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Alien Encounters: First-hand Accounts of UFO Abductions
In Secret Life, Professor David M. Jacobs of Temple University takes us into the private world of those abducted by aliens, letting them describe in their own words what it is like to be abducted. Based on interviews with sixty individuals and more than 300 independently corroborated accounts, Secret Life presents the most complete and accurate picture of alien abductions ever compiled. Dr. Jacobs takes the reader on a minute-by-minute journey through a typical abduction experience and describes in detail the bizarre physical, mental and reproductive procedures that abductees claim have been administered by small alien beings. Jacobs draws from these interviews a profoundly unsettling reason behind the abductions: aliens are conducting a complex reproductive experiment involving the conception, gestation. or incubation of human and alien hybrid beings.
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First published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 19, 2013
When you've had "experiences" you tend to gravitate toward others who've gone down the same scary trails, looking to hear your own story told in someone else's words. Abductees don't get a lot of support from society in general, and the subject isn't exactly something you can talk about with your friends. You literally do live a "secret life" that affects every aspect of your being.
Secret Life delves heavily into the clinical side of abduction, where my own memories focus primarily on the before and after, especially what it feels like after an abduction when you're back in the safety of your home, only you don't feel safe.
I did encounter some surprises in the book, side effects I was unaware of as being significant but did personally experience. The life of an abductee is like a big jigsaw puzzle of jumbled pieces, not all of the same puzzle, so you don't always realize which piece goes to which puzzle.
Some abductees never figure it out and maybe that's a good thing. It takes a lot of strength to accept something so extraordinary and go on to live a reasonably normal life in spite of it. Perhaps that's why there's so much secrecy around the subject. Little by little, the truth comes out, one abductee at a time.
Secret Life delves heavily into the clinical side of abduction, where my own memories focus primarily on the before and after, especially what it feels like after an abduction when you're back in the safety of your home, only you don't feel safe.
I did encounter some surprises in the book, side effects I was unaware of as being significant but did personally experience. The life of an abductee is like a big jigsaw puzzle of jumbled pieces, not all of the same puzzle, so you don't always realize which piece goes to which puzzle.
Some abductees never figure it out and maybe that's a good thing. It takes a lot of strength to accept something so extraordinary and go on to live a reasonably normal life in spite of it. Perhaps that's why there's so much secrecy around the subject. Little by little, the truth comes out, one abductee at a time.
May 2, 2012
Great overview of the abduction phenomenon. Dr. Jacobs lays out the case for the phenomenon's reality, asserts that the stories have basis in the physical world, then addresses debunkers' criticisms and alternate theories. I can't say I agree with him one hundred percent -- the phenomenon remains too bizarre for me to completely discount a psychological explanation -- but he does good work in showing that there is a very real mystery behind the strange accounts. Definitely recommended, especially for someone just starting to explore this subject.
May 21, 2024
A HISTORY PROFESSOR LOOKS INTO THE PHENOMENA OF “ABDUCTIONS”
David Michael Jacobs (born 1942) is an American historian and former Professor of History at Temple University (now retired).
He wrote in the ‘Note to the Reader’ of this 1992 book, “This book is based on the testimony of some sixty individuals with whom I have explored more than 300 abduction experiences, and it includes transcripts or accounts of my interviews with more than twenty of them. A complete explanation of the techniques I used, including hypnotic regression, is included in Appendix A… All the major accounts of abductions in this book share common characteristics and thus provide a confirmation of one another. I have not included one-of-a-kind accounts---no matter how dramatic---because no reliable inferences can be drawn from them without confirming testimony from other abductees… the majority of abductees in this study are women, and … women seem to have a larger number of more complex experiences… The transcripts have been edited for brevity and clarity, but the information and the meaning here have not been altered… Unless otherwise stated, I have personally investigated all of the abduction described in this book.”
