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Mrs. Wakeman vs. the Antichrist: And Other Strange-but-True Tales from American History
American history is more than just what you read in your high school textbooks.There's a wild and weird side to America's past, filled with strange creatures, bizarre happenings, and fantastical figures. Researcher and writer Robert Damon Schneck has spent more than a decade devoted to sleuthing out these forgotten weird, grotesque, and mysterious gems of American history, • The man who preached good health through blood-drinking.• The California family driven insane by Ouija board séances, and the national panic that they ignited• The West Virginia town named after its resident poltergeist, who was obsessed with cutting everything into crescent shapes. • The Antichrist-obsessed cult leader whose disciples became brutal murderers, all in the name of saving her (and the world).You’ll also learn about homemade guillotines, magical ape-men on Mt. St. Helens, the psychic who smuggled a crystal ball into the White House, and the origins of those baffling modern bogeys, evil clowns driving vans.These historically researched, scrupulously verified, and always shockingly true tales in this collection come from an America that lies beyond the skyscrapers, cornfields, and suburban strip malls where we make our homes—a place where monsters guard buried treasures, schoolgirls develop stigmata, and we never run out of strange things.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 2, 2014
18 people are currently reading
671 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 6, 2017
It's strange, but true . . . how such fascinating topics can make for such a dull read.
I'm not sure if it's the writing style, or the fact that wacky, paranormal tales tend to fall apart under close investigation, but most of these essays were a chore to read. Bigfoot, poltergeists, stigmatics, wild men, and blood-drinking cults are all put under the microscope, and that kind of takes all the fun out of them. Too dry? Too far-fetched? I don't know. The author provides a huge hunk o' notes, but maybe some photos would have helped make everything seem more true, and not like so many wildly concocted tales, and hearsay.
The only chapter I really enjoyed was the one about autodecapitants. This was a new one on me. Who knew there have actually been several individuals who went to great lengths to design complex machines to remove their own heads? I'm not sure what impresses me the most - their ingenuity, or their unfettered determination to become headless.
No pills and booze for this steadfast individual! Does that make him more admirable. No; it just makes him dead. But still . . . it's kind of cool in a twisted, grisly, Grand Guignol kind of way.
I'm not sure if it's the writing style, or the fact that wacky, paranormal tales tend to fall apart under close investigation, but most of these essays were a chore to read. Bigfoot, poltergeists, stigmatics, wild men, and blood-drinking cults are all put under the microscope, and that kind of takes all the fun out of them. Too dry? Too far-fetched? I don't know. The author provides a huge hunk o' notes, but maybe some photos would have helped make everything seem more true, and not like so many wildly concocted tales, and hearsay.
The only chapter I really enjoyed was the one about autodecapitants. This was a new one on me. Who knew there have actually been several individuals who went to great lengths to design complex machines to remove their own heads? I'm not sure what impresses me the most - their ingenuity, or their unfettered determination to become headless.
No pills and booze for this steadfast individual! Does that make him more admirable. No; it just makes him dead. But still . . . it's kind of cool in a twisted, grisly, Grand Guignol kind of way.
November 19, 2018
A disjointed mess . A 2 rounded up .
August 3, 2015
These were fun to read and some were just plain WACKY!
October 6, 2017
This is a fast, easy read of non-academic culture that's related to odd trends in modern American history. It's in keeping with the odd but true tells of such book as Them, and, like that book, is especially interested in the behavior of odd groups and odd group leaders.
May 15, 2015
Mrs. Wakeman vs. the Antichrist is one of my favorite books. It's creepy, haunting and sanguinary but also educational and highly entertaining. For years my children and I have been haunted by the stories in Mr. Schneck's previous book The President's Vampire.
Mrs. Wakeman is a welcome addition to our book collection and all my kids' friends have borrowed it and passed it around just as they have been doing with our copy of The President's Vampire for years.
For anyone with an interest in weird American history, true paranormal, monsters, murders and ghosts Mrs Wakeman vs the Antichrist is an essential read and Robert Schneck is an essential author.
Mrs. Wakeman is a welcome addition to our book collection and all my kids' friends have borrowed it and passed it around just as they have been doing with our copy of The President's Vampire for years.
For anyone with an interest in weird American history, true paranormal, monsters, murders and ghosts Mrs Wakeman vs the Antichrist is an essential read and Robert Schneck is an essential author.
February 9, 2016
Mrs. Wakeman vs. the Antichrist is one of my favorite books. It's creepy, haunting and sanguinary but also educational and highly entertaining. For years my children and I have been haunted by the stories in Mr. Schneck's previous book The President's Vampire.
Mrs. Wakeman is a welcome addition to our book collection and all my kids' friends have borrowed it and passed it around just as they have been doing with our copy of The President's Vampire for years.
For anyone with an interest in weird American history, true paranormal, monsters, murders and ghosts, Mrs Wakeman vs the Antichrist is an essential read and Robert Schneck is an essential author.
Mrs. Wakeman is a welcome addition to our book collection and all my kids' friends have borrowed it and passed it around just as they have been doing with our copy of The President's Vampire for years.
For anyone with an interest in weird American history, true paranormal, monsters, murders and ghosts, Mrs Wakeman vs the Antichrist is an essential read and Robert Schneck is an essential author.
December 5, 2014
This book contained some fascinating facts and stories that I enjoyed learning about and exploring. I've never heard the in-depth history of freak shows and offshoot religious cults that the author presents. The author does a great job in using a ton of facts and firsthand accounts to present his material. It’s evident that the author took his time in his research to find some incredibly rare and interesting stories. There is an abundance of footnotes and a good index that I find a great feature in a collection of non-fictional material.
I only wish that the facts might have been incorporated in the narrative a bit better. There were times that the reading was a bit dry even though the material was anything but. This book also screams out for an introduction, something to introduce the reader to the material and present some pointers in a concise manner before the reader delves into the evidence. I was thrown into the facts and names by page 4 or 5, pretty much right off the bat. I found my stride fairly quickly, but an introduction would have smoothed the process.
This was an enjoyable exploration of the odder side of American history. Religious cults, stigmata cases, and horned men definitely don’t make it into mainstream history texts so that is a nice addition to any non-fiction shelf. I’d definitely recommend it just for the oddity and rarity of its content. However, there are some issues that I believe detract from the enjoyment factor of the book. Filtering the dry facts with more “meat” and an introduction would add more to this novel and bring the rating up. But it’s still definitely an entertaining read.
Note: Book received for free via Good Reads First Reads program in exchange for honest review.
I only wish that the facts might have been incorporated in the narrative a bit better. There were times that the reading was a bit dry even though the material was anything but. This book also screams out for an introduction, something to introduce the reader to the material and present some pointers in a concise manner before the reader delves into the evidence. I was thrown into the facts and names by page 4 or 5, pretty much right off the bat. I found my stride fairly quickly, but an introduction would have smoothed the process.
This was an enjoyable exploration of the odder side of American history. Religious cults, stigmata cases, and horned men definitely don’t make it into mainstream history texts so that is a nice addition to any non-fiction shelf. I’d definitely recommend it just for the oddity and rarity of its content. However, there are some issues that I believe detract from the enjoyment factor of the book. Filtering the dry facts with more “meat” and an introduction would add more to this novel and bring the rating up. But it’s still definitely an entertaining read.
Note: Book received for free via Good Reads First Reads program in exchange for honest review.
December 17, 2014
Robert Schneck's follow-up to /The President's Vampire/ is another delve into the weirder parts of American history. Now pretty much anyone can put together a collection of "strange but true" stories and many do, but Mr Schneck sets himself above the pack with meticulous research, an undercurrent of dry humour and most importantly a wide and deep grasp of his subject that allows him to fit his tales into the wider context of American folk history and its roots in America and overseas.
There's a nice mix of cases that will be of some familiarity to fortean readers and others that are much less well known. A particular favourite of mine is the "Wizard Clip" of West Virginia, a not-your-run-of-the-mill poltergeist that seems to have responded to priestly exorcism by becoming a staunch upholder of Catholic orthodoxy. By far the strongest piece in this collection is a re-examination of the "phantom clown" phenomenon in the context of historical oppression of black communities by the KKK and other real and feared exploitation by whites. This is one of the best bits of fortean writing I have ever read and the collection is worth buying for this alone.
For forteans this book is an instant classic that should be on every bookshelf, and it is richly deserving of a wider audience, especially among those interested in Americana or American folk history.
There's a nice mix of cases that will be of some familiarity to fortean readers and others that are much less well known. A particular favourite of mine is the "Wizard Clip" of West Virginia, a not-your-run-of-the-mill poltergeist that seems to have responded to priestly exorcism by becoming a staunch upholder of Catholic orthodoxy. By far the strongest piece in this collection is a re-examination of the "phantom clown" phenomenon in the context of historical oppression of black communities by the KKK and other real and feared exploitation by whites. This is one of the best bits of fortean writing I have ever read and the collection is worth buying for this alone.
For forteans this book is an instant classic that should be on every bookshelf, and it is richly deserving of a wider audience, especially among those interested in Americana or American folk history.
September 29, 2014
Robert Damon Schneck is like Fox Mulder from “The X-Files” or Carl Kolshak of “The Night Stalker,” he wants to believe, and with an autodidact’s obsession he has worked hard to hammer that faith into a frame of facts. MRS. WAKEMAN VS. THE ANTICHRIST: AND OTHER STRANGE-BUT-TRUE TALES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY is a collection of oddities that fell through the cracks of history into the dustbin, filled with footnotes to back it up. History may be written by the winners, but these losers often reveal more of the fabric of our reality. The stories of Ouija boards and Bigfoot, clown killers and self-decapitations speak to the tenor of our times. More can be told of a culture by its fears than its wars, or at least they’re part of an underlying issue that often results in the more textbook-friendly version of truth. Nether condescending towards nor bolstering the supernatural, Schneck mostly debunks the claims of the wackos he is attracted to with a self-possessed “idiot joy,” so the quest to uncover the Other continues, and we can look forward to further books on the occult and mystical. Skeptically I look forward to his work for it combines what brings out the best in an author, obsession and a talent for writing about it.
January 9, 2015
This is an amazing, interesting read of small cul-de-sacs in American History. Weird and wonderful historical events that have somehow missed anyone's notice until now. One chapter (Ku Klux Klowns) is even really compelling research on the origins of an urban legend. I enjoyed this book immensely. If you love American history and the kooky, weird, and bizarre, I highly recommend it. The only small negative I would give this book is that it had a somewhat careless editor. There are a couple of places where the author duplicates a sentence or part of a paragraph. Any good editor should have spotted it. Otherwise, it's a treasure!
June 19, 2019
Author Robert Damon Schneck's Mrs. Wakeman Vs. the Antichrist has a lurid and promising title. Who is this Mrs. Wakeman and what exactly is her beef with the Antichrist? It's a fantastic title that jumps right off the shelf and grabs your interest. Being a fan of the strange but true genre, I looked forward to meeting this Mrs. Wakeman and finding out what exactly her problem was.
MWVtA has 11 odd reports from America's past. Like all anthologies, some of these tales are better than others. Some also seem a little bit truer and a little bit stranger. The lead story, about a neighborhood being driven insane by a Ouija board, is great, and told very well using the source material from the time. Another story, about an 18th century poltergeist in West Virginia that cuts cloth and quotes the Bible, is... well, honestly it's boring as hell and goes on seemingly forever. But of course, that's the magic of books like this. What I hate you'll probably like, and vice versa. Regardless of my thoughts on the entertainment value of a given section, Schneck does an excellent job telling it.
You can read Ron's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
MWVtA has 11 odd reports from America's past. Like all anthologies, some of these tales are better than others. Some also seem a little bit truer and a little bit stranger. The lead story, about a neighborhood being driven insane by a Ouija board, is great, and told very well using the source material from the time. Another story, about an 18th century poltergeist in West Virginia that cuts cloth and quotes the Bible, is... well, honestly it's boring as hell and goes on seemingly forever. But of course, that's the magic of books like this. What I hate you'll probably like, and vice versa. Regardless of my thoughts on the entertainment value of a given section, Schneck does an excellent job telling it.
You can read Ron's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
June 6, 2017
This was an interesting little read, reporting on some odd happenings that were reported in the mid to late 1800s through the mid 1900s. It definitely makes you think and wonder about the power people have over each other and whether and how the supernatural plays a part. I will say that I found the book mostly enjoyable (although there were some things that I was like "this is a little disturbing" like the chapter on autodecapitation) but I was disappointed in the final chapter as I was just getting into it and it felt like much wasn't covered and it ended abruptly. All in all, if you're interested in weird happenings, this is the book for you.
October 12, 2018
There's some really interesting stuff in here, mostly things I'd never heard of before. The title story is just wild, and I was really surprised to see a clown related mass hysteria in the early 80s, before It was even published. But wow, this dude is credulous. It's one thing to call cryptozoology a science (it's really, really not), but to say 19th century spiritualism was scientific is just... I don't even know how to describe how wrong that is.
June 1, 2018
This book is just ok. I guess I misunderstood the back cover. It read like a non-fiction book. I thought is was going to be a novel.
October 18, 2020
Such a waste of time.
March 4, 2015
This is a superb compendium of bizarre-but-true episodes from American history, ranging from a short-lived health craze for drinking the blood of animals at slaughterhouses to an 11-year-old stigmatic at a black Baptist church in 1970s Oakland.
What places it above similar books is the author's crisp, arch prose, and his unwillingness to simply stop at presenting the details of bizarre events without interpretation. A chapter that starts off by describing a supposed Sasquatch encounter in the 1920s, for example, veers off into a fascinating exploration of the history of magical treasure hunts in the U.S. (a history that includes, among others, Mormonism founder Joseph Smith), while the rash of "phantom clown" reports in the early 1980s serves as a jumping-off point for a discussion about slavery, the medical industry's dicey history with African-Americans, and Chicago-area serial killers.
Always surprising and entertaining, this book will appeal to the specialist in the bizarre as well as anyone interested in learning more about the forgotten corners of U.S. history.
What places it above similar books is the author's crisp, arch prose, and his unwillingness to simply stop at presenting the details of bizarre events without interpretation. A chapter that starts off by describing a supposed Sasquatch encounter in the 1920s, for example, veers off into a fascinating exploration of the history of magical treasure hunts in the U.S. (a history that includes, among others, Mormonism founder Joseph Smith), while the rash of "phantom clown" reports in the early 1980s serves as a jumping-off point for a discussion about slavery, the medical industry's dicey history with African-Americans, and Chicago-area serial killers.
Always surprising and entertaining, this book will appeal to the specialist in the bizarre as well as anyone interested in learning more about the forgotten corners of U.S. history.
July 1, 2015
A collection of strange but true bits of occult history in the U.S. Well-researched and well-written, I enjoyed the ones where the author theorized a bit (killer clowns in vans related to night doctors; bigfoot attack on gold miners as a version of a treasure hunt tale) more than just the "just the facts" ones (a black, teenage stigmatic in the 1960s, an autodecapitation machine). The time range covers early 19th century up through 1980s. In the afterward, the author says he's planning a follow up. I'm so there.
Warning -- not for the weak of stomach. Some tales are violent and/or downright gross.
Warning -- not for the weak of stomach. Some tales are violent and/or downright gross.
October 23, 2014
**I received a free copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program** This book is a fascinating biography of some of the most bizarre people throughout American history. The author does a great job of not only reporting the strange occurrences but also the general state and reaction of the country at that particular time period. History buffs and fans of the occult will enjoy this book as much as I did.
November 16, 2014
I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
While I found the stories to hold fascinating details on some bizarre events, overall the book did not really hold my attention. It was way too easy for me to set the book down and walk away for a few days to give it more than 3 stars. And I have to admit the entire way through I kept hoping there was a section of photos and/or illustrations of some of the people, evidence and devices described.
While I found the stories to hold fascinating details on some bizarre events, overall the book did not really hold my attention. It was way too easy for me to set the book down and walk away for a few days to give it more than 3 stars. And I have to admit the entire way through I kept hoping there was a section of photos and/or illustrations of some of the people, evidence and devices described.
June 24, 2015
This book is interesting.. It has a lot of sad but true events, that took place in American history, that were definitely were left out of social studies. A great deal of research and detail, was put in to the writing.
I received a free copy of this book, as part of the goodreads advance reader program- Thank you to goodreads, the publisher and author.
I received a free copy of this book, as part of the goodreads advance reader program- Thank you to goodreads, the publisher and author.
July 31, 2015
Most of it was interesting, particularly about the "horned" men and the Oujia panic that took place at the turn of the century. Which I wish there was more information on because they both really fascinated me. The rest of the book however just sort of dragged for me and I had to force myself to read the rest of it.
November 5, 2014
I received this book free through Good Reads first-reads. The stories are interesting; however because they are told in an informational text-book-like style, after each story was finished, I wasn't excited to read the next one.
October 25, 2014
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
A fascinating book about American cults, folklore, and supernatural phenomenon.
A fascinating book about American cults, folklore, and supernatural phenomenon.
May 21, 2015
All you need to know about this book is that it has a whole section about phantom clowns in vans abducting children.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews