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Holy Ghosts: Or How a (Not-So) Good Catholic Boy Became a Believer in Things That Go Bump in the Night
In this remarkable true story, the haunting of a Long Island household forces a respected writer and editor to reevaluate the mysteries of life and death as he struggles with the frightening truths of his childhood home and his town's past.
Growing up in Rockville Center, Long Island, Gary Jansen never believed in ghosts. His mother-a devoutly Catholic woman with a keen sense for the uncanny-claimed that their family house was haunted. But Jansen never found anything inexplicable in how their doorbell would sometimes ring of its own accord; or in the mysterious sounds of footsteps or breaking glass that occasionally would fill their home; or even in his mother's sometimes unsettlingly accurate visions of future events and tragedies. Though he once experienced a supernatural encounter in a Prague church as a young man, Jansen grew up into a rationalist, as well as a noted writer and editor.
Decades later, in 2001, Jansen moved back into the very same house where he had once grown up to raise a family with his wife. One day in 2007, he encountered a strange physical sensation in his toddler son's
As I reached into his dresser drawer, I felt something very strange behind me. Startled, I quickly turned around, but there was nothing there. I shrugged it off, grabbed the socks and, as I was walking to the doorway, experienced an odd phenomenon-sort of like an electrical hand rubbing the length of my back. I stopped and stood transfixed. "What the hell is that?" I said to myself. The pressure then seemed to break apart and, for a brief moment, I felt like I had a million little bugs crawling all over my back. Within seconds, however, the sensation was gone.
This became the first step in uncovering a frightening, fullblown haunting in his home-a phenomenon that lasted an entire year and eventually included unveiling the identities of the spirits who occupied his house; discovering the chilling story of a century-old murder in his hometown; encountering mind-boggling coincidences between local history and events in his own family; and finally engaging in a climactic exorcism with the help of Mary Ann Winkowski, the real-life inspiration for TV's The Ghost Whisperer . The events of that year-in which Jansen's family was terrified of and terrorized by ghosts in their own home-forever changed how he viewed the mysteries of life and death.
Holy Ghosts is not only a gripping true-life ghost story but a funny and touching memoir, as well as a meditation on the relationship between religion and the paranormal, which are often considered at odds with each other but which the author shows are intimately linked.
Growing up in Rockville Center, Long Island, Gary Jansen never believed in ghosts. His mother-a devoutly Catholic woman with a keen sense for the uncanny-claimed that their family house was haunted. But Jansen never found anything inexplicable in how their doorbell would sometimes ring of its own accord; or in the mysterious sounds of footsteps or breaking glass that occasionally would fill their home; or even in his mother's sometimes unsettlingly accurate visions of future events and tragedies. Though he once experienced a supernatural encounter in a Prague church as a young man, Jansen grew up into a rationalist, as well as a noted writer and editor.
Decades later, in 2001, Jansen moved back into the very same house where he had once grown up to raise a family with his wife. One day in 2007, he encountered a strange physical sensation in his toddler son's
As I reached into his dresser drawer, I felt something very strange behind me. Startled, I quickly turned around, but there was nothing there. I shrugged it off, grabbed the socks and, as I was walking to the doorway, experienced an odd phenomenon-sort of like an electrical hand rubbing the length of my back. I stopped and stood transfixed. "What the hell is that?" I said to myself. The pressure then seemed to break apart and, for a brief moment, I felt like I had a million little bugs crawling all over my back. Within seconds, however, the sensation was gone.
This became the first step in uncovering a frightening, fullblown haunting in his home-a phenomenon that lasted an entire year and eventually included unveiling the identities of the spirits who occupied his house; discovering the chilling story of a century-old murder in his hometown; encountering mind-boggling coincidences between local history and events in his own family; and finally engaging in a climactic exorcism with the help of Mary Ann Winkowski, the real-life inspiration for TV's The Ghost Whisperer . The events of that year-in which Jansen's family was terrified of and terrorized by ghosts in their own home-forever changed how he viewed the mysteries of life and death.
