Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £4.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £4.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
"The Exorcist", a 1973 movie about a twelve-year-old girl possessed by the Devil, frightened people more than any horror film ever did. Many moviegoers sought therapy to rid themselves of fears they could not explain. Psychiatrists coined the term "cinematic neurosis" for patients who left the movie feeling a terrifying presence of demons. At the Washington premiere, a young woman stood outside the theater, trembling. "I come out here in the sunlight," she said, "and I see people's eyes, and they frighten me."Among the few moviegoers unmoved by the horror were two priests, Father William S. Bowdern and Father Walter Halloran, members of the Jesuit community at St. Louis University. "Billy came out shaking his head about the little girl bouncing on the bed and urinating on the crucifix," Halloran remembers. "He was kind of angry. 'There is a good message that can be given by this thing,' he said. The message was the fact that evil spirits operate in our world."Bowdern and Halloran knew that the movie was fictional veneer masking a terrible reality. Night after night in March and April 1949, Bowdern had been an exorcist, with Halloran assisting. Bowdern fervently believed that he had driven a demon from a tormented soul. The victim had been a thirteen-year-old boy strangely lured to St. Louis from a Maryland suburb of Washington. Bowdern's exorcism had been the inspiration for the movie.The true story of this possession, told in Possessed, is based on a diary kept by a Jesuit priest assisting Father Bowdern. The diary, the most complete account of an exorcism since the Middle Ages, is published for the first time in this revised edition of Possessed.
About the Author
THOMAS B. ALLEN is author or co-author of 18 books, including Spy Book, which was co-authored with Norman Polmar. Formerly Associate Chief of the National Geographic Society's Book Service, he is a frequent contributor to National Geographic Magazine. His writings range from military subjects to natural history, including Vanishing Wildlife of North America, published by the National Geographic Society. He is the author of The Blue and the Gray, a history of the Civil War published by the Geographic, and the co-author, with Norman Polmar, of Spy Book: The Encyclopedia of Espionage and World War II: America at War 1941-1945.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I must say that it's one of the best books I've read on the subject (exorcism). It's a diary-like book that grips you with the feeling of authenticy. It's a must for those who have seen the movie "The Exorcist" - this is the true story behind the feature. It describes the anguish of a family. The only child (a boy) in the family suddenly becomes the focus of supernatural forces. Read it... I recommend it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read this because I wanted a decent account of the true story on which The Exorcist was based, and that's what I got. The author is very plain about his sources, and how he has used them to write his book. The key source is a diary-like manuscript, recording the exorcism process (which lasted quite some time).
The full manuscript is reproduced in the book, and when I came to read it (having already read the main story), it was very obvious that the main narrative of the book is little more than an embellished, fleshed-out version of the manuscript. I suppose this was to be expected, and undoubtedly the author's embellishments add value, but if you are just mildly curious (rather than seriously interested) it is not neccessary to read both, and just reading the manuscript itself will satisfy your curiosity much faster than reading the bulk of the book, whilst also leaving you freer to draw your own conclusions.
While not a fantastic piece of writing, this book is unique, and as such has no competitors against which to be judged: it does what it says on the tin, and you are either interested in the contents, or you aren't. If you ARE interested, then I recommend this book without reservation.
The full manuscript is reproduced in the book, and when I came to read it (having already read the main story), it was very obvious that the main narrative of the book is little more than an embellished, fleshed-out version of the manuscript. I suppose this was to be expected, and undoubtedly the author's embellishments add value, but if you are just mildly curious (rather than seriously interested) it is not neccessary to read both, and just reading the manuscript itself will satisfy your curiosity much faster than reading the bulk of the book, whilst also leaving you freer to draw your own conclusions.
While not a fantastic piece of writing, this book is unique, and as such has no competitors against which to be judged: it does what it says on the tin, and you are either interested in the contents, or you aren't. If you ARE interested, then I recommend this book without reservation.
Format:Paperback
I read Thomas B Allens's 'Possession' and A J Ryder's 'Book Of Trinity' back to back. Both challenge everything we believe to be the truth. I am so glad I got to read both books in quick succession to each other. They are extremely informative and positivley spine-chilling.
I highly recommend you read both.
I highly recommend you read both.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good read
good read. highly informative and simply written. However, there were some parts of the book where i felt the writer was going on a little. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Goddess110
If you like the Exorcist you love this
When i started reading this book I could not put it down. It amazing that it is all true, which makes the reader more uneasy will reading it, the hair on your neck stands up.
Published on 17 May 2003
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Religious History > Christianity
- Books > Mind, Body & Spirit
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Church History
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Church Institutions & Organizations
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Clergy > Sermons
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Occult > Unexplained Mysteries
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
