited the material well, the reading was smooth, and I could listen for enormous chunks at a time.

I learned a great deal from INVISIBLE WOMEN. I expected something lurid and instead found a book well-researched, self-aware, and polished. But above all, I found a history of women unlike anything I'd ever encountered.

Each chapter presents, indulges, and finally debunks myths and legends from all over the United States, from New York City to tiny localities you will have never previously heard of. What ties these chapters and "ghosts" together is how Hieber and Janes always direct their considerable academic and literary effort toward the same goal: to humanize and reveal the women at the hearts of these "hauntings." One of the things I really appreciate about INVISIBLE WOMEN is Hieber and Janes's consistent habit of checking the privilege of the ghosts and legends they researched, and also those still profiting from them.

I picked this book for one of my Halloween reads, and while it's not scary in the traditional sense, this book is absolutely full of horror. Well researched books about women's history typically are and this one is no different.

Thank you NetGalley, Tantor Audio, and Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes for the audio ARC of this wonderful book.

Rating 5 stars because there aren't 6 stars
Finished September 2022
Recommended highly for readers who like general nonfiction, feminist or women's nonfiction, supernatural nonfiction, ghost stories, local myths and legends, US folklore, US history, US women's history

TW⚠️ There are a lot of triggers in INVISIBLE WOMEN. It's about women throughout history who were (mostly) miserable enough to become ghosts and legends.

Ghost Stories and Feminism? Sign me up.

“From the notorious Lizzie Borden to the innumerable, haunted rooms of Sarah Winchester’s mysterious mansion this offbeat, insightful, first-ever book of its kind explores the history behind America’s female ghosts, the stereotypes, myths, and paranormal tales that swirl around them, what their stories reveal about us–and why they haunt us.“

Full disclosure, I don’t believe in ghosts. Mostly. Probably. Can one be an agnostic eidolist? I do, however, believe their stories are used to both keep women in line and create space, and a voice, for women whose power was taken away in life.

Using stories about Mary Becker Greene, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Salem’s Witch Trials, and many more, this book explores the intersectionality of both Feminist Theory and Hauntology.

I’m not sure how a book on ghosts manages to be non-fiction, but Hieber and Janes pulls it off with both singular skill, and an utter lack of irony.

My favourite quote:

“In their [women and ghosts] intersection lies a kind of power. Though women are the traditionally marginalized, and though many female ghosts are the spirits of women who died in awful, often misogynistic circumstances – that is, murdered by a spouse – not every female ghost is a tragic victim. Many exact vengeance, assert power, and subvert gender roles in ways unavailable to living women. As cultural critic Andi Zeisler writes, “Female ghosts have every bit of anger that makes living women sources of fear, but none of the societal restriction.””

8/10

Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Tantor Audio for this eerie ARC.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review, which has not altered my opinion of this book. I would like to thank NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ARC copy.

I dislike giving any sort of negative review, unfortunately I was unable to get through this book. Part of me worries it was because of the narrator (it might have been) or the fact that I simply was not drawn in my the opening. For non-fiction reads, the introduction has always been something important, because if the intro isn't captivating, the rest of the book probably won't hold my interest. I went into this book expecting more stories about forgotten women, however the intro really made me wonder if this was instead a study by a tour operator about why her tour groups were mainly women (a valid question, but not one I'm honestly hyper interested in).

Once the story got going, all that came at me was what felt like a rant of what was wrong with the women's lives and why men messed them up. And I get that happens, but it just didn't captivate me and I found myself hardly listening to the audiobook and letting the words just buzz in my head. At that point, I knew I had to move on if I wasn't even paying any background attention. Unfortunately this book just did not work for me. That being said it might for others, and I respect that completely. I DNF-ed this book.

This book honestly changed my mind about ghost tours! I had really assumed that they were all exploitative, salacious, and full of falsehoods. The book certainly underscored that that can be true. But it also made me hope I can find ghost tours that do what this book does: share the legend, and then analyze why the legend has come to be. It actually doesn't matter whether ghosts are real or not because ghost stories are real, and that makes them worthy of consideration. This book had an abundance of fascinated and well-analyzed stories. My only quibbles were that it was a little insensitive in dealing with stories about suicide (the description of Hemingway's death was especially jarring). Also, while this book is careful about including trans women and women of color when it talks about women's struggles, sometimes it makes claims that kind of conflate womanhood with motherhood or the like, connections that I think we need to be careful about.

Ghost stories with a definite feminist explanation.

I had mixed feelings about this book, I liked the variety of tales from a garment factory fire(my favorite of the book), to the Salem witch trials, to Lizzy Borden. I also appreciated the history research that went into each portion because this isn't told as a first hand account.

This book is divided into different types of women/spirits such as witches and madwomen. The ties and explanations are very feminist leaning and tend to drag on a bit. I don't have a problem with the feminism part personally since it was what I was expecting go in, but it was a tad strong in some parts or a bit rambling to get to the point in others.

I did learn about a few events and it made me feel like I was getting into the Halloween spirt a little bit with October coming up soon.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this Audiobook for my honest review.

What if the notorious legends of hauntings we know and love were reexamined through the lens of academia rather than scary campfire story?

I requested an ARC of A Haunted History of Invisible Women expecting each chapter to cover a different grizzly murder or haunting, but instead listened through equal parts history lesson, ghostly folklore and societal commentary. The Mother, the Co-ed, the Poltergeist, the Witch... each chapter examines a different trope that women have likely been categorized as over time - often with a male or patriarchal gaze. As each type of woman is discussed one thing becomes apparent: women have been done dirty and if you wrong us, we will come back to haunt you! Just kidding, kind of. Women have been through a lot over time (*cough* Salem Witch Trials *cough*), and what was great about A Haunted History of Invisible Women is that it demonstrates that through these persecutions we have become resilient. There is just still so far to go.

Overall, I really liked this one. As a fan of ghost stories, I've heard a lot of the same tales repeated on numerous podcasts. The additional commentary from the authors was an interesting perspective on the stories I already knew. Plus, I'm always a fan of historical facts.

Note: if you're expecting chapter after chapter of first-hand haunting accounts or ghost stories this isn't the book for you, as these retellings actually make up a small portion of each chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley, Citadel Press and the authors Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes for an advanced copy. This is my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Where do I even begin with this one? It's an incredible account of different women throughout history. When I say different I mean no two women in this book are the same. From the scandalous to the misunderstood we get to know them all. With passion and fire A Haunted History of Invisible Women will have you seeing ghosts everywhere!

Hieber and Jane take the stories of these women and tell them in a way that demands they be heard. The way they wrote about these women feels almost as if they breathed life back into long forgotten ghosts.

This audiobook was narrated by Linda Jones. Honestly, I really don't think anyone else could have brought this story to life the way she did. Her voice and tone made her the perfect selection to read this book.

I ended up picking up the audiobook of this and honestly feel it does the stories a disjustice in a way. Being able to sit with pages and take time in this topic would have been great. I’d definitely say it takes on a feminist, modern-day lens to both society and these women’s stories at the time and leans more on the side of historical than ghostly.

Audiobook Review

Wow yall.

I like to tell those who don't read audiobooks that a good narrator will take an ok book and make it so much better. In this case, the narration made the book so much more enjoyable even during the parts where some details can become dull and your mind can wander.

In this one, we have so many different stories about ghosts, witches, and all sorts of paranormal happenings where the actual person is forgotten in the stories. Or the woman will be known for horrible things that were things that happened to her. I loved the details on each story and how not all of it was believed to be true.

I did not find a lot of stories where the woman/women who died to make them seem more powerful as the blurb claimed, but it did showcase how a person can die and anyone can make a story out of them.

While I loved these tales, my one criticism is that it was so long. I would have loved for this to have been about the less known stories and have focus on those, but I do recommend this for anyone interested in the other worldly.

I can remember very little of this book, I know the synopsis had me so excited to read it but found myself mostly disappointed with what I listened to.

To be honest I can’t explain what I was expecting from this book but it didn’t hit the mark for me.

I had some difficulty with the narrator for this audiobook and I’m not sure this book was for me. I thought it would be more of ghost stories but it felt more like a history of women and womens rights, and then ghost stories that would “support” those stories, and I just don’t think it worked that well. I can kind of see what the writers were trying to do but it felt a bit all over the place. That being said, I am not familiar with writings about ghosts, so it is possible this is just not my area, and that this book is not for me. I think people who know more about ghost stories will enjoy it more than I did.

