Holy Ghosts

Or How a (Not-so) Good Catholic Boy Became a Believer in Things that Go Bump in the Night

By: Gary Jansen

Narrated by: Gary Jansen

Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

In this extraordinary true story, the haunting of a Long Island household forces a respected writer and editor to reevaluate the mysteries of life and death as he struggles with the frightening truths of his childhood home and his town’s past. Growing up in Rockville Centre, Long Island, Gary Jansen never believed in ghosts. His mother—a devoutly Catholic woman with a keen sense for the uncanny—claimed that their family house was haunted. But Jansen never found anything inexplicable in how their doorbell would sometimes ring of its own accord or in the mysterious sounds of footsteps or breaking glass that occasionally would fill their home - or even in his mother’s sometimes unnervingly accurate visions of future events and tragedies. Though he once experienced a supernatural encounter in a Prague church as a young man, Jansen grew up into a rationalist, as well as a noted writer and editor.

In 2001 Jansen moved back into the very same house where he had once grown up, to raise a family with his wife. In 2007 he encountered a frightening, full-blown haunting in his home. This was the first episode of a phenomenon that lasted a full year and eventually included unveiling the identities of the spirits who occupied his house, reliving a tragic murder in his hometown, encountering mind-boggling coincidences between local history and episodes in his household; and finally—with the help of Mary Ann Winkowski, the real-life inspiration for TV’s Ghost Whisperer—ridding his house of these uninvited visitors.

Holy Ghosts is not only a gripping true-life ghost story, but a wry and touching memoir, as well as a meditation on the relationship between religion and the paranormal, which are often considered at odds, but which the author shows are intimately linked.

©2010 Gary Jansen (P)2010 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

“ Holy Ghosts took me into a completely convincing but very different version of reality from the one we live in. It serves as a forceful and fascinating reminder that we do not see the world that is, but only the part we have chosen to see. There are dangers and wonders in the dark, and Holy Ghosts affirms that they are very real.” (Whitley Strieber, author of Communion and The Omega Point)

Entertaining read for the money.

I didn't have high hopes for the book. It was an enjoyable read. I don't regret buying it. I reccomend it.

Excellent Read

i so enjoyed this book and hope the author writes more. i am catholic and learned a lot and actually am inspired to pray more and watch my words.

Listened Twice

I really enjoyed this book. It was very informative in the Catholic aspect and ghosts. Very entertaining and educational. After reading this I had an ah-hah moment where I finally understood the very existence of the supernatural.

Genuinely Surprised...

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

I gotta tell you. I was looking for a book to creep me out a little. Sometimes that's the "shot in the arm" that I need to get through some days. But this is just not one of those books. Notwithstanding, it's wonderful. The conclusions Jansen draws from his paranormal experiences are faith-promoting, that perhaps in a terribly busy world inundated with routine and monotony, a haunting is perhaps the means through which he might be a believing person. I just think that's beautiful. It's not a black and white concept that many religious people would accept, that a haunting would be a growing opportunity rather than a unfortunate event to be feared. Given that it isn't what I was expecting in any sense, in tone or in message, I give this five stars and whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone.

Spooky

Would you consider the audio edition of Holy Ghosts to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version so I cannot say if it was better or not.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The story was a first person account of events so there was only the one character. He was believable though and I enjoyed his account.

What about Gary Jansen’s performance did you like?

His voice is quite good for narration and he made the story both believable and enjoyable even though it was spooky.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, sorry.

A Ghost story from a Catholic perspective

I really enjoyed listening to this book. It tells a good story and the narrator does an excellent job.
Concerning the experiences the author tells I'd have recommend him to contact a Traditional Catholic priest to perform a blessing over the house and to have Masses offered for these souls.

Open to everything

A great read for this time of year, it seats well with winter and it's long and cold days.

The book is well written and narrated. It gripped me since the 1st chapter. The pace was perfect since there is no need for it to be fast so it creates the perfect atmosphere.

I'm also a Catholic and I too can related to Gary Jansen's experiences. We are all looking for answers.
Even if we have to resort to methods a bit out of the box to get the answers, It is all for a good cause.

oh...btw way best moment in the book: "Im on to you"


Recommended 100%

freeing

Yes, Christians can see ghosts and they are not going to hell for it. I enjoyed this book very much. It was simple without all the gadgets, well told and also made me laugh out loud. It is not a how to (speak to ghosts ) but it is a how not to ( be afraid ).

A nice surprise

Would you consider the audio edition of Holy Ghosts to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The narrator, I suppose.

Have you listened to any of Gary Jansen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Entertaining but the only performance by the narrator I have heard.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, I laughed out loud and got tears at the end when I was reminded of my dad.

Any additional comments?

Very nice, Great fun

If you could sum up Holy Ghosts in three words, what would they be?

Very nice story

What other book might you compare Holy Ghosts to and why?

None

Which character – as performed by Gary Jansen – was your favorite?

Himself

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I got a few laughs.

Any additional comments?

Mr. Jansen writes and tells a good story. I read the book a few years ago, but I was in the mood for that kind of book, and I wanted to see how it would feel to hear it read to me. I did enjoy it.