Paranormal Obsession by Deonna Kelli Sayed

Paranormal Obsession by Deonna Kelli Sayed isn’t a typical paranormal book that explains topics in the paranormal field. This book delves into the history of the paranormal, and explains how it has gotten to be such an obsession in our culture.

Book Description

“Ghosts and ghouls, demons, poltergeists, phantoms, haunted houses, and shadow people—why is America so captivated by the creepy and unexplained? Paranormal Obsession is the first book to explore why we have an insatiable interest in spirits, ghost hunting, and all things otherworldly.

Paranormal investigator and researcher Deonna Kelli Sayed reveals how and why our fascination with spirits started. She interviewed ghost hunters, religious figures, scientists, academics, and cast members of the popular TV shows Ghost Hunters and Paranormal State, and offers compelling insight into what our fixation on ghostly activity says about American culture. Paranormal Obsession also highlights the author's paranormal group's investigation of the USS North Carolina, the most haunted battleship in the United States.” – Paranormal Obsession

My Thoughts

Paranormal Obsession is a phenomenal resource for those who want to better understand where the paranormal field emerged from, and should perhaps be required reading for anyone who wants to claim that they are a “paranormal investigator” or “ghost hunter.”

The material covered in this book is extensive, and gives the reader a substantial amount of information on the history of the paranormal field, and how it got it to where it is today. The personal interviews, research, and stories included is a bonus. The author does heavily praise and cover Ghost Hunters and TAPS, but regardless of what you think of them, they did help get the paranormal reality TV shows on air, and without them, would our culture be as paranormally obsessed as it is today?

As someone who has been a paranormal investigator for a few years, I completely agree with the author when it comes to there being too many beginners in the field who jump in without knowing what is going on, and label themselves as an investigator out to ghost hunt and investigate supposedly haunted locations. Most of these newbies all have one thing in common: they think they will be on TV or become famous somehow by doing this. I have two words for that: verbal eyeroll.

The drama that is also in the field, which Sayed also brings up, is huge. Not just between different groups, but often between members within the same group as well. Both situations get ugly, and I for one want no part of either. If those who truly want to investigate and help people can join some form of a community, such as the TAPS family, maybe some of this will cease.

If Paranormal Obsession was required reading for the newbies in the field, maybe they would actually know some of the history behind investigating the paranormal, and wouldn’t think that they were a “paranormal investigator” after just watching a few episodes of Ghost Hunters on SyFy.

I highly recommend this book to everyone obsessed with the paranormal.

* Thank you to the publisher of Paranormal Obsession, Llewellyn, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.