Are ghosts real? Who cares, that's not what this book is about! This book never fully takes a stance on whether or not ghosts are real, because that isn't the point.
This is a delightfully unbiased look at what ghost stories say about our history, and about us today. It presents a number of ghost stories across America, dividing out chapters by location, then analyzes the historical basis (or lack thereof) for the story. The primary focus is an exploration of why we hold onto and circulate the ghost stories that we do and what it might mean about us and what we value.
It also sometimes inquires why there is a lack of stories in places where there probably should be. As somebody who lives in Richmond VA, I appreciated that there was an entire chapter devoted to this city, which is full of both history and ghost stories that don't always accurately reflect that history. Sure, we have our share of civil war stories and ghosts, but the ghost stories of our particular area are overwhelmingly and noticeably white. Historically there is so much black bloodshed in this place, yet where are the stories of black ghosts?
The idea that our ghost stories speak far more about the living people who share them is one that deserves to be explored, and in fact I'd argue the worst aspect of this book is that it isn't one of a series. I would gladly read more of this.
Our household haunting, Yorick
