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Talking to the Dead: Kate and Maggie Fox and the Rise of Spiritualism
A fascinating story of spirits and conjurors, skeptics and converts in the second half of nineteenth century America viewed through the lives of Kate and Maggie Fