Reviews
"Poole ... has set the bar ridiculously high for any future research exploring the locus of historical and cultural studies, particularly as it pertains to the horrific. ... Monsters In America challenges, enlightens, and, quite honestly, frightens in its prescient view of American history, as well as the seeming ubiquity of the monsters of our past and probable future." --The Crawlspace, Poole... has set the bar ridiculously high for any future research exploring the locus of historical and cultural studies, particularly as it pertains to the horrific.... Monsters In America challenges, enlightens, and, quite honestly, frightens in its prescient view of American history, as well as the seeming ubiquity of the monsters of our past and probable future., "An unexpected guilty pleasure! Poole invites us into an important and enlightening, if disturbing, conversation about the very real monsters that inhabit the dark spaces of America's past." -J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion, "With Monsters in America, W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. Insightful and brilliant!" --Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Patient Zero and Dead of Night, "Poole brings to life American horror stories by framing them within folk belief, religion, and popular culture, broadly unraveling the idea of the monster. Thanks to Poole's insights we see the ubiquity of the monster lurking in and around us." -John David Smith, Charles H. Stone Distinguished Professor of American History, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, ... incredibly rewarding and fulfilling reading.... Monsters in America has without a doubt earned a spot on my favorite books of 2011. Highly recommended., Monsters in America is lively and entertaining throughout. The book's unusual range is one of its contributions; its freshness of juxtaposition is another., ... Monsters in America is an important contribution, and it will be enjoyed by literary and cultural historians alike., Poole's connection of the monster to American history is a kind of Creature Features meets American cultural history. Here we not only meet such monsters but also discover America's cultural monstrosity." --John W. Morehead, editor, www.TheoFantastique.com, "An unexpected guilty pleasure! Poole invites us into an important and enlightening, if disturbing, conversation about the very real monsters that inhabit the dark spaces of America's past." --J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion, "Poole ... has set the bar ridiculously high for any future research exploring the locus of historical and cultural studies, particularly as it pertains to the horrific. ...Monsters In Americachallenges, enlightens, and, quite honestly, frightens in its prescient view of American history, as well as the seeming ubiquity of the monsters of our past and probable future." --The Crawlspace, "From 19th century sea serpents to our current obsession with vampires and zombies, ... Poole plots America's past through its fears in this intriguing ...sociocultural history." -- Publishers Weekly, Numerous scholars explore the cultural and political implications of monster and horror films for the times from which they emerge.... Few scholars connect such implications across broader expanses of time to reveal how intrinsically monsters and the horrific have been bound up in the history of America. Even fewer scholars do so as adeptly and as entertainingly as W. Scott Poole., "Poole brings to life American horror stories by framing them within folk belief, religion, and popular culture, broadly unraveling the idea of the monster. Thanks to Poole's insights we see the ubiquity of the monster lurking in and around us." --John David Smith, Charles H. Stone Distinguished Professor of American History, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, "... one of the best reads of the year." --Dave Canfield, Fangoria "From 19th century sea serpents to our current obsession with vampires and zombies, ... Poole plots America's past through its fears in this intriguing ...sociocultural history." -- Publishers Weekly, "With Monsters in America , W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. Insightful and brilliant!" --Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Patient Zero and Dead of Night, "Poole's connection of the monster to American history is a kind of Creature Features meets American cultural history. Here we not only meet such monsters but also discover America's cultural monstrosity." --John W. Morehead, editor, www.TheoFantastique.com, "A well informed, thoughtful, and indeed frightening angle of vision to a persistent and compelling American desire to be entertained by the grotesque and the horrific." --Gary Laderman, Professor of American Religious History and Cultures, Emory University, Historian W. Scott Poole distinguishes himself by focusing on the American context, providing a history told through the personified expressions of our anxieties and fears. In the follow-up to his first book, Satan in America , Poole has now turned his attention to the monsters that inhabit American cinema and American imaginations., "From 19th century sea serpents to our current obsession with vampires and zombies, ... Poole plots America's past through its fears in this intriguing ...sociocultural history."--Publishers Weekly, "From 19th century sea serpents to our current obsession with vampires and zombies, ... Poole plots America's past through its fears in this intriguing ...sociocultural history." --Publishers Weekly, From 19th century sea serpents to our current Publishers Weekly session with vampires and zombies,... Poole plots America's past through its fears in this intriguing... sociocultural history., "A well informed, thoughtful, and indeed frightening angle of vision to a persistent and compelling American desire to be entertained by the grotesque and the horrific." -Gary Ladderman, Professor of American Religious History and Cultures, Emory University, "Poole's connection of the monster to American history is a kind of Creature Features meets American cultural history. Here we not only meet such monsters but also discover America's cultural monstrosity." -John W. Morehead, editor, www.TheoFantastique.com, … Monsters in America is an important contribution, and it will be enjoyed by literary and cultural historians alike., [Poole's] book is sufficiently clear and engaging for general readers to enjoy and would make a worthwhile addition to undergraduate course in American history or culture., Poole's connection of the monster to American history is a kind of Creature Features meets American cultural history. Here we not only meet such monsters but also discover America's cultural monstrosity., "WithMonsters in America, W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. Insightful and brilliant!" --Jonathan Maberry,New York Timesbestselling author ofPatient ZeroandDead of Night, "WithMonsters in America, W. Scott Poole has given us a guidebook for a journey into nightmare territory. Insightful and brilliant!" -Jonathan Maberry,New York Timesbestselling author ofPatient ZeroandDead of Night