He recounts, “In 1982 a friend introduced me to Budd Hopkins… I was immediately impressed with his skillful research… Hopkins’s work was excellent, but I found that the overall situation was still confusing. After all, people have always claimed that many sorts of strange events happened to them. They have lived past lives. They have been in communication with denizens of the spirit world and even Space Brothers. They have seen ghosts, danced with fairies, and had near-death experiences with religious implications. To my way of thinking, all of this might be a demonstration of the mind’s mysterious workings. Perhaps these paranormal phenomena arose from the human tendency to create folklore. Or they might emanate from a collective unconscious. In any case, psychology rather than objective reality would explain these stories.” (Pg. 22-23)
He observes, “Secrecy appears to be critically important to the aliens in determining the opportunities for abductions. They commonly take place when the abductee is in an automobile, alone in the daytime, or with a small group of people. Victims have reported aliens doing procedures on them in their homes without being abducted. The majority of abductions, however, begin at night when the victim is alone either awake or asleep. No abductions have surfaced that took place in the middle of a very large group of people, in full view at a public event.” (Pg. 50)
He notes, “The problem of unplanned or inexplicable pregnancy is one of the most frequent physical aftereffects of abduction experiences. Usually the woman feels pregnant and has all the outward signs of being pregnant. She is puzzled and disturbed because she had wither not engaged in sex or has been very careful with proper birth control. She has blook tests and the gynecologist positively verifies the pregnancy… the woman suddenly find herself not pregnancy. She has no miscarriage, no extra0heavy bleeding or discharge. The fetus is simply gone… During the first trimester the woman may decide to terminate the pregnancy. At the appointment, the physician begins the procedures and is stunned to find that there is no fetus in the uterus… The ‘Missing Fetus Syndrome’ has happened to abductees enough times that it is now considered one of the more common effects of the abduction experience.” (Pg. 245-246)
He explains, “Many abductees engage in a lifelong search for answers to questions they cannot fully formulate. For some, the New Age movement … provides an answer. Ini some way they know they are in contact with a ‘higher’ or ‘cosmic’ consciousness. They feel sure that they can communicate with other people by mental telepathy. They know that they have been in touch with another realm of existence. Some unaware abductees become attracted to channeling and might even become channelers themselves… It is not unusual for a person to seek answers to the disturbing qualities of their lives through organized religion---usually evangelical Christin groups… the minister frequently invokes ‘demons’ or demonic possession… Prayer and faith vanquish the demons and allow the victim to lead a life free from harassment… Rather than joining New Age groups or religious sects, many abductees turn to mental health professionals for help. They know that there must be something ‘wrong’… The vast majority of professional therapists are not trained to help abductees.” (Pg. 253-254)
He says of an abductee names Karen Morgan, “[She] agreed to use a video camera and … As long as the camera was trained on her, no abductions took place. But when Karen was out of town to visit friends or relatives, she would be abducted…. When she ‘forgot’ to set up the camera or VCR for the night, there was a good possibility that she would be abducted.” (Pg. 259)
He points out, “Contactees actively sought money and publicity, and devoted a tremendous amount of energy to getting both. Most abductees have sought neither. Rather, they are extremely concerned that their identities might be revealed and that they might lose their standing in the community and in their work. Only a few of the abductees that Budd Hopkins and I have worked with over the year have gone to the media to tell what has happened to them, and this was at our request and only after they engaged in considerable soul-searching. To the best of my knowledge, none has profited monetarily from these media appearances.” (Pg. 284)
He acknowledges, “There have been instances in which a person has fabricated an abduction event… [One] well-meaning but unsystematic researcher simply accepted the woman’s story as true even though it did not match any of the known abduction events. Thus, lying can fool an inexperienced researcher but not one who is familiar with the abduction experience that has been confirmed so many times over.” (Pg. 284-285)
He also discusses a number of alternative explanations, including: repression of abuse; hysterical contagion; prewakening and presleeping states; the ‘will to believe’; channeling; hallucinations; fantasy-prone personalities; the influence of hypnosis; psychosis; multiple personality disorder; temporal lobe dysfunction; desire for a baby; the influence of science fiction; folklore; the collective unconscious; birth trauma, etc. (Pg. 285-304) He concludes, “We are left with a puzzle. No viable alternative theory has emerged that takes into account the totality of the data in the abduction experience… If the abductees are relating events that do, in fact, have an objective reality, then we are presented with what might be one of the most important events ever to befall mankind. If, on the other hand, the events do not have an objective reality… then we have discovered something of immense importance. We have found a fascinating and inexplicable new psychological and sociocultural phenomenon unlike anything ever discovered in the human psyche before. It is obviously worthy of intense scientific attention.” (Pg. 304)
He admits in an Appendix, “Hypnosis is an indispensable took in unlocking the memories of an abduction. Ever since … Betty and Barney Hill, UFO researchers have employed it to learn about abductions. It is the best method available to gain detailed access to people’s hidden abduction memories. Hypnosis, however, is not foolproof. Some abductees simply do not remember; when they do remember, especially details, it may be an incorrect memory that they are ‘filling in.’ This can be particularly true when the subject is asked to supply details of an event from childhood. It is easy for a hypnotist to ask (consciously or inadvertently) leading questions that steer the abductee into an answer that may not reflect reality. This can be a problem for suggestible subjects. Confabulation, or the unconscious invention and filling in of memories, can become an easy way of providing information to the eager hypnotist-investigator… This problem is compounded by the fact that in abduction research, questions about details are routinely asked in order to gather as much information as possible.” (Pg. 321)
This book will be of great interest to those studying ‘abduction’ phenomena, and related matters.
