Spooky book review: Real-life ghost stories
As part of the bloozy Halloween-themed posts on BabyBlooze.com this month, an author named Annie Wilder sent in a vintage photo of her from 1963. This somewhat creepy photo is featured in her recently-published book entitled SPIRITS OUT OF TIME, a look at the real-life ghost stories of her family. She offered to send me a copy of the book, which I was happy to read.
The book is a collection of stories about strange, paranormal tales and actual ghost sightings experienced first-hand by Wilder and close family members. In some ways, this book is as much about Wilder's upbringing and rural living (this point illustrated by vintage photographs throughout the book) as it is about ghosts - which was interesting to read. At times, I lost track of how each relative related to one another (though Wilder does provide a handy "cast of characters" at the beginning of the book) but the meat of the story and the impact of the tales remained.
As Wilder recounts a variety of real-life incidents such as her precognitive dreams or a haunted hotel, one may try to explain away some of the incidents. But her point that "it's not that people don't have ghost stories, it's that they usually don't tell them" rang true for me. I started thinking about my own beliefs in ghosts -- and some of the lore about these ghosts tied up in the fabric of my family. My mom grew up in Hawaii and has shared some of her favorite tales from the island including the story of the "white lady" who appears on Maui. And believe it or not, my in-laws as recently as last month lived in a house in Georgia where a "prescence" was felt by all family members who lived there... and was actually seen (and heard) by others. [here is where I could disclose my own ghostly experience in that house last Christmas, but I am trying to put that out of my mind - again proving Wilder's point that people don't always like to talk about their ghost stories].
Most of Wilder's tales won't leave you cowering under the covers; they are simply factual accounts of what happened as told by Wilder. However some stories definitely make their mark on the creepy scale. Of particular interest is the story about a little ghost girl who made occassional appearances throughout Wilder's mom's life. While the unexpected sightings were not too problematic, the last time this ghost girl revealed herself to Wilder's mom it was a huge shock when she realized exactly who this ghost girl was!
In all, the book was a refreshing work of non-fiction and a tribute to Wilder's family. Folks who are interested in spirits and ghosts - or those who have their own family tales of the afterlife - will enjoy this book, available since September (just in time for Halloween!) on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, among other places.
-- Liz
By the way, if you would like a copy of this book, please comment Wilder's photo featured on BabyBlooze.com or on the BabyBlooze Facebook fan page.
