Phenomena

The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis

De: Annie Jacobsen

Narrado por: Annie Jacobsen

The definitive history of the military's decades-long investigation into mental powers and phenomena, from the author of Pulitzer Prize finalist The Pentagon's Brain and international best seller Area 51.

This is a book about a team of scientists and psychics with top secret clearances.

For more than 40 years, the US government has researched extrasensory perception, using it in attempts to locate hostages, fugitives, secret bases, and downed fighter jets, to divine other nations' secrets, and even to predict future threats to national security. The intelligence agencies and military services involved include CIA, DIA, NSA, DEA, the navy, air force, and army - and even the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Now, for the first time, New York Times best-selling author Annie Jacobsen tells the story of these radical, controversial programs using never before seen declassified documents as well as exclusive interviews with, and unprecedented access to, more than 50 of the individuals involved. Speaking on the record, many for the first time, are former CIA and Defense Department scientists, analysts, and program managers as well as the government psychics themselves.

Who did the US government hire for these top secret programs, and how do they explain their military and intelligence work? How do scientists approach such enigmatic subject matter? What interested the government in these supposed powers, and does the research continue? Phenomena is a riveting investigation into how far governments will go in the name of national security.

©2017 Annie Jacobsen (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"As comprehensive as it is critical, this latest expose from Jacobsen is perhaps her most important work to date...Jacobsen persuasively shows that it in fact happened and aptly frames the dilemma.... Rife with hypocrisy, lies, and deceit, Jacobsen's story explores a conveniently overlooked bit of history." ( Publishers Weekly)

"With Phenomena, Annie Jacobsen has once again produced an utterly absorbing and brilliantly reported chronicle that truly breaks new ground. This is a boundary-breaking story of mental phenomena - extra sensory perception techniques - that is truly a pleasure to read. A mind-bending triumph!" (Alex Kershaw, best-selling author of The Liberator and Avenue of Spies)

"Chilling, compelling, and comprehensive accounting...Jacobsen's impressive book plumbs the dark depths of this postwar recruiting and shows the historical truths behind the space race and postwar US dominance. Highly recommended for readers in World War II history, espionage, government cover-ups, or the Cold War." ( Library Journal)

Interesting investigation, not Jacobsen's best

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book even though it took me a long time to finish. I was aware of the US governments research into ESP but this book went to another level of research. The author did a good job maintaining an objective narrative, not openly trying to sway the reader either way. This book was just a detailed review of the facts of US governments ESP programs. However, the greatest let down about this book compared to Jacobsen's other books is that unlike in her other books, there is no real definitive evidence that the research topic really exists. This hasn't been a problem in Jacobsen's other books as they are about well defined topics or institutions which have become declassified. This book follows that general narrative but the topic itself is up for debate, not only by the reader but the people involved in the story itself with testimony by former remote viewers, physics, magicians, scientists, and government officials. Some of which are true believers, some are confidence men/women, and some skeptics. If you are a fan of Jacobsen, interested in ESP, or a fan of detailed investigations of declassified programs, this is a good addition to your library.

Kept me riveted

This has to be a very difficult topic to write about. Not only because of the controversial nature of the subject matter, but also because many of the people that have invested their energy and resources into investigating these phenomena are quite eccentric.

I am very skeptical of any person that claims to have these abilities. At the same time, I know that people have these experiences and a rare few seem to be able to manipulate their abilities to harness a measure of control over them.

When I was 13, I had a dream with very strange imagery. I woke up in the middle of the dream. It was no big deal to me at the time. Just weird. I only remembered it because what was going on in the dream was so bizarre. 3 weeks later; the exact lighting, positioning, objects, persons and sequence of events in the dream came to life right before my eyes.

It was a practice session for a school play. The weird imagery was a classmate playing with a prop. That we would even be having a school play at all had only been announced the week before our class began the practice session. The dream happened 2 weeks before the announcement was ever made.

My heart jumped. I immediately recognized what was going on. I never talked to anyone about it for years and nothing like that has ever happened to me since then.

Years later, when I talked about the dream with my closest confidants; I found that people either did not believe me or they searched for ways to discount what I saw as mere coincidence.

Coincidence? Confirmation bias? From the exact same images doing the exact same things from the same point of view? These passionate assertions were absolutely ridiculous to me.

Like some of the people that were interviewed in the book - I learned that exposing something like this about yourself carries the risk of being labeled a liar or a quack.

I thought this book was very engaging. The never ending battle between people that will accept anything to believe in this vs people that will do anything to deny it was well highlighted in this work. Both sides get in the way of objective research, in my opinion. Yet both sides fuel the research.

Being that science has yet to identify what our consciousness is and how we come to have it; it seems a bit of an overreaction that phenomena of this type are thoroughly dismissed by so many in the scientific community. It was great to see that some scientists have taken a serious and objective approach to studying this subject matter

I have always viewed my quirky little dream as a gift. It is mine alone. Nobody else needs to believe it. It has been a great source of comfort in my life. It has literally been a cheat-sheet for the way that I approach my life. I wish that everybody could have a similar experience.

Many thanks to the author.

P.S. - Even for those of us that would not be born for years after 1969 - the moon landings provide an incalculable level of inspiration.

she reads facts without added BS

sexy voice reading facts. right from black and white documentation. I know its true now.

Jacobsen Nails It Again

The authors research techniques leave no stone unturned, revealing the pentagon's project to explore the mind.

Great book and audiobook

The story is told in an engaging way by following historical figures in the subject as protagonists and examining their personal situations during periods of note. The third person perspective feels a little like remote viewing, which is appropriate. Appreciate the attention to details and citation of documents. Very good narration too!

Great story, mediocre narration

This is a really interesting dive into the subject but would've been better served by a professional narrator. The author speaks in a slow manner, sometimes offering awkward breaks in sentences. I recommend upping the playback speed to help things a bit.

Annie always delivers!

I really enjoyed listening to every minute of this book. The Whole subject is fascinating!
Can wait to listen to another one of her books!

Another incredible feat

Another incredible feat by Annie Jacobsen. I have listed to all of them and they are all important for documentaries.

Fabulous research - odd topic

Annie is one of the best researchers whose work I’ve had the pleasure of reading (or listening to). While this topic is a bit off her normal realm in some ways, she attacks it with conviction and convincingly. Very well read as always. Recommended.

Outstanding and fascinating historical work!

This book was so interesting I couldn't put it down! Having an interest in the topic, there were so many areas of Jacobsen's research where I thought I was well versed but ending up learning so much more! The details on the US remote viewing program for one, was so diligent. The interviews with the viewers themselves, and learning about the politics of the program, well beyond what one might consider the tensions to be. This book is a thorough historical work and a must read for anyone interested in the US defense department or psychic phenomena. Thank you, Annie Jacobsen, great read!