As someone who always loves a good ghost story, I really enjoy learning the origins of them. Much like the podcast Lore, this audiobook delves into the lore, legend and truth of some of the most infamous stories we tell in the dark.

Feminist ghost stories? Sign me up!

Turns out this book is less a collection of ghost stories, and more an exploration of the society in which the ghost stories were formed. It's an interesting look at how the views toward women in different time periods and situations might play into the ghost stories that have been created. The facts of the ghost story origins are carefully recorded, and from there the narrative moves into speculation on the psychology and sociology of the setting and how both have molded the famous stories. There is a focus on the silencing of women in their lives, and even an interesting look at the ethics of commercializing their stories. The perspective of the book openly accepts the existence of ghosts, which could be off-putting for avowed skeptics.

Pick this book up being prepared for discourse over narrative, and enjoy your spooky season!

I love a good ghost story and this book has plenty, some of which I’ve heard before, most of them, however, were new to me. While the stories were fascinating and engaging, what I really enjoyed were the introductions of each chapter where the authors shared their take on why the women were still around and how they tied everyone together. What I was hoping for, though, was some first-hand accounts and there weren’t many, unfortunately. Still, this was very entertaining and I enjoyed learning about these women.

This book was fine but it wasn't what I expected. I think I expected some ghost stories about famous women and what I got was a narrative about the stories... I'm not sure if that makes sense... Instead of the stories themselves, this book talked *about* them. Does that make more sense? I hope so.

This wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't what I wanted, which is why I think it lost my interest several times.

In A Haunted History of Invisible Woman by Leanna Renee Heber and Andrea James we learn so much more about famous female ghost and when I say so much I mean everything! We learn about what a farce Salem being haunted by witches is and haul the shirt waste fire of New York that killed so many and has so many ghost stories has no named eye witness. This isn’t to say the authors or naysayers because they’re also empaths and make their living off of haunted places. So what I think the author did was just state the facts and the things she could prove. As a matter of the fact they have had experiences with a couple of the places mentioned in the book. So although this isn’t your classic ghost story book it certainly should be interesting for those who love ghost stories and the obscure entertainment of the world. It was well researched thoughtfully told I thought the narrator Linda Jones has such a soothing musical like tone to her voice and I would totally listen to another book narrated by her. I totally recommend this book it is a five star listen and if you love history and ghost stories you’ll love this book. As you probably could tell I listen to the audiobook and loved it I received it from NetGalley and publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I loved starting the spooky season off with this one! The authors did an amazing job of bringing thoughtful conversations into old ghost stories. I learned a lot of new stories, along with updated information on a few old favorites. Would easily recommend to a friend.

This is so engaging and enlightening. I’m not really a believer in ghosts, but I really liked the perspective of supposed hauntings and how they relate to women of the time of the ‘ghosts’ and women today.

This is straight up feminist ghost stories and I’m here for it.

This was so good! It had me thinking about the gendering of ghosts, of course, but also sociology and psychology, and they way we record history when it comes to women's experiences and contributions. It also had me thinking about racism.
I was completely enthralled by every paragraph.
I want to buy this book for my friends so we can talk about it.

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...
This was a very entertaining read (or listen, since I read this as an audio book). The narration had a great flow. These were more than spooky tales - we dive into the paranormal, yes, but we zoom into the history of the women behind the ghosts, of women's rights, and of injustices carried against women. It also criticizes the ghost tour people who often emphasize on the spooky and creepy, and very rarely tell the story behind the ghosts, because they are only interested in making money. I would've cut back a bit on all the "man-hating", because even though women have been unjustly treated through time, not all men are evil. But if you are looking to learn a bit more about female ghosts in the U.S., this is definitely for you!
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Do you believe in ghosts?
I still can’t decide!

This book definitely made me want to believe in them and helped me understand the world of the believers much better. There were a lot of explanations of events and why certain things could have occurred. If you like true crime podcasts I think this book is also something you may enjoy.

🌀Synopsis
This book explores a ton of events in history. From some well known, like Lizzy Borden, to some maybe not known as well known, like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. A lot of different crimes, killings, and even suicides that are explored.

The book explains different issues the women faced in their lives and how they can still be relevant to the issues that we are facing today. Ghosts that are here to guide us toward a better future, so to speak.

The authors confess in this book that one of them believes in ghosts, and the other is a sceptic, but I couldn’t figure out who was who. Their stories are told in a way that could go either way. What they know as a fact is that most of the patrons of their ghost tours are women and that, in their experience, it’s women who believe in ghosts more than men. Personally, I’m a sceptic who wants to believe, so this book was the perfect combination for me. The stories are creepy but also heartbreaking in that they reflect societies before women had equal rights. Some stories have the added problems added by racial inequality. I enjoyed the narration by Linda Jones, she has a pleasant voice, although she underplays the creepiness factor. The authors discuss ghosts, witches, haunted houses and more. Along with the historical information to situate the probably fictional stories in context. Normally, I don’t like political content in my reading material, but this is an interesting take on the ghost hunting genre.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Tantor Audio!

As history has shown, women don’t often get the credit they deserve in life. What about in the afterlife then? This fascinating book explores some of history’s most well known female killers, witches, shameless strumpets, and murder victims. The women in this book were afforded much more attention after death than they ever got in life, a point the authors drive home. All the more important as today, in the United States, women are becoming more and more marginalized. I was not a fan of Jones’s rather flat narration and preferred the print to to audio version of this book.Don’t be afraid of the “ghosts” in this book, be afraid of what they have come to represent. Compelling reading