David Michael Jacobs (born 1942) is an American historian and former Professor of History at Temple University (now retired).
He wrote in the ‘Note to the Reader’ of this 1992 book, “This book is based on the testimony of some sixty individuals with whom I have explored more than 300 abduction experiences, and it includes transcripts or accounts of my interviews with more than twenty of them. A complete explanation of the techniques I used, including hypnotic regression, is included in Appendix A… All the major accounts of abductions in this book share common characteristics and thus provide a confirmation of one another. I have not included one-of-a-kind accounts---no matter how dramatic---because no reliable inferences can be drawn from them without confirming testimony from other abductees… the majority of abductees in this study are women, and … women seem to have a larger number of more complex experiences… The transcripts have been edited for brevity and clarity, but the information and the meaning here have not been altered… Unless otherwise stated, I have personally investigated all of the abduction described in this book.”
He recounts, “In 1982 a friend introduced me to Budd Hopkins… I was immediately impressed with his skillful research… Hopkins’s work was excellent, but I found that the overall situation was still confusing. After all, people have always claimed that many sorts of strange events happened to them. They have lived past lives. They have been in communication with denizens of the spirit world and even Space Brothers. They have seen ghosts, danced with fairies, and had near-death experiences with religious implications. To my way of thinking, all of this might be a demonstration of the mind’s mysterious workings. Perhaps these paranormal phenomena arose from the human tendency to create folklore. Or they might emanate from a collective unconscious. In any case, psychology rather than objective reality would explain these stories.” (Pg. 22-23)
He observes, “Secrecy appears to be critically important to the aliens in determining the opportunities for abductions. They commonly take place when the abductee is in an automobile, alone in the daytime, or with a small group of people. Victims have reported aliens doing procedures on them in their homes without being abducted. The majority of abductions, however, begin at night when the victim is alone either awake or asleep. No abductions have surfaced that took place in the middle of a very large group of people, in full view at a public event.” (Pg. 50)
He notes, “The problem of unplanned or inexplicable pregnancy is one of the most frequent physical aftereffects of abduction experiences. Usually the woman feels pregnant and has all the outward signs of being pregnant. She is puzzled and disturbed because she had wither not engaged in sex or has been very careful with proper birth control. She has blook tests and the gynecologist positively verifies the pregnancy… the woman suddenly find herself not pregnancy. She has no miscarriage, no extra0heavy bleeding or discharge. The fetus is simply gone… During the first trimester the woman may decide to terminate the pregnancy. At the appointment, the physician begins the procedures and is stunned to find that there is no fetus in the uterus… The ‘Missing Fetus Syndrome’ has happened to abductees enough times that it is now considered one of the more common effects of the abduction experience.” (Pg. 245-246)
He explains, “Many abductees engage in a lifelong search for answers to questions they cannot fully formulate. For some, the New Age movement … provides an answer. Ini some way they know they are in contact with a ‘higher’ or ‘cosmic’ consciousness. They feel sure that they can communicate with other people by mental telepathy. They know that they have been in touch with another realm of existence. Some unaware abductees become attracted to channeling and might even become channelers themselves… It is not unusual for a person to seek answers to the disturbing qualities of their lives through organized religion---usually evangelical Christin groups… the minister frequently invokes ‘demons’ or demonic possession… Prayer and faith vanquish the demons and allow the victim to lead a life free from harassment… Rather than joining New Age groups or religious sects, many abductees turn to mental health professionals for help. They know that there must be something ‘wrong’… The vast majority of professional therapists are not trained to help abductees.” (Pg. 253-254)