Holy Ghosts is not only a gripping true-life ghost story but a funny and touching memoir, as well as a meditation on the relationship between religion and the paranormal, which are often considered at odds with each other but which the author shows are intimately linked.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
March 27, 2014
I had seen a ghost once. I was around 17 at that time, sleeping beside my father inside our solitary hut in our farm and it was almost daybreak. My eyes still closed, I awakened and my thoughts wandered off to a happy recollection of some of my high school classmates. Then I opened my eyes facing the direction of my sleeping father and there, standing beside him and looking down at him was a man. White-haired, round-faced, in a white get-up. Well, I wasn't really sure if he was standing or kneeling. But if he was standing, then he must be really short, like just over 4 feet tall. I was shocked and scared and terrified and he might move his head and see me looking at him. So I closed my eyes and kept very, very still. I waited for sunrise and slowly opened my eyes again. The apparition was gone.
Later I found out that he was indeed standing. My parents and some oldtimers who knew the history of our farm, inherited by my father from his grandparents, said that my description of the white-haired man fits that of the land's former slow-witted share-cropper who had lived alone, and apparently died there alone. We then had masses said in his memory.
Years later I began to doubt what I saw. In this book, the author (a rosary-reciting Roman Catholic) also had doubts about the seemingly paranormal experiences he and his family were exposed to in his family's ancestral home which, as he later "discovered" was haunted by two earth-bound souls: one, of a woman who had died before the house was built more than a hundred years ago, and another of a young man who died in a vehicular accident just a year ago.
The belief in ghosts, spirits and those beings who live strange and unseen persists in all generations and cultures. This belief is possibly tied up with the human need and tremendous capacity for love: love for oneself, which resists the idea of death being one's reduction to a complete annihilation and oblivion; love for others, which find repulsive the idea of not seeing and feeling dearly departed ones forever.
But ghosts, spirits, souls, immortality and God--who can really find these easy to believe in when without serious rational resistance they can be lumped together as hallucinations or superstitions vis-a-vis the reality of a selfish, material, scientific and godless world? Succinctly the French philosopher Simone Weil put it this way:
"There is a God. There is no God. Where is the problem? I am quite sure that there is a God in the sense that I am sure that my love is no illusion. I am quite sure there is no God in the sense that I am sure there is nothing which resembles what I can conceive when I say that word."
Later I found out that he was indeed standing. My parents and some oldtimers who knew the history of our farm, inherited by my father from his grandparents, said that my description of the white-haired man fits that of the land's former slow-witted share-cropper who had lived alone, and apparently died there alone. We then had masses said in his memory.
Years later I began to doubt what I saw. In this book, the author (a rosary-reciting Roman Catholic) also had doubts about the seemingly paranormal experiences he and his family were exposed to in his family's ancestral home which, as he later "discovered" was haunted by two earth-bound souls: one, of a woman who had died before the house was built more than a hundred years ago, and another of a young man who died in a vehicular accident just a year ago.
The belief in ghosts, spirits and those beings who live strange and unseen persists in all generations and cultures. This belief is possibly tied up with the human need and tremendous capacity for love: love for oneself, which resists the idea of death being one's reduction to a complete annihilation and oblivion; love for others, which find repulsive the idea of not seeing and feeling dearly departed ones forever.
But ghosts, spirits, souls, immortality and God--who can really find these easy to believe in when without serious rational resistance they can be lumped together as hallucinations or superstitions vis-a-vis the reality of a selfish, material, scientific and godless world? Succinctly the French philosopher Simone Weil put it this way:
"There is a God. There is no God. Where is the problem? I am quite sure that there is a God in the sense that I am sure that my love is no illusion. I am quite sure there is no God in the sense that I am sure there is nothing which resembles what I can conceive when I say that word."
November 11, 2015
fun, unkooky book about a haunted house on long island.
April 20, 2015
As soon as I began reading this, I wanted to stop reading. I didn't stop because I hate abandoning books. I wanted to give Gary Jansen the chance to change my mind about Holy Ghosts. Obviously he didn't manage to do that and that's fine. I have a lot of issues with this text and I don't know where to start.
First of all, I had different expectations of this book. The title was hilarious and I was convinced that Jansen wasn't serious about this whole ghost-thing but he is. I expected some sort of ghost-story parody or satire. I don't know what I was thinking. At some point I even tried to convince myself that this book might have worked as fiction. Probably not because it's full of overused clichés, the writing is terribly dull, the structure is a mess. I felt like I was reading a blog.
Moreover, Jansen tries to persuade the reader that he was a skeptic to begin with but it's not true. He is biased from the beginning. He keeps going on about how he tried to find a logical explanation for the "unexplained phenomena" happening in his home. Not true! He claims that he's read a ton of books on ghosts, not only catholic texts but also scientific ones. However, he never reveals or even mentions what he found in the scientific texts. Also, he grew up with his mother telling him she could see ghosts. He explains that his mother claims to have seen Jesus and that she's a medium. She just sounds like she might be schizophrenic (she hears voices in her head, she's paranoid, she "sees" things). Then, telling your child that a ghost lives in the house is bad parenting in my book. Even when you are sure there is a ghost in your house, why on earth tell your children? Reading about Jansen's childhood felt very traumatic and painful to me and not because of the ghosts that he claims lived in his house...
Here's a "brilliant" quote from the book to conclude my review:
"... people ask me how could I be Catholic with all the atrocities the Vatican has committed over its two-thousand-year existence, I like to remind them that it was three big atheists - Hitler, Stalin and Mao, and not the Pope - who executed 60 million people in the duration of a generation."
Seriously?
First of all, I had different expectations of this book. The title was hilarious and I was convinced that Jansen wasn't serious about this whole ghost-thing but he is. I expected some sort of ghost-story parody or satire. I don't know what I was thinking. At some point I even tried to convince myself that this book might have worked as fiction. Probably not because it's full of overused clichés, the writing is terribly dull, the structure is a mess. I felt like I was reading a blog.
Moreover, Jansen tries to persuade the reader that he was a skeptic to begin with but it's not true. He is biased from the beginning. He keeps going on about how he tried to find a logical explanation for the "unexplained phenomena" happening in his home. Not true! He claims that he's read a ton of books on ghosts, not only catholic texts but also scientific ones. However, he never reveals or even mentions what he found in the scientific texts. Also, he grew up with his mother telling him she could see ghosts. He explains that his mother claims to have seen Jesus and that she's a medium. She just sounds like she might be schizophrenic (she hears voices in her head, she's paranoid, she "sees" things). Then, telling your child that a ghost lives in the house is bad parenting in my book. Even when you are sure there is a ghost in your house, why on earth tell your children? Reading about Jansen's childhood felt very traumatic and painful to me and not because of the ghosts that he claims lived in his house...
Here's a "brilliant" quote from the book to conclude my review:
"... people ask me how could I be Catholic with all the atrocities the Vatican has committed over its two-thousand-year existence, I like to remind them that it was three big atheists - Hitler, Stalin and Mao, and not the Pope - who executed 60 million people in the duration of a generation."
Seriously?
September 18, 2016
Honestly, it was a fun book to read. "Fun" is a relative word but the author brings his personality into recounting the experience of having a haunted house. It's clear he doesn't fully buy into the "haunting" but concedes the weird happenings can't be explained so may be paranormal in nature. With this possibility, he seeks out help from the unconventional spiritual avenues which are, by his telling, compelling in nature. Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, the author makes a strong case for the unexplained within his home and the journey he embarks on to make it a more peaceful habitation is engaging and, at times, entertaining.
August 28, 2010
#83 - 2010.
I received this review copy and in my "book sampling" mode began to read the first chapter. When I came to myself and looked up some time later, I had finished half the book. Easy to read, yes. Riveting. YES. Extremely creepy and not recommended for bed time reading, which I was silly enough to do. A more complete review may be found here.
I received this review copy and in my "book sampling" mode began to read the first chapter. When I came to myself and looked up some time later, I had finished half the book. Easy to read, yes. Riveting. YES. Extremely creepy and not recommended for bed time reading, which I was silly enough to do. A more complete review may be found here.
September 19, 2010
I received for review Holy Ghosts: Or How a (Not-So) Good Catholic Boy Became a Believer in Things That Go Bump in the Night and I am not quite sure what to make of it.
For the most part I really enjoyed the narrative of the book as the author relates a haunting of the house he lived in with his family that was also his childhood home. The author a Catholic describes the events that happened that convinced him that something was going on that was not material, but kept a mainly skeptical view throughout. If this was a novel and not a true account it would be an enjoyable read with some interesting chills, but not any real horror in the modern sense. Gary Jansen as an author is very engaging and you really come to accept all that he writes as he relates the haunting the strange coincidences piled on top of each other.
The sub title of the book describes the author as a (not so) good Catholic boy, which I found rather annoying. The author certainly seemed to be a serious Catholic in that for example when he was doing research on the subject who turned to the writings of the late Fr. Hardon of whom he trusted as an authentic source for Catholic teaching. At another point he turns to Peter Kreeft. There are interesting discussions between him and his wife on whether an action was something appropriate to the Catholic faith. He is also an author who has written a book of meditations on the Rosary. So while Catholics serious about the faith shouldn’t think that they are ready to be canonized and should know that they are indeed sinners saved only by the grace of God; at the same time humility is knowing the truth about yourself and being self-depricating as in the sub title is not really accurate. I probably dwell too much on this point and I love books like the Bad Catholics Guides to …. . It is just that I though this was a book written by a fallen away Catholic.
This is not to say that all decisions made by the author in getting rid of his haunting I though were prudential or even within Catholic doctrine. It was interesting to see the amount of research Gary Jansen did in learning about the spirit world and the realities of Angels and Demons and orthodox books on the subject going back of course to the Angelic Doctor St. Thomas Aquinas. With this type of grounding he still turns to a well-known ghost whisperer and follows her advice. This was the part of the book I have heavy qualms about. The idea that some hauntings are people who have died that need to find their way to the light after something has been resolved is common folder in stories. The concept that people in Purgatory might be doing this I find little credence for. Though as far as I know it is not something totally ruled out by doctrine and of course our knowledge on Purgatory is extremely limited.
While the author in the acknowledgements mentions a priest he had become friends with, what is missing is his actually going to the Church for advice about these hauntings. There is no mention of his discussing this with any priests, but this might have been left out. If so it is a curious omission. I just found strange the curios tension with him going to good and orthodox sources for research and then after some thought going with a ghost whisperer recommended by a friend.
Like Julie at Happy Catholic who reviewed this book I found rather disconcerting the authors use of occasional swearing which while not being particularly offensive, just seemed incongruous with the way he wrote. Despite some of my qualms and quibbles I did enjoy this book and it was a serious page turner in wanting to find out what would happen next. The writing makes you really want to accept what the author writes as a true experience and I certainly never had the feeling the story was less than truthful. I would certainly recommend this book with the caveats mentioned as it gives you much to think about.
For a book where the author wants to be seen as credible it seemed rather odd for me that one of the review quotes on the back of the book was from writer Whitley Strieber, author of Communion and other books. I have read Communion which is suppose to be a true account of Streiber's encounters with aliens and is also written with a skeptical view of what was happening.
For the most part I really enjoyed the narrative of the book as the author relates a haunting of the house he lived in with his family that was also his childhood home. The author a Catholic describes the events that happened that convinced him that something was going on that was not material, but kept a mainly skeptical view throughout. If this was a novel and not a true account it would be an enjoyable read with some interesting chills, but not any real horror in the modern sense. Gary Jansen as an author is very engaging and you really come to accept all that he writes as he relates the haunting the strange coincidences piled on top of each other.
The sub title of the book describes the author as a (not so) good Catholic boy, which I found rather annoying. The author certainly seemed to be a serious Catholic in that for example when he was doing research on the subject who turned to the writings of the late Fr. Hardon of whom he trusted as an authentic source for Catholic teaching. At another point he turns to Peter Kreeft. There are interesting discussions between him and his wife on whether an action was something appropriate to the Catholic faith. He is also an author who has written a book of meditations on the Rosary. So while Catholics serious about the faith shouldn’t think that they are ready to be canonized and should know that they are indeed sinners saved only by the grace of God; at the same time humility is knowing the truth about yourself and being self-depricating as in the sub title is not really accurate. I probably dwell too much on this point and I love books like the Bad Catholics Guides to …. . It is just that I though this was a book written by a fallen away Catholic.
This is not to say that all decisions made by the author in getting rid of his haunting I though were prudential or even within Catholic doctrine. It was interesting to see the amount of research Gary Jansen did in learning about the spirit world and the realities of Angels and Demons and orthodox books on the subject going back of course to the Angelic Doctor St. Thomas Aquinas. With this type of grounding he still turns to a well-known ghost whisperer and follows her advice. This was the part of the book I have heavy qualms about. The idea that some hauntings are people who have died that need to find their way to the light after something has been resolved is common folder in stories. The concept that people in Purgatory might be doing this I find little credence for. Though as far as I know it is not something totally ruled out by doctrine and of course our knowledge on Purgatory is extremely limited.
While the author in the acknowledgements mentions a priest he had become friends with, what is missing is his actually going to the Church for advice about these hauntings. There is no mention of his discussing this with any priests, but this might have been left out. If so it is a curious omission. I just found strange the curios tension with him going to good and orthodox sources for research and then after some thought going with a ghost whisperer recommended by a friend.
Like Julie at Happy Catholic who reviewed this book I found rather disconcerting the authors use of occasional swearing which while not being particularly offensive, just seemed incongruous with the way he wrote. Despite some of my qualms and quibbles I did enjoy this book and it was a serious page turner in wanting to find out what would happen next. The writing makes you really want to accept what the author writes as a true experience and I certainly never had the feeling the story was less than truthful. I would certainly recommend this book with the caveats mentioned as it gives you much to think about.
For a book where the author wants to be seen as credible it seemed rather odd for me that one of the review quotes on the back of the book was from writer Whitley Strieber, author of Communion and other books. I have read Communion which is suppose to be a true account of Streiber's encounters with aliens and is also written with a skeptical view of what was happening.
July 13, 2023
Gary Jansen is a writer and publisher in New York who had an extremely colorful year in the 2000s when he finally decided to deal with a problem in his house. The house is over a hundred years old and his parents bought it when he was five. It was a fixer-upper that had a lot of creaky parts and some colorful history. He lived in the house all the way up to his marriage in 1999. He wound up buying the house, somewhat reluctantly, a few years into the marriage. It helped his parents and got them out of her parents' house. In 2007, he started experiencing weird phenomena, especially in his son Eddie's room. He'd feel an electric shock go up his spine, as if he stepped on an exposed wire. The house still creaked. Occasionally he and his wife would see things out of the corners of their eyes. Soon, Eddie didn't want to sleep in his room. With an increase in odd activity and a flood of memories of childhood oddities, including his mom's instance that there was a woman in the front room, he started researching ghosts both in secular writings and in Catholic theology in an effort to figure out what to do.
His story, which is true, is full of odd and spooky moments as he relates his predicament. It's also a nice look at people who take the existence of ghosts seriously (both Catholic and non-Christian), a group Jansen did not initially belong to. He writes well and gives a lot of history of his area and his family, making him a very sympathetic person. Plus, who doesn't worry for a family plagued by odd events that can't be explained rationally? The resolution is unexpected and a bit anti-climactic, but very satisfying.
Recommended. This is no sensationalistic diatribe, just an honest story.
His story, which is true, is full of odd and spooky moments as he relates his predicament. It's also a nice look at people who take the existence of ghosts seriously (both Catholic and non-Christian), a group Jansen did not initially belong to. He writes well and gives a lot of history of his area and his family, making him a very sympathetic person. Plus, who doesn't worry for a family plagued by odd events that can't be explained rationally? The resolution is unexpected and a bit anti-climactic, but very satisfying.
Recommended. This is no sensationalistic diatribe, just an honest story.
November 17, 2024
Years ago, when the book first released, the author was on Coast to Coast AM talking about it and his experiences.
It's been on my to-read list for a while.
Gary Jansen grew up in Long Island. In his adulthood, when he had a family of his own, he moved back into his childhood home. He started to experience strange things, and that began his journey with the paranormal.
It's a funny, sometimes sarcastic story of a guy not sure that he believes in ghosts but can't find any other explanation.
It was an enjoyable read.
It's been on my to-read list for a while.
Gary Jansen grew up in Long Island. In his adulthood, when he had a family of his own, he moved back into his childhood home. He started to experience strange things, and that began his journey with the paranormal.
It's a funny, sometimes sarcastic story of a guy not sure that he believes in ghosts but can't find any other explanation.
It was an enjoyable read.
December 28, 2018
Very much enjoyed this book! This author wrote about his own experiences at his own home with things that go bump in the night. Also, did an historical survey on what theologians through the decades have said.
All very interesting...
All very interesting...
September 7, 2021
This was an incredibly quick read! I really enjoyed this however, a very unique perspective through the viewpoint and lens of a Catholic - on tackling the ghostly realities of his life. Even that aside, if you are a believer and aficionado of ghost tales, it stands up on its own in that regard as well.
October 9, 2011
I have a fondness for ghost stories of all kinds - fictional or non-fictional. I think we all love the idea of haunted houses, of being scared by something not quite seen, but felt. If nothing else, the notion of the paranormal tantalizes our imaginations and gives us stories to tell about lots of things we may experience, but can't explain.
Holy Ghosts is less a book about a haunted house, and more a memoir about the author's experiences while living in a haunted house and his struggle to integrate those experiences within his deeply held Catholic faith. Jansen, a successful writer and editor, encounters spirits when he moves his family back into his childhood house on Long Island. There are footsteps and wall tappings, the feeling of being watched, an electrical buzz, toys that move and turn on and off with no explanation until events are too apparent to ignore.
A deeply felt and honest exploration of what it means to be Catholic, of childhood events and prophetic memories, of all the strange and wonderful things that can happen in old houses, Holy Ghosts explores a haunting from a unique perspective that is grounded in theology and religious practice. Mr. Jansen's paranormal experiences serve as a gateway towards a deeper exploration of his faith and the reader benefits from the scares, the education, and the author's insight. Not your typical haunted house story. Definitely worth the read.
Holy Ghosts is less a book about a haunted house, and more a memoir about the author's experiences while living in a haunted house and his struggle to integrate those experiences within his deeply held Catholic faith. Jansen, a successful writer and editor, encounters spirits when he moves his family back into his childhood house on Long Island. There are footsteps and wall tappings, the feeling of being watched, an electrical buzz, toys that move and turn on and off with no explanation until events are too apparent to ignore.
A deeply felt and honest exploration of what it means to be Catholic, of childhood events and prophetic memories, of all the strange and wonderful things that can happen in old houses, Holy Ghosts explores a haunting from a unique perspective that is grounded in theology and religious practice. Mr. Jansen's paranormal experiences serve as a gateway towards a deeper exploration of his faith and the reader benefits from the scares, the education, and the author's insight. Not your typical haunted house story. Definitely worth the read.
May 2, 2012
I really enjoyed this book.
The writing was, as many other reviews have stated, down-to-Earth and felt conversational. During some moments, however, I was almost afraid to turn the page! That is evidence of damn good writing.
The reason I docked it to four stars (I wish we could give half star ratings!) was the extreme amount of Catholicism. Obviously, the title gives that aspect away, but I found it to be a bit tedious. However, I know that the faith aspect of Holy Ghosts will appeal to those who carry those values.
The writing was, as many other reviews have stated, down-to-Earth and felt conversational. During some moments, however, I was almost afraid to turn the page! That is evidence of damn good writing.
The reason I docked it to four stars (I wish we could give half star ratings!) was the extreme amount of Catholicism. Obviously, the title gives that aspect away, but I found it to be a bit tedious. However, I know that the faith aspect of Holy Ghosts will appeal to those who carry those values.
January 20, 2014
While I finished the book, I cannot recommend it. It was ok, not great, not good.
The author purchased his parents house. Living with his wife and son, he experiences noises, strange sensations and images. The book started out ok, but then spiraled into babble.
The author purchased his parents house. Living with his wife and son, he experiences noises, strange sensations and images. The book started out ok, but then spiraled into babble.
November 3, 2017
I picked this up at the library on a whim because A) it was just Halloween and I always love a good ghost story and B) having a Catholic background myself, I thought I could empathize a bit more. Oh, and I loved Ghost Whisperer, so that tie-in was also a lure.
And truly, it was interesting. We get a little more about Gary's early life than maybe I needed, but it was interesting. I liked seeing that he was always trying to rationalized what was happening and that he included his Catholic research in there, because I thought he made some good points. Like how even though the Church doesn't usually talk about ghosts, there are definite examples of ghosts showing up in certain stories, and he points those out.
I was super creeped out by certain elements of his haunting. It was cool, for sure (especially once Mary Ann came in), but definitely creepy. I should not have been reading those parts right before bed.
And truly, it was interesting. We get a little more about Gary's early life than maybe I needed, but it was interesting. I liked seeing that he was always trying to rationalized what was happening and that he included his Catholic research in there, because I thought he made some good points. Like how even though the Church doesn't usually talk about ghosts, there are definite examples of ghosts showing up in certain stories, and he points those out.
I was super creeped out by certain elements of his haunting. It was cool, for sure (especially once Mary Ann came in), but definitely creepy. I should not have been reading those parts right before bed.
January 27, 2023
I recently read "Holy Ghosts" by Gary Jensen, and while I understand the author's intent to explore the topic of atheism, I was disappointed to find that the book contained misinformation on page 6 regarding Hitler being an atheist. This is simply not true. Hitler and the Nazi party had a complex relationship with religion, but it is widely accepted that Hitler himself was not an atheist. He believed in the idea of a "positive Christianity" and sought to merge elements of Christianity with Nazi ideology. This major error in fact-checking detracted from the overall credibility of the book and left me questioning the accuracy of the other information presented. Additionally, the book felt quite slow-paced and did not hold my interest as much as I had hoped. Overall, I would not recommend "Holy Ghosts" to others due to the inaccuracies and lack of engagement.
January 30, 2025
I used to be an avid reader, but life got in the way. It has been several years since I picked up a book for enjoyment. I made a decision that I needed to make a change and this is the first book I’ve picked up. I found it by searching “Catholic” because I’ve recently been diving into my faith and am not sure my previous reading habits align with what I need at this point in my journey. To be honest, I selected it because it had some elements of Catholicism and was a short read.
I started reading with very little expectations and didn’t read any reviews. That being said, I really enjoyed the book! It was a short read and I finished it in a day. The book reads like a story being told by a friend. There is some history, mentioning of Saints, angels, and demons, a few chills and things that make you wonder.
Overall, I think it’s a worthwhile read!
I started reading with very little expectations and didn’t read any reviews. That being said, I really enjoyed the book! It was a short read and I finished it in a day. The book reads like a story being told by a friend. There is some history, mentioning of Saints, angels, and demons, a few chills and things that make you wonder.
Overall, I think it’s a worthwhile read!
April 20, 2019
Gary is and a cradle-Catholic who didn’t believe in the spiritual world much until 2007. The language he uses is both religious and REAL—for example, he admits in confession he calls other people assholes XD
It is so interesting how he relates us not understanding the spiritual world to us not understanding what's happening in it inside our bodies.
He weaves the past (not just his) with the present (2007-2008). The house he and his wife and son live in is his childhood home in New York. It has a nasty and creepy past.
In the home, memories from his childhood resurface.
Jansen explains how he began researching Catholic takes on the spiritual realm and WHAT he looked at. Real spiritual attack takes place, which is obvious in the retelling
It is so interesting how he relates us not understanding the spiritual world to us not understanding what's happening in it inside our bodies.
He weaves the past (not just his) with the present (2007-2008). The house he and his wife and son live in is his childhood home in New York. It has a nasty and creepy past.
In the home, memories from his childhood resurface.
Jansen explains how he began researching Catholic takes on the spiritual realm and WHAT he looked at. Real spiritual attack takes place, which is obvious in the retelling
April 25, 2019
3.75/5
This was a fun book to read because Jansen includes his personality into the text when he recounts his experiences in his haunted house. But there are still some moments especially in the beginning where the text felt slow and took a while to get through. I also was not a huge fan of the back and forth from childhood to the present moment. It did not always fit or make sense for that moment. It was interesting to see how his thoughts about ghosts were changing through the progression of the book. I liked how he wrote about talking to different specialists that could understand or communicate with spirits. He provides a strong case in how the supernatural could be real by talking about his house from his childhood to the time he wrote this book.
This was a fun book to read because Jansen includes his personality into the text when he recounts his experiences in his haunted house. But there are still some moments especially in the beginning where the text felt slow and took a while to get through. I also was not a huge fan of the back and forth from childhood to the present moment. It did not always fit or make sense for that moment. It was interesting to see how his thoughts about ghosts were changing through the progression of the book. I liked how he wrote about talking to different specialists that could understand or communicate with spirits. He provides a strong case in how the supernatural could be real by talking about his house from his childhood to the time he wrote this book.
November 19, 2019
I read this book after reading the author's book MicroShifts because I liked his writing style. This is a really thought-provoking book that not only tells the story about growing up in a haunted house but talks about the history of ghosts and the supernatural especially from a Judeo-Christian point of view. I've read some reviews that didn't like the author bouncing back and forth between narrative and history, but that's what I really liked about the book. It created suspense and gave context to the author's memories and life experiences. I ordered the audiobook after reading the book and I really like the author's voice too. This is a great, non-gory, spooky, but not overly frightening book. Highly recommended!
November 8, 2018
I really love a good ghost story and this one had a catchy title that caught my attention...so it got to go home with me. Gary Jansen tells the story of his childhood home, and the strange things which happened there. Coincidence piles on coincidence, until the prospect of the supernatural can no longer be ignored...not even by the skeptical Jansen. At the heart of this story is the story of a human being coming to terms with the fact that the world may not be as black and white as he once thought. I don't know if it's true or not...it's entertaining and it's true as far as the Jansen family is concerned.
May 31, 2024
I really liked this book. I loved his sense of humor & his writing style.
I thought the story of the haunting of the author's own home was interesting. It's rare to read a story in which the author writes of his own home being haunted. Also, the fact that most of the entire story was told from a religious perspective was also new & different. I am not Catholic... so I learned a few things how the Catholics feel about the supernatural.
I'd give this book a 4.5 stars. Not the VERY best haunted book I've read, but very good in the fact that I had a hard time putting this book down. Well worth reading!!
I thought the story of the haunting of the author's own home was interesting. It's rare to read a story in which the author writes of his own home being haunted. Also, the fact that most of the entire story was told from a religious perspective was also new & different. I am not Catholic... so I learned a few things how the Catholics feel about the supernatural.
I'd give this book a 4.5 stars. Not the VERY best haunted book I've read, but very good in the fact that I had a hard time putting this book down. Well worth reading!!
February 19, 2019
I listened to this as an audio book read by the author. Very engaging, articulate and well written. As with another book, called The Demon of Brownsville Road, I read for more insight into how the paranormal and Catholicism gets along. As it turns out, each is better defined by the other. I appreciated Gary’s clarity and insight.
March 30, 2018
Great book to read at night with the lights turned down low. Really liked the balance of storytelling, historical research, and humor. This isn't a frightening read. Instead, it perplexes and makes you wonder. I just loved it.
April 3, 2020
Fun, quick read about the paranormal. I like the history he brings into the story. Not gross at all, but there are a number of spooky moments. Plus, it makes me think about the power of words and the things that come out of my mouth!
January 29, 2022
An easy reading of Jansen's experiences with ghosts, the latter part of the book and his vibrating with Mary Ann Winkowski were the most interesting to me. I still want to understand the significance of March 7th.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2022
Jansen is writing about his ghost experience from the perspective of a believing Catholic. The book is written in a chatty style that drew me in immediately. It provides some chuckles and extreme spookiness.
June 29, 2017
Loved this take on ghosts and how he brought in the fact that he is religious! It was a great story into the ghostly world.
April 7, 2018
This is a really well written book. The story isn’t terrifying, but it is a thoughtful and sometimes spooky ghost story. Great to read late at night.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
Read
November 22, 2020DNF
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