All that you have ever wanted to know about America’s female ghosts, is in this book. This book is so jam packed with facts, myths, and personal experiences about hauntings and spirits, I almost feel like it could be used as a reference guide. I can honestly say I left this book knowing more then I did going into it, and was pleasantly surprised at all the information presented. This is not a fluffy guide to ghosts, it’s a deep dive into the women behind the stories.
I went into the book hoping for more info on Lizzie Borden, but learned about so many more interesting women who supposedly haunt houses and graveyards. Some turn out to be embellished tales used to gain tourist, but some seem to be real. I can see how the ghost tourism is flourishing, because now I want to go on a ghost tour in NY! Lol
The book is very well written and researched. The two authors are ghost tour guides and have an endless knowledge and interest in what they do. I think writing this book from a woman’s perspective, defiantly pointed out all the injustices against the women mentioned, shedding a new light to a ghost hunting industry dominated by men. It’s brilliantly exposed and informative.
I really recommend this book for spooky season. I listened to it on audiobook, which takes it to another level of spooky. The narrator has a no nonsense voice, but in the same breath she has the voice of a storyteller. Definitely add this to your list for Spooky Season reading.

✨ Review ✨ A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America's Ghosts by Leanna Renee Hieber; Andrea Janes; Narrated by Linda Jones

I went into this book skeptical of it -- so many ghost story books are poorly researched or spend so much effort trying to convince you of the reality of ghosts. However, this book blew me away!!!

This book was impeccably researched, referencing respected histories like those by Coll Thrush and Tiya Miles. I found it to be more interested in trying to interpret the stories people tell than trying to convince us of the truth or inaccuracy of these tales. I loved the interpretation of women in ghost stories -- understanding women as ghosts because of their greater proximity to death as mothers and caretakers, but also in understanding how female ghosts can acquire power and agency that they may not have had in life. While they do often debunk pieces of stories that have been proved to be false or that don't line up with other evidence, largely it felt like they offered the reader a lot of agency in how they understood these stories and their interpretation.

This book provided thought-provoking commentary on issues of race and class (e.g. why are most ghost stories of prostitutes in the West about white women?) as well as on dark tourism and the commodification of ghosts and ghost stories. I thought the book also didn't take itself too seriously, not hesitating to crack jokes or bring in sarcasm when warranted.

I sometimes struggle with books with lots of stories / case studies within, but I thought their organization of these stories into sections by trope made it easier to move through this book without feeling so adrift.

This book makes me want to drop everything I'm doing and teach a class on ghosts, graveyards, and memory. This book made me think and imagine, question what I know, and laugh along with them. If you're looking for a thoughtful take on ghosts and gender, this is it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: non-fiction
Location: all over the U.S.
Reminds me of: Tiya Miles's Tales from the Haunted South
Pub Date: out now

Read this if you like:
⭕️ ghost stories
⭕️ gender analysis
⭕️ making up your own mind

Thanks to Tantor Audio and #netgalley for an advanced audio copy of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this.
This was not what I was expecting and I just did not enjoy it much at all. It was more tales than facts. It wasn’t spooky to me at all. I didn’t really enjoy the narrator either. I felt it was very monotone. Just wasn’t for me. Maybe it would be better as a written book than an audiobook.

This isn’t a collection of ghost stories so much as a look at the history surrounding them. It is very much told through a feminist lens and dives into the trials and tribulations of life as a woman in the U.S. throughout time. It reveals as much about history as it does about our current society and viewpoints. It is well written and thought provoking.

It covers topics including:
The abuses in the labor of women
Mental health
Gender roles
Societal roles
Expectations of womanhood and motherhood
The harsh judgment placed on women and unrealistic expectations

It features
Maidens, jezebels, witches, murderesses, former slaves, wronged lovers, mothers and more.

And it ultimately it looks at the power of these tales and why we can’t seem to leave them at rest.

This book was a lot more educational than I was expecting. I loved this. Thought it was just a collection of ghost stories, but it also had history and in depth discussions on the origins of the stories and a bunch of other really cool stuff.

what a ride! This book is amazing. If you're scared of ghosts, don't worry! The authors will make you love these ghosts and most importantly,, think of the women that they were when they were alive.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author 's for gifting me the audio version.
I am having an issue with this book. I was so excited to read it! Due to Halloween being around the corner and I love to listen to ghost stories. But my issue with this book is just the women who are telling the stories don't tell if they had experiences. This are all folk lore and urban legends that we have heard about before. This book is extreme feminism at it's finest. This is just their opinion and how everyone in these stores are against women and all men are bad.
I am amazed how these cases they don't even mention God or Jesus and demon possession or the Bible. Why didn't the author's talk to pastor's about these cases? There is a other world out there that we cannot explain. I just wanted more ghost stories and less feminist opinions. Highly disappointed.