He says of an abductee names Karen Morgan, “[She] agreed to use a video camera and … As long as the camera was trained on her, no abductions took place. But when Karen was out of town to visit friends or relatives, she would be abducted…. When she ‘forgot’ to set up the camera or VCR for the night, there was a good possibility that she would be abducted.” (Pg. 259)
He points out, “Contactees actively sought money and publicity, and devoted a tremendous amount of energy to getting both. Most abductees have sought neither. Rather, they are extremely concerned that their identities might be revealed and that they might lose their standing in the community and in their work. Only a few of the abductees that Budd Hopkins and I have worked with over the year have gone to the media to tell what has happened to them, and this was at our request and only after they engaged in considerable soul-searching. To the best of my knowledge, none has profited monetarily from these media appearances.” (Pg. 284)
He acknowledges, “There have been instances in which a person has fabricated an abduction event… [One] well-meaning but unsystematic researcher simply accepted the woman’s story as true even though it did not match any of the known abduction events. Thus, lying can fool an inexperienced researcher but not one who is familiar with the abduction experience that has been confirmed so many times over.” (Pg. 284-285)
He also discusses a number of alternative explanations, including: repression of abuse; hysterical contagion; prewakening and presleeping states; the ‘will to believe’; channeling; hallucinations; fantasy-prone personalities; the influence of hypnosis; psychosis; multiple personality disorder; temporal lobe dysfunction; desire for a baby; the influence of science fiction; folklore; the collective unconscious; birth trauma, etc. (Pg. 285-304) He concludes, “We are left with a puzzle. No viable alternative theory has emerged that takes into account the totality of the data in the abduction experience… If the abductees are relating events that do, in fact, have an objective reality, then we are presented with what might be one of the most important events ever to befall mankind. If, on the other hand, the events do not have an objective reality… then we have discovered something of immense importance. We have found a fascinating and inexplicable new psychological and sociocultural phenomenon unlike anything ever discovered in the human psyche before. It is obviously worthy of intense scientific attention.” (Pg. 304)
He admits in an Appendix, “Hypnosis is an indispensable took in unlocking the memories of an abduction. Ever since … Betty and Barney Hill, UFO researchers have employed it to learn about abductions. It is the best method available to gain detailed access to people’s hidden abduction memories. Hypnosis, however, is not foolproof. Some abductees simply do not remember; when they do remember, especially details, it may be an incorrect memory that they are ‘filling in.’ This can be particularly true when the subject is asked to supply details of an event from childhood. It is easy for a hypnotist to ask (consciously or inadvertently) leading questions that steer the abductee into an answer that may not reflect reality. This can be a problem for suggestible subjects. Confabulation, or the unconscious invention and filling in of memories, can become an easy way of providing information to the eager hypnotist-investigator… This problem is compounded by the fact that in abduction research, questions about details are routinely asked in order to gather as much information as possible.” (Pg. 321)
This book will be of great interest to those studying ‘abduction’ phenomena, and related matters.
May 5, 2017
I would have given this book a lower rating because it seemed like it would never end. But if anyone wants an elaborate, in-depth, all-you-want-to-know-about-alien abduction book, this is it. We first read about a background of how the author got into this field of hypnotizing people who claim to be alien abductees. It was interesting to learn that a popular story about alien abduction happened in 1961 to Barney and Betty Hill that was later made into a movie. (The UFO Incident, 1975).
