Ghosts of Grand Rapids

Haunted America

by Nicole Bray, Robert Du Shane, Julie Rathsack

“Grand Rapids’ sinister and spooky past is illuminated . . . examines local hauntings and reveals the truth behind some long told urban legends” (The Collegiate).   Come nose around in the creepier corners of the Grand Rapids of yesteryear. Discover why Hell’s Bridge persists as such an oft-told urban legend and what horrific history earned Heritage Hill the title of Michigan’s most haunted neighborhood. Mingle with the spooky inhabitants of the Phillips Mansion, Holmdene Manor, San Chez Restaurant and St. Cecilia Music Center. Meet the guests who never quite checked out of the Amway Grand. Read the true stories behind the Michigan Bell Building and the Ada Witch Legend. Nicole Bray, Robert Du Shane and Julie Rathsack illuminate the shadows of local sites you thought you knew.   Includes photos!

Genres: Paranormal, Nonfiction, Supernatural, History, Adult, Ghosts

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 28, 2013

Reviews

[James Verburg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this book. There is a lot of history discussed about my great city, a lot of which I was unaware of. My only complaint, and it's a big one, is that the actual hauntings seemed glossed over. Most of the chapter was a build up explaining the past of a building and only in the last paragraph or so did they mention the paranormal activity. Maybe I went in expecting something different than what the author hoped to get across.
All in all, I'd recommend this for anyone with an interest in some of the darker history of GR. It has given me a few new places I want to check out. Now if I just could get an EVP recorder (hint: Santa).

[Ivan Benedict · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly my interest in this book is because it deals with
stories of Grand Rapids. The stories of paranormal activity
was OK, but not as detailed as I would like. The authors did
research with census, newspapers, etc; and this I found well
done.
However, the writing seemed to be uninspired. Some of the
material as to homicides & suicides were only barely relevant
to the search for "ghosts".
This was a very short book. I would rather read some of the
supporting materials that were used for reference.

[Emmy Groendyke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I've heard about most of the haunting already in this book. It was a bit self indulgent, as in, "OOOH we did a ghost EVP session here! Did we hear the ghost of a Victorian woman? We may never know!" I enjoyed some of the stories about personal home hauntings but I generally enjoy that anyway. Just middle of the road book of Grand Rapids hauntings, nothing spectacular.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was more interesting than the Ghosts of Grand Rapids tour I took with my family.

[Grivante Grivante · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never knew there were so many scary things going on in Michigan! Kinda makes me want to stay away...but also makes me want to go exploring. Great and informative read!

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely enjoyed this local history, especially the macabre.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was poorly written to say the least. It jumps back and forth in narration and makes it difficult to tell who's telling the story. The style and tone changes repeatedly, leaving no consistency, which makes for an unlikable read.

I live in Grand Rapids and read this book at the recommendation of my brother-in-law because of the intriguing stories. While each story was interesting, not all of them were about ghosts. Most of them were just about legends in Michigan - not just in Grand Rapids either, despite the title - and a handful of stories were detailing crimes that happened in the area but no mention of hauntings so it's more of a history of some events in GR rather than ghosts. Disappointing.

[Wendy Kuzma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the history behind the stories though the stories themselves sometimes left a little to be desired. I have gone on a walking tour with the authors and found that more interesting than the book itself. It was a great way to find out some lesser known historical events about the city of Grand Rapids.

[lyonel Lamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy!

It was a fun read, though some of the historical explanations seemed insignificant to the story at hand. It also ended on quite a bummer, but it’s to expected I suppose in a ghost stories book.

[Mary]

I read about St. Cecilia Auditorium where I remember going to meetings as a child--and playing the piano for a recital when I was in high school.

But wasn't interested in reading the other tales.

[Beth Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

I never knew all of the events noted in this book. It is interesting to read for the history even if you are not curious about paranormal activity.

[Brom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book! My husband read this to me, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The "Urban Legends" chapter was, by far, my favorite.

[Sara]

Some of the writing was a bit cringey but I'm a sucker for ghost stories so I read it all.

[Nick Cervantes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. If you’re interested in learning more about the history of the city, you’ll find some good stuff here. Stories of actual hauntings, however, were sometimes rushed and glossed over.

[Kristina Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall good Halloween season book about haunted areas around Grand Rapids.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was mostly interested in the history not the hauntings. This was our Book Club selection and I'm glad I read it to learn more about the Grand Rapids area.

[Lexi Gerth · Rating 3 out of 5]

very interesting book! got kind of boring at times, but I finished the book quick and was a fun read most of the time!!

[Shelby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book after listening to the authors give a talk at a local bookstore. Their stories were incredible, and I was very interested in learning more. Unfortunately, this book was a huge disappointment.

One of the things I admired about the authors was their use of a very specific scientific method. This was also true during the book, but it was written very poorly. The Ghosts of Grand Rapids read more like a textbook than the collection of interesting-and-occasionally-supernatural stories I had hoped for. I got about halfway through, and then lost interest entirely.

Some of the stories and places discussed in the book were interesting, and if you are using this as a basis for research, I believe this book will be of great assistance. As previously mentioned, the authors were very methodical and 'did their homework', disproving many popular supernatural myths in the Grand Rapids area. However, I would not recommend for a "fun read".

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this very interesting. I love learning more about my home town

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy Read and enjoyed learning a bit of history about GR!