The untold account of the countless Americans who believe in, or personally experience, paranormal phenomena such as ghosts, Bigfoot, UFOs and psychics
Given the popularity of television shows such as Finding Bigfoot, Ghost Hunters, Supernatural, and American Horror Story, there seems to be an insatiable public hunger for mystical happenings. But who believes in the paranormal? Based on extensive research and their own unique personal experiences, Christopher Bader, Joseph Baker and Carson Mencken reveal that a significant number of Americans hold these beliefs, and that for better or worse, we undoubtedly live in a paranormal America.
Readers will join the authors as they participate in psychic and palm readings, and have their auras photographed, join a Bigfoot hunt, follow a group of celebrity ghost hunters as they investigate claims of a haunted classroom, and visit a support group for alien abductees.
The second edition includes new and updated research based on findings from the Baylor Religion survey regarding America’s relationship with the paranormal. Drawing on these diverse and compelling sources of data, the book offers an engaging account of the social, personal, and statistical stories of American paranormal beliefs and experiences. It examines topics such as the popularity of paranormal beliefs in the United States, the ways in which these beliefs relate to each other, whether paranormal beliefs will give rise to a new religion, and how believers in the paranormal differ from “average” Americans.
Brimming with fascinating anecdotes and provocative new findings, Paranormal America offers an entertaining yet authoritative examination of a growing segment of American religious culture.

"Within the academy, it will be of particular interest to scholars focusing on the paranormal, esotericism, and the other blurred boundaries between the religious and non-religious in Western society." - Reading Religion

"Paranormal Americais an excellent text for parlaying this interest into an exploration of the sociology of religion." - Nova Religio

"It’s a rare delight when a book comes my way from a publisher that is both engrossing and intellectually stimulating. Paranormal America: Ghost Encounters, UFO Sightings, Bigfoot Hunts, and Other Curiosities in Religion and Culture, is one that ably checks both columns and will likely soon be nestled on my shelf next to Glen Chilton’s The Attack of The Killer Rhododendrons and Gregory L. Reece’s Weird Science and Bizarre Beliefs: Mysterious Creatures, Lost Worlds and Amazing Inventions... I wholeheartedly recommend this second edition as a strong entry point for anyone interested in the paranormal, whether as a curiosity or academic pursuit." - Journal of Religion and Culture