Name of the publication/blog/outlet where your review will be published/posted: Goodreads
Run date for when the review will be posted/published: May 20, 2025 (unless approved to do so earlier); link to be furnished at that time.

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I thank PublicAffairs and the author for the ARC I was provided by way of NetGalley to write this review.

In one sentence:

The United States is so devoid of institutional trust that turning to the paranormal now feels like a reasonable bet for a satisfying sense of purpose and community.

The full review:
Hongoltz-Hetling has a tough needle to thread in this work: he has to respect and honor the experiences being shared with him without ridicule, but also has the job to present us with evidence that is often at odds with those experiences to illustrate what they mean for society as a whole. I commend him particularly for how well he does this without losing his authorial voice or diminishing his perspective.

The book bounces between a group of folks involved in some fashion with the Kitt Research Initiative – a self styled ‘ghost lab’ – and a zoomed-out perspective on New Hampshire in particular or the United States generally. The paranormal investigators are equal parts compelling and frustrating, painted very effectively by Hongoltz-Hetling as whole and complete people rather than caricatures. The facts and figures from the investigative work around spiritualism and paranormal interest or belief generally are well incorporated to help the reader understand the KRI participants as stand-ins for common tendencies in our society.

The book shines when it is focused on the KRI members; I found their public interactions, business practices, events, and interpersonal squabbles to be fascinating. Hongoltz-Hetling clearly earned their trust and respects them as people. They are represented with love. The figures who circle the group or intersect with them are also fascinating – some of them in ways that are, unfortunately, quite morbid. All of the passages involving them clearly illustrate the tension of craving institutionalized structures for validation, but simultaneous rejection of many of the things that make such structures actually useful.

I literally laughed aloud at several passages in the book – not of those regarding people, but in moments where Hongoltz-Hetling had injected some observation or discussion that just felt too wild to be true, and yet was. I turned to read these to my husband at several moments, and they triggered several meaningful discussions between us as well. The mark of good writing, in my opinion, is making someone react. Laughter is certainly not a bad reaction to evoke!

I’d wholeheartedly recommend this work to anyone who has a passing interest in the economics of the paranormal, values a human-interest story, or just wants to know why the hell they know at least one person who’s trying to sell them a ghost tour or clarifying, crystal-infused ghee. It’s well researched, well written, and well worth your time to read.

I loved this book. I found the writing to be insightful, with good analyses of the state of education and other institutions. Although the book focused on one group of paranormal investigators, I feel that the information in the book is broadly applicable. There is a considerable amount of biographical information in the book, but the book never gets bogged down in minutiae. I also thought that the writing was very clever, with considerable humour. Overall this is a great, thought-proving book. Thank you to Netgalley and PublicAffairs for the advance reader copy.

A great non-fiction title that was both and informative. Loved the content and would check out more from this author.

I like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance at reading the book.

Note: It's important to know the people the author is talking about. It is also a bit of a 'check your beliefs' at the door type novel.

The author, as the cover indicates, wishes to bring attention to the fact that these types of people who believe in the supernatural or unknown are poisoning rationale theory. That it could be a reason for why factual and truth is being silenced or overtaken by 'fake news'. It was also bringing to light a paranormal society in a town that caused many to trust in the unknown or supernatural.

This is the first book I've read by the author, but I find his prose not for me. It's a lot of facts, and they're not quite told in a fun, or enjoyable way.

All in all, at 30% I had to DNF because every chapter seemed like a rinse, wash, repeat of the issues that the author was focusing on.