A Life with Ghosts: Paranormal Book Review

I have been a fan of the paranormal ever since I was a kid and marveled at the unknown and the potential of what was out there. Forget aliens, UFOs, or, rather, UAPs. No, ghosts were more in my wheelhouse at the time, and the fascination with them bordered on obsession. I remember being a youngling and trying to “conjure” up spirits simply by turning off the lights in my bedroom and asking no one in particular, “Is anyone here?” Silently, I waited for a response, and of course, there never was one. It wasn’t until years later that I upgraded my ghost-hunting techniques to include a tape recorder. Yes, a tape recorder, not a digital one as I was not yet able to afford one. The tape recorder made no difference as I would sit and listen, sometimes for almost an hour, to nothing but the hiss of the recorder and dead silence. These ghosts were either rude or just weren’t there.

Eventually, I moved on to another means of communication – the Ouija Board. Here, I had more success in communicating with spirits. The Ouija board was a godsend and communication with spirits was rampant and non-stop. They would gabble, gabble, and talk so much that we had numerous sessions and had even a notebook with transcribed notes. Notes I wish I still had. Still, it wasn’t until we contacted the ruthless and terrifying ghost of Tony Mama that I knew that my older cousins had something to do with the board moving. That may have been the first time I began to question the existence of ghosts. Despite this, my fascination with the paranormal remained. 

In 2004, when I was still in college, the Sci-Fi Channel (SyFy) launched a new series titled, Ghost Hunters. How cool is that? I thought. A show about a couple of normal people people in search of ghosts! Of course, it wasn’t until I saw the show that the schtick of T.A.P.S. (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) was to debunk purported hauntings which, if I am being honest, is noble as they sought out the root cause of what some may believe to be a haunting. This dispelled a lot of stories and legends in some instances. Yet, they still wanted definitive proof of the paranormal as does anyone who questions their existence even though I think that the fact that there are groups who claim to believe in ghosts still want that elusive proof is somewhat of a conundrum. 

Eventually, the allure of Ghost Hunters wore very thin and I stopped watching. It was more of the same and eventually what intrigued me was the personalities on the show. The investigations themselves, for the most part, were the same. Nothing happens for the entirety of the episode then, at the end, T.A.P.S. either debunks claims or presents clients with an EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) that is more or less inaudible until you read the subtitle at which point what is being said is more or less coerced. I outgrew Ghost Hunters.

When I saw that one of its team members, Steve Gonsalves, put out a book, it piqued my interest. Steve was whom I considered the “cool cat” of the group and his demeanor and vibes were reminiscent of my own. For this reason alone, I was interested in giving his book, “A Life With Ghosts,” a read. I was excited when I read his introduction to the book where I learned that, in addition to being interested in the paranormal, Gonsalves is also a fan of horror movies. He describes watching The Entity and Poltergeist, and discovering that there are scientists who study the paranormal, much like the Ghostbusters. I too remember being fascinated by this and I remember looking up the term, parapsychology.

par·a·psy·chol·o·gy

/ˌperəˌsīˈkäləjē/

noun

1. the study of mental phenomena which are excluded from or inexplicable by orthodox scientific psychology (such as hypnosis, telepathy, etc.).

Yup, I want to do this! Of course, that never happened but I too was part of a paranormal team here where I live in the Hudson Valley, NY. It was great but I wasn’t investigating haunted locations but, rather, documenting various groups in the area in the form of a web show entitled Paranormal Valley. Yes, the production company wanted to ride the wave that Ghost Hunters started. That didn’t happen but I had some of the best times of my life being part of that crew. We had access to places that we would otherwise would not have had. Before Paranormal Valley, I “investigated” on my own with my own tape recorder, digital thermometer, and EMF (Electromagnetic Magnetic Field) detector.

Did I know exactly what an EMF detector was? Nope. But, I did know that if I pointed the sensor in a specific direction prompting the device to light up and beep, then there must be a ghost nearby! Not exactly, but it’s what I wanted (hoped) to believe. An EMF detector detects energy. Could it be energy emitting from a supernatural presence? Sure, it’s possible. But, we live in an energy-filled environment with electricity, powerlines, televisions, cell phones, air conditioners, etc. You name it and chances are, there is a source of energy nearby. Yeah but what about in a cemetery or someplace isolated? I can’t answer that but my first reaction is not to attribute the phenomenon to be supernatural and simply attribute it to some sort of powerline nearby, perhaps even underground.

Like Gonsalves, I too had this deep calling to the supernatural, and for a long time, I wanted to make a career out of it. How? I had no idea and so I put that idea to rest and let it live only as a hobby and what some might consider a morbid curiosity. I was ok with this. Believe it or not, unlike Gonsalves who says that he was ridiculed for his interest in the subject before his success with Ghost Hunters of course, most people in my circle showed interest in the subject and, at the time, genuinely believed in the paranormal or were open to the possibility of its existence. At one point in the book, Gonsalves talked, emphatically, about the Warrens and how they were the authority in the paranormal at the time. I could not deny this and they were the go-to couple in this subject matter and I too at one point in my life devoured their books and stories of demons and ghosts. They were rock stars, and to some, they still are. I have a different perspective on the famed couple that I will not divulge on here but let’s just say that Gonsalves and I will agree to disagree.

I have to say that after reading the introduction the book was, more or less, a greatest hits of his favorite Ghost Hunters episodes where he would give its readers a few behind-the-scenes anecdotes and his feelings about what was going on in his head at the time of the said episode, primarily, when pulling up to any of these massive structures, such as Alcatraz. Here, he tells the tale of “the birdman” who is said to haunt the place but the only “evidence” he leaves with is a phantom smell that he could not explain. It was the same in Tombstone where he marveled at the location and, again, compared it to another horror film. Nothing happens here as well but, the tale he tells about what he encounters after the investigation is by far the creepiest and scariest thing that happens in this book because it is all too real and had nothing to do with the paranormal. Then, there was the case of the “fleeting ghost” in St. Augustine, FL in which I saw the episode that he discusses and there is no way in hell that I bought it when I saw the episode, and my feelings remain the same after Gonsalves touched on it. That, to me, was faked, big time.

On many occasions, seemingly every chapter, Gonsalves expressed his feelings upon first seeing a new site like a little boy screaming with excitement. At this, he kept referring to how this place or that place reminded him of a particular horror movie. While I enjoyed this aspect, initially, it, became a bit annoying after the umpteenth time he did it. I got it, you’re a horror fan! While I appreciated the references, I am sure there is a slew of people who are not horror film aficionados and will not get the references.

All in all, I hate to say it but I was not impressed with this book and the rest of the book did not live up to the book’s introduction. It led me to such anticipation going forward only to fall flat aside from the story after the Tombstone investigation. This brought me back into the book but only to be brought back down in the following chapter and the remainder of the book. I applaud Gonsalves for his time and tenure in the Ghost Hunters series and for making a career out of ghost hunting, a feat that many have tried to duplicate, and his stab at writing this book but I cannot say that I was impressed and I cannot see myself reading any more books from this bunch unless it is a tell-all. What can I say, I like spiciness!