.
Rock Reads: Behind the Paranormal: Everything You Know is Wrong by Paul Eno and Ben Eno
Reviewed by Kevin Wierzbicki
.
Father and son Paul and Ben Eno have produced more than 600 shows about the paranormal for broadcast on CBS Radio and the material found here is derived from select scripts of those shows. As the book's subtitle indicates, the duo believe it is high time to move beyond conventional thought about things that science cannot yet explain, like poltergeists and ghosts, angels and demonic possession. The latter, in keeping with that theme, is generally referred to here as "parasitic possession," a more accurate description of the unseen entity/human interactions that can manifest in ways both malevolent and mundane. The book skirts for the most part the rehashing of the same old stories; for example, instead of postulating on the witches of Salem, the near-to-Salem "Specter Leaguers" incident (two weeks of well-documented torment by ghosts, aliens or ? in Cape Ann, Massachusetts in 1692) is explored. Then there's the rarely heard story of one couple's encounter in the ghost town of Woodard, Utah, where they interacted with, you guessed it, a bunch of ghosts including one that served them lunch. Readers are likely familiar with UFO "flaps" (a string of sightings in a given area) but covered here is the great kangaroo flap of the '70s where the marsupials made unexplained appearances throughout the Midwest including in Chicago. Some chapters involve heavier thought, like the segments entitled "What is Heaven?" and a chapter on evil entitled "Why Did God Allow This?" A highlight of the book comes about halfway through when Paul Eno recounts the very first case he personally investigated: an exploration of an abandoned cemetery in Pomfret, Connecticut that's known as The Village of Voices. Eno and several with him heard voices, animals and other signs of daily life in the isolated, heavily-wooded and unpopulated place during the day; when night fell they saw bluish streaks of light in the trees and most spookily, a "bearded face" hovering high over the trees. Obviously the Enos are not skeptics but neither do they beat anything over the head here trying to make a point; they simply report the facts as known and let the reader take it from there. A very entertaining read, and one that will make fans of the paranormal want to seek out the "Behind the Paranormal" radio shows that can be streamed or downloaded online for free.
