It's always a curious thing when books with similar topics come out around the same time-- did something happen to spark all of these authors' imaginations? Was it timing? Publishers? The fact that this book and Gail Jarrow's book about spiritualism for teens came out around the same time is a testament.

This is concentrated though, on the Fox sisters and their brand that ushered in spiritualism. What I enjoyed specifically is the connections to New York (as a New Yorker) and it's connection to speaking to the dead. There are plenty of people to meet, stories to hear, and historical context to understand that Rosenstock excellently lays out in the chapters with images and pictures to break up the text and bring readers back to a different way of thinking.

I really enjoyed this - this the exact kind of nonfiction book I would have loved as a teenager, and as a historian, I tend to want ALL the details about a subject I am interested in. The book really shone in it's images and readability. I also greatly appreciated the depth of the historical context Rosenstock included, as it really emphasized the impact these women had on the broader American story.

That being said, the first half of the book was essentially a circular story of the Fox sisters being believed and disbelieved and I don't know that every experience and quote included was really necessary and it felt a little repetitive. Once the girls began to be more independent from Leah, it became a lot more exciting and easier to become invested.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this to any teenager I knew who loved the supernatural, history, or both. The average teenager may find this too long - but my kindred American spirits would find this worth the read.

Review would be higher but ebook formatting was terrible and made it extremely difficult to read
the story of the fox sisters and the effect they left on america
starting in march of 1848, they have an supernatural experience leading them to believe they are able to communicate with spirits beyond us
they become prominent in the media by becoming famous mediums doing public exhibitions and celebrity seances
after the civil war, solider deaths are 1/4 people and the sisters are contacted by desperate families
the media starts to question whether they are fake feeding off the hurt people or if its the female stigma of living in a mans world (SHES A WITCH BURN HER)

I really didn't know anything about the Fox sisters expect for a feel things but was glad I was able to read this and learn more about them. Barb Rosenstock has a strong writing style and could see the research element that I was looking for.

I really enjoyed this. Pretty creepy to be honest. Def in itself would be interested in reading more by this author. Amazing 10/10.