Opposing Viewpoints Series - Paranormal Phenomena (hardcover edition)

From School Library Journal Grade 7 Up-Twelve years after the compilation Paranormal Phenomena (Greenhaven, 1991; o.p.), edited by Terry O'Neill, there are still no definitive answers. Four chapters of four to six essays each offer opinions on the reality of ghosts, psychic ability, extraterrestrial life, UFOs, near-death experiences, reincarnation, and changing concepts of eternal life. Each essay is preceded by an introduction, which poses questions to be answered in the article. Deeper analysis of two or three articles from each chapter is encouraged in a "For Further Discussion" section. Each chapter ends with a targeted periodical bibliography, and an appended bibliography of recent titles supplements ideas presented in the text. A section that presents full contact information and descriptions of the purposes and activities of 17 U.S.-based organizations is new to this edition. Some are strongly interested in proving specific areas of paranormal phenomena while others are skeptical investigators or avowed debunkers. O'Neill's book includes a few more essays touching on spirit channeling, astrology, and the predictions of Nostradamus. No essays are duplicated in the two volumes. Rather than superceding the earlier book, Williams's compilation offers supplementary information to the ongoing discussion.