They are already here UFO culture and why we see saucers

Sarah Scoles

Book - 2020

"In They Are Already Here we meet the bigwigs, the scrappy upstarts, the field investigators, the rational people, and the unhinged kooks of this sprawling community. How do they interact with each other? How do they interact with "anomalous phenomena"? And how do they (as any group must) reflect the politics and culture of the larger world around them? We will travel along the Extraterrestrial Highway (next to Area 51) and visit the UFO Watchtower, where seeking lights in the sky is more of a spiritual quest than a "gotcha" one. We meet someone who, for a while believes they may have communicated with aliens. Where do these alleged encounters stem from? What are the emotional effects on the experiencers?"--Ama...zon.com.

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Subjects
Published
New York : Pegasus Books 2020.
Language
English
Main Author
Sarah Scoles (author)
Edition
First Pegasus books edition
Physical Description
248 pages ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 231-240) and index.
ISBN
9781643133058
  • 1. Da Vinci's Garage Door Opener
  • 2. The Politics Of The UFO Congress
  • 3. The Black Vault Versus The Rock Star
  • 4. The Government's Closet
  • 5. The Patron Saint, Or Something, Of Saucers
  • 6. The Mutually Supportive Mutual UFO Network
  • 7. Riding The Extraterrestrial Hypothesis Highway Into Area 51
  • 8. The Moguls Of Roswell, New Mexico
  • 9. To The Stars Above Telescope Towns
  • 10. All Along The UFO Watchtower
  • 11. It Was Always You
  • Acknowledgments
  • Selected References
  • Index
Review by Booklist Review

In They Are Already Here, science writer Scoles (Making Contact, 2017) turns her attention not to UFOs but to the people obsessed with them: believers, skeptics, and open-minded explorers. Intrigued by the recent revelation that the U.S. government has been studying UFOs, she set out to understand why some people are willing to believe outlandish explanations for mysterious occurrences and why others are completely closed to the idea. She recounts her experiences exploring and interacting with various UFO communities and organizations. Readers meet people from across the spectrum of belief and hear their perspectives. Scoles also offers a concise history of UFO phenomena in the United States, and examines how some of the most compelling UFO myths were born. It's a fascinating journey; the depth of her research is impressive and her curiosity is infectious. At times the author tries too hard to clarify her own position, which, though her honesty is appreciated, occasionally steals focus from the people she examines. Overall, it's a fun and insightful book.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Inspired by the U.S. government's acknowledgment of a program to investigate UFO encounters, science writer Scoles (Making Contact) delivers a nonjudgmental, level-headed look at a long-lasting societal phenomenon. Tracing it all back to 1947, when Kenneth Arnold of Yakima, Wash., reported seeing nine flying (though not saucer-shaped) objects, Scoles discusses previously classified government records (some with entire chapters still redacted) and visits two sites pivotal to UFO lore: Area 51 in the Nevada desert, a highly guarded Air Force facility known for its secrecy and testing of new military technology; and Roswell, N.Mex., alleged site of a UFO crash. In interviewing self-appointed UFO investigators, Scoles encounters her share of "unhinged conspiracy theorists" but also meets "logical, dedicated, skeptical" people not unlike journalists such as herself. She also concludes that the government's inconsistent and murky answers to questions about UFOs haven't done it any favors. More general insights into the mercurial quality of memory and belief add considerable heft to this take on an admittedly well-worn topic. Through it all, Scoles remains an open-minded skeptic, and it's this objectivity that makes her buoyant survey so delightful to read. Agent: Zoe Sandler, ICM (Mar.)

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