TITLE: A Haunted History of Invisible Women
AUTHOR: Leanna Renee Hieber & Andrea Janes
PUBLISHER: Citadel Press
ISBN: 9780806541587
PODCAST EPISODE: Coming soon
REVIEWER: Hilary Wilson
A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America’s Ghosts by Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes was released in September 2022 by Citadel Press. Both Hieber and Janes have a history in the ghost tour industry, as well as a gift for storytelling. Merging the historical and fantastical, they retell some of the best-known tales of female ghosts in America along with insightful context and analysis.
Admittedly, any time a collection of ghost stories is published, the inevitable question asked is whether or not they are in fact real. The liminal quality of ghost stories is something that looms large in each chapter of this book. While each chapter does tell the stories the way they are commonly told within the ghost tours they feature in, the stories are analyzed after the fact. Mistruths and misconceptions are brought to light, as well as the reasons such misconceptions are commonly accepted as truth. Every chapter seeks to answer the question why these stories still resonate with the public, and what that in turn tells us about how the public interacts with the world around them.
Which brings us to the question again: are ghosts real? Hieber and Janes aren’t telling the reader whether or not they believe, as they both agree that belief is largely irrelevant to the matter itself. The fact is that many people do believe, and even non-believers still love a good ghost story. The stories, when viewed in the context in which they originated and now run rampant, reflect larger belief patterns across society at large. While this is true of all ghost stories, when the stories are being told about women in particular, there are far larger forces at play.
The book is divided into sections which highlight various tropes. The virginal maiden; witches, mothers, and wives; and madwomen to name but a few. The book also has a section upon known frauds - which I found particularly fascinating, as it included the history of one actress who made a living out of pretending to be the apparition of Katie King for a time. How did she feel about that fakery? How must have it been for her, putting on a play after being exposed to turn the narrative in her favor to make money from the disgrace?
There is a tendency, in the telling of stories focused upon female ghosts, to cast them as forever tragic figures. This book does an excellent job showing that there are other stories that could be told. Some of them are tragic, yes, but so many of them are empowering. Even the story of Sarah Winchester, commonly cast as a madwoman trying to escape the ghosts of all those killed by her husband’s repeating gun, can be seen in a new light. She wanted to be an architect, and the sprawling Mystery House shows those signs of her toying and experimenting, ever expanding as new interests delighted her.
This is a book of ghost stories, yes, and sometimes the truth behind the tales further emphasizes how invisible and unknowable the woman is. The common argument that these stories are entertainment only does them a disservice: the stories can entertain while also informing, and allowing us to view the past is a more nuanced and curious way. This book is a must-read for everyone interested in a more nuanced look at women through history – you never know what ghosts you might find.
AUTHOR: Leanna Renee Hieber & Andrea Janes
PUBLISHER: Citadel Press
ISBN: 9780806541587
PODCAST EPISODE: Coming soon
REVIEWER: Hilary Wilson
A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America’s Ghosts by Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes was released in September 2022 by Citadel Press. Both Hieber and Janes have a history in the ghost tour industry, as well as a gift for storytelling. Merging the historical and fantastical, they retell some of the best-known tales of female ghosts in America along with insightful context and analysis.
Admittedly, any time a collection of ghost stories is published, the inevitable question asked is whether or not they are in fact real. The liminal quality of ghost stories is something that looms large in each chapter of this book. While each chapter does tell the stories the way they are commonly told within the ghost tours they feature in, the stories are analyzed after the fact. Mistruths and misconceptions are brought to light, as well as the reasons such misconceptions are commonly accepted as truth. Every chapter seeks to answer the question why these stories still resonate with the public, and what that in turn tells us about how the public interacts with the world around them.
Which brings us to the question again: are ghosts real? Hieber and Janes aren’t telling the reader whether or not they believe, as they both agree that belief is largely irrelevant to the matter itself. The fact is that many people do believe, and even non-believers still love a good ghost story. The stories, when viewed in the context in which they originated and now run rampant, reflect larger belief patterns across society at large. While this is true of all ghost stories, when the stories are being told about women in particular, there are far larger forces at play.
The book is divided into sections which highlight various tropes. The virginal maiden; witches, mothers, and wives; and madwomen to name but a few. The book also has a section upon known frauds - which I found particularly fascinating, as it included the history of one actress who made a living out of pretending to be the apparition of Katie King for a time. How did she feel about that fakery? How must have it been for her, putting on a play after being exposed to turn the narrative in her favor to make money from the disgrace?
There is a tendency, in the telling of stories focused upon female ghosts, to cast them as forever tragic figures. This book does an excellent job showing that there are other stories that could be told. Some of them are tragic, yes, but so many of them are empowering. Even the story of Sarah Winchester, commonly cast as a madwoman trying to escape the ghosts of all those killed by her husband’s repeating gun, can be seen in a new light. She wanted to be an architect, and the sprawling Mystery House shows those signs of her toying and experimenting, ever expanding as new interests delighted her.
This is a book of ghost stories, yes, and sometimes the truth behind the tales further emphasizes how invisible and unknowable the woman is. The common argument that these stories are entertainment only does them a disservice: the stories can entertain while also informing, and allowing us to view the past is a more nuanced and curious way. This book is a must-read for everyone interested in a more nuanced look at women through history – you never know what ghosts you might find.