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In recent years I’ve developed an increasing interest in conspiracies and cults, most especially in what sorts of people are the most likely to believe in them and what exactly drives them to do so. You can’t really delve into this subject without also touching upon folklore and cryptozoology, and my fondness for horror and relative open-mindedness about such things means I wouldn’t want to avoid them. As a result, I was very intrigued by John O’Connor’s The Secret History of Bigfoot, a book which purported to examine both the myth itself and its most ardent believers, but which unfortunately turned out to feel more and more like the author’s philosophical ramblings as it went on.
It begins well enough, as O’Connor regales the reader with his exploits trekking along the Appalachian Trail, in search of the elusive creature and those who claim to have seen it. He writes in a fun, conversational style, laced with beautiful descriptions of the natural world around him and frequent diversions into David Sedaris-like humor. The first several chapters carry on in much the same enjoyable way. Some psychological theorizing is peppered throughout these early sections and it offers some keen insights into the parts of modern life that might make people susceptible to believe so deeply in something so seemingly impossible.
About halfway through the book though, the psychoanalysis and philosophizing almost completely take over, with mentions of Bigfoot becoming rarer and rarer. The author makes several good points, most especially as to how the whole thing relates to our planet’s dwindling natural resources, and remains pleasant enough to read, but as he gets further and further from the stated subject of the book, one questions what it’s even about. The surprisingly high number of liberal talking points is also likely to put off some readers entirely, and usually feels completely out of place.
In the end, O’Connor brings it back around and attempts to draw some conclusions from his experiences. He refreshingly avoids coming down for or against Bigfoot’s existence, though is clearly skeptical, and expresses at least some respect towards the different people he encountered along the way (I suspect at least a few are unlikely to speak to him again after reading this however). He also manages to leave the reader with a lingering wistfulness for the amount of the natural world that has already been lost forever. It is frequently posited herein that one of the reasons we want so badly to believe in Bigfoot and his ilk is that it allows us to believe that there is still something of mystery out there, despite mankind’s never-ending encroachment into the wilderness. It feels like there is something to the theory. As author and naturalist Peter Matthiessen is quoted saying in the book, “I think it’s going to be a very dull world when there’s no more mystery at all.” ★★★
Feb 9, 2024
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One of the most memorable and fascinating books I have read in a while. This is about, among other things, early 20th century explorer and scientist William Beebe’s adventures and exploits in exploring the unseen deep ocean and witnessing all its strange life forms in a bathysphere, as well as stories about his contemporaries/friends of the era and general musings on the nature of exploration. Chapters are not always linear and include his logbook entries and illustrations, they’re no more than 2-3 pages at a time, capturing vivid vignettes and creating an almost dream like type of prose, much like the wonder and awe Beebe must have experienced seeing all of this himself- it’s far from a dry scientific account- the author Brad Fox has truly done something special here. Really cannot do it justice so check it out yourself to see.
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🦋This book was recommended to me by the discerning Chris Gabriel who makes videos under the name Meme Analysis. It’s a pulpy “nonfiction” account of Keel’s investigation into eyewitness reports of the mothman in the late 1960s. Stories of the unexplained (ghosts, visions, conspiracies) are best when they play on the stranger-than-fiction truths of real life. Whether or not the events in this book actually happened, Keel’s stories are so unique and eerie in their specificity that the truth they suggest is undeniable: “If there is a universal mind, must it be sane?” Must it???
Apr 4, 2024
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Really interesting interdisciplinary speculative science book about the development of human intelligence, written in a lovely prosaic voice that makes it accessible to and engaging for anyone. There have been significant scientific advancements that add nuance and complexity to some of the ideas he discusses but it’s still useful as a conceptual framework for understanding and it’s interesting to see the conclusions he was able to draw with his brilliant mind based off of the limited information that was available at the time. He raises a lot of thought provoking questions—its greatest value is as a philosophical text—and I think it’s still more than worth your time to read today.
“As a consequence of the enormous social and technological changes of the last few centuries, the world is not working well. We do not live in traditional and static societies. But our government, in resisting change, act as if we did. Unless we destroy ourselves utterly, the future belongs to those societies that, while not ignoring the reptilian and mammalian parts of our being, enable the characteristically human components of our nature to flourish; to those societies that encourage diversity rather than conformity; to those societies willing to invest resources in a variety of social, political, economic and cultural experiments, and prepared to sacrifice short-term advantage for long-term benefit; to those societies that treat new ideas as delicate, fragile and immensely valuable pathways to the future.”
“As a consequence of the enormous social and technological changes of the last few centuries, the world is not working well. We do not live in traditional and static societies. But our government, in resisting change, act as if we did. Unless we destroy ourselves utterly, the future belongs to those societies that, while not ignoring the reptilian and mammalian parts of our being, enable the characteristically human components of our nature to flourish; to those societies that encourage diversity rather than conformity; to those societies willing to invest resources in a variety of social, political, economic and cultural experiments, and prepared to sacrifice short-term advantage for long-term benefit; to those societies that treat new ideas as delicate, fragile and immensely valuable pathways to the future.”
Jan 14, 2025
Top Recs from @seanf
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Not perfect, but easily their best album in years. Really enjoying it.