A main part of this book has us reading the actual hypnosis sessions with several individuals. After several years and hypnosis sessions with many people, the author devised a matrix of three tiers the abductees may or may not go through. They are eerily similar and not only scary, but frustrating. No one wants to be abducted, and for the most part, the abductees are powerless to stop them from happening. One can believe the tales or not, but many theories have been debunked and no alternative has emerged giving a better answer of what's going on. I came up with two main thoughts. I agree that the hypnosis sessions by different people were somewhat similar...the way the aliens looked, what was done to them, and the surroundings. But the movie Fire in the Sky, which came out a year after this book was published, seemed different. All of the abductees in the book were only gone at the most a few hours, where the movie had the abductee gone for days. In the book, if there were other people around the abductee when they were taken, no one seems to notice. Where as in the movie, the friends of the abductee who were in the car with him knew about a strange circumstance that occurred and he disappeared.
My next main thought is, if alien abductions are true, not much has changed or has been done since this book was published. As the author points out, if he found out that alien abductions were completely false and just made up, it would be wonderful, since these abductions are just cause for anxiety and making one's life a mess.
A main part of this book has us reading the actual hypnosis sessions with several individuals. After several years and hypnosis sessions with many people, the author devised a matrix of three tiers the abductees may or may not go through. They are eerily similar and not only scary, but frustrating. No one wants to be abducted, and for the most part, the abductees are powerless to stop them from happening. One can believe the tales or not, but many theories have been debunked and no alternative has emerged giving a better answer of what's going on. I came up with two main thoughts. I agree that the hypnosis sessions by different people were somewhat similar...the way the aliens looked, what was done to them, and the surroundings. But the movie Fire in the Sky, which came out a year after this book was published, seemed different. All of the abductees in the book were only gone at the most a few hours, where the movie had the abductee gone for days. In the book, if there were other people around the abductee when they were taken, no one seems to notice. Where as in the movie, the friends of the abductee who were in the car with him knew about a strange circumstance that occurred and he disappeared.
My next main thought is, if alien abductions are true, not much has changed or has been done since this book was published. As the author points out, if he found out that alien abductions were completely false and just made up, it would be wonderful, since these abductions are just cause for anxiety and making one's life a mess.
August 7, 2017
By way of hypnotic regression, Dr. David M. Jacobs, Ph.D. has interviewed hundreds of people who claim they were abducted by aliens. It is clear that he believes them. In this quasi-academic publication of his research, he takes a systematic approach to analyze their stories and develop a visual matrix of a "usual" abduction. There are common details in all of the accounts; details so strange and specific, the author argues, that they cannot be invented. From sexual experiments to massive hybrid-cloning programs, the stories are incredible and troubling, to say the least, and raise the question for me: Why might aliens want to study human sexuality in the first place?
The author's central claim is that his research is important whether or not these people are actually being kidnapped by aliens from outer space. He argues: "If the abductees are relating events that do, in fact, have an objective reality, then we are presented with what might be one of the most important events ever to befall mankind. If, on the other hand, the events do not have an objective reality and the abductees are imagining abductions, then we have discovered something of immense importance. We have found a fascinating and inexplicable new psychological and sociocultural phenomenon unlike anything ever discovered in the human psyche before."
I'm skeptical of hypnosis. Based on the horrific transcripts of the victims, I personally hope they're either lying, or being guided through leading (misleading?) questioning techniques. In the end, though, I'm inclined to believe their stories are at least true in their own minds, and possibly true without caveat. That is a scary enough conclusion to reach.
The author's central claim is that his research is important whether or not these people are actually being kidnapped by aliens from outer space. He argues: "If the abductees are relating events that do, in fact, have an objective reality, then we are presented with what might be one of the most important events ever to befall mankind. If, on the other hand, the events do not have an objective reality and the abductees are imagining abductions, then we have discovered something of immense importance. We have found a fascinating and inexplicable new psychological and sociocultural phenomenon unlike anything ever discovered in the human psyche before."
I'm skeptical of hypnosis. Based on the horrific transcripts of the victims, I personally hope they're either lying, or being guided through leading (misleading?) questioning techniques. In the end, though, I'm inclined to believe their stories are at least true in their own minds, and possibly true without caveat. That is a scary enough conclusion to reach.
August 4, 2017
This is a subject which has been loosely covered on television and certain movies. I always figured out that the truth was not represented correctly. After reading Dr. Jacobs' book, I realize I was correct in my evaluations.
This book was a complete compilation of research, history, and possible future (as shown to the actual abductees involved.) We were allowed a glimpse into the motivations of our government, and scientists during their infancy as researchers and self-believed safe keepers of the citizens.
We have grown as to openness of this touchy subject and after reading this book, I feel I could be more compassionate and understanding if I was to meet someone who had a harrowing tale to tell.
This is an important addition to persons interested in the UFO and Abduction phenomena.
This book was a complete compilation of research, history, and possible future (as shown to the actual abductees involved.) We were allowed a glimpse into the motivations of our government, and scientists during their infancy as researchers and self-believed safe keepers of the citizens.
We have grown as to openness of this touchy subject and after reading this book, I feel I could be more compassionate and understanding if I was to meet someone who had a harrowing tale to tell.
This is an important addition to persons interested in the UFO and Abduction phenomena.
Read
March 2, 2024I swear I haven’t gone off the deep end. I just seek escapism in weird stuff. I can’t rly give this a star rating. If it’s true (unlikely) then this is amazing groundwork for the study of it all. Done in the early ‘90s. If it’s untrue (more likely) then it’s just an interesting look at a weird phenomenon, of so many people having similar “experiences.” I wonder what the explanation is. It could be so many things. Parts of this were hard to read, for obvious reasons, especially stuff described happening to children abductees. The descriptions of the tests and abuse and inhumanity and whatnot were just stressful to IMAGINE. Do u believe aliens visit earth? Comment yes or no. Lol
August 12, 2017
Not all the hypnosis transcripts were interesting, but in all this is a good introduction to the alien abduction phenomenon. It is very refreshing to have an academically schooled individual trying to get his mind around it, instead of those who spin out of control with speculation. In the end Jacobs does not identify the aliens as either malovelent or benovelent, however throughout the book the warning signals should be clear, which he also repeated later in his life during several interviews.
September 24, 2019
This was a well-written, in-depth study on people who have experienced alien abductions. It was frightening in its detail, and documented several case studies that made a strong case for its authenticity. Don't read this at night alone!
April 2, 2020
This was a very well done and organized book. Much of the reports made by various abductees in this book backs up much of the research that I have already done from other sources, making it all the more believable. I was especially impressed with how the author organized the material.
August 21, 2020
Excellent
Perceptive, thoughtful, logical, thorough. Well-written and well-organized. If only more books on the topic could be of this caliber. Some of the material has been updated in subsequent books.
Perceptive, thoughtful, logical, thorough. Well-written and well-organized. If only more books on the topic could be of this caliber. Some of the material has been updated in subsequent books.
November 1, 2020
While methodological issues prevent it from being a serious work of ufology, as literature it's compelling, and it does shine a light on the fraction of abduction schema Jacobs has decided to consider worth study.
November 18, 2021
It's fun reading about things I can't explain, but also if hypnosis of less than 100 people is the best evidence we have for alien abductions then things are too shaky for my liking. After the first third of the book I just wanted it to be over.
August 5, 2018
Curious about your ufo abductions ? Then this is one of many great reads on the topic !
April 18, 2021
If you’re looking for a spooky read about aliens this could be it.
It was spooky.
It was spooky.
Read
September 20, 2021Much more serious and intensely researched than I'd expected
March 14, 2023
Super interesting! Picked this up on a whim from a used book sale and I'm glad I did.
February 27, 2014
Whether you believe a word or not, David Jacobs does pose some interesting questions about the notion of alien abduction and cannot really be castigated for his fairly exhaustive research into a largely anecdotal phenomenon.
That said, the section of the book where he insists that the media/science fiction can't have had an influence on the abductees' stories (because there was no media/fiction which dealt explicitly with the notion of abduction in the public consciousness at the time that he began his hypnosis sessions with abductees in 1987) is flawed.
There was, in fact, at least one widely-seen American television movie which dealt explicitly with the notion of abduction ("The UFO Incident," based on the alleged Betty and Barney Hill abduction, which was broadcast by NBC in 1975 - a few weeks before the disappearance of Travis Walton, another notorious "abductee") as well as several episodes of the TV series "The Outer Limits" and Jack Webb's TV series "Project U.F.O." which ran for two seasons on NBC between 1978 and 1979.
John G. Fuller's best-selling account of the alleged Betty and Barney Hill abduction, "The Interrupted Journey" was also published in 1966 and Whitley Strieber's notoriously controversial best-seller "Communion" (which, more than any other book, popularised the notion of "the greys" with its arresting cover art-work) was published in 1987.
That said, the section of the book where he insists that the media/science fiction can't have had an influence on the abductees' stories (because there was no media/fiction which dealt explicitly with the notion of abduction in the public consciousness at the time that he began his hypnosis sessions with abductees in 1987) is flawed.
There was, in fact, at least one widely-seen American television movie which dealt explicitly with the notion of abduction ("The UFO Incident," based on the alleged Betty and Barney Hill abduction, which was broadcast by NBC in 1975 - a few weeks before the disappearance of Travis Walton, another notorious "abductee") as well as several episodes of the TV series "The Outer Limits" and Jack Webb's TV series "Project U.F.O." which ran for two seasons on NBC between 1978 and 1979.
John G. Fuller's best-selling account of the alleged Betty and Barney Hill abduction, "The Interrupted Journey" was also published in 1966 and Whitley Strieber's notoriously controversial best-seller "Communion" (which, more than any other book, popularised the notion of "the greys" with its arresting cover art-work) was published in 1987.
December 1, 2015
David Jacobs has given the world an organized, detailed, and interesting collection of his abduction research in Secret Life. It was certainly easier to follow and grasp than some other books written on the subject, written in easy to understand language, but conveying a vast array of topics and ideas, worthy of any other expert on the subject. I bought this book as a research tool, and although it certainly has his own opinions and ideas slanting the outcome of his research (as does any researcher), it is definitely a go-to book because of its organization and thoroughness. It's also just darn interesting.
UPDATE
Read for the second time one year later, and still a great book, especially for my purposes (research). The writing/language flows well and is easy to follow and well organized. Would be nice to have an updated book with more current research for Mr. Jacobs.
UPDATE
Read for the second time one year later, and still a great book, especially for my purposes (research). The writing/language flows well and is easy to follow and well organized. Would be nice to have an updated book with more current research for Mr. Jacobs.
February 27, 2014
This is one of the scariest books I've ever read. Raw and analytical to a fault, I had to put it down at points it was so simultaneously fascinating and terrifying. If this is really happening, it's more information and meaning than most people would easily absorb, but it absolutely needs to be known.
Previous review: That's right, I read crazy books. Why? Because normal books are boring and fiction is ridiculous. Who am I to argue with a PhD and Associate University Professor? They haven't stripped him of his credentials like Timothy Leary, so at least they don't think he's delusional. So far this is the most straight-forward and unflinching accounting of reports and transcripts I've ever read, except for maybe John E. Mack.
Previous review: That's right, I read crazy books. Why? Because normal books are boring and fiction is ridiculous. Who am I to argue with a PhD and Associate University Professor? They haven't stripped him of his credentials like Timothy Leary, so at least they don't think he's delusional. So far this is the most straight-forward and unflinching accounting of reports and transcripts I've ever read, except for maybe John E. Mack.
October 6, 2012
This book didn't illicit any feelings of creepy that anything involving alien abductions normally do. I did feel a tad bit unnerved by certain victims recollections but all in all this seemed very straightforward and read too much like a classroom textbook. This is not surprising since the writer is a professor at, the time this book was published, Temple University and did his doctoral thesis on this subject. That being said I would liked to have a little more creepy and a little less 9:15 class at Kent Hall. I guess I'll have to pop "The Human Centipede" in to get my creep fix than read this again!
May 21, 2016
When you need to parade your academic titles to gain credibility something is fishy. A PhD with no reference to the field and an M.D., again with no reference to the field, gang up to write about a very well known phenomenon, at least for the European side of the world: demonic possession and encounter. Only this time is with little green men made out of cheese or something like that.
This is a book that should be put under theology.
This is a book that should be put under theology.
April 15, 2009
Frightening! I read this for a college course called "UFOs in American Society" taught by the author of this book.
October 16, 2009
it's very strange but it fascinated me because what if it is true? pretty scary!
July 31, 2011
More Alien Abuductions, from the point of view of a scholarly believer.
June 4, 2015
An excellent analyses of alien abduction which surveys multiple cases and seeks to develop a guide to understanding the phenomenon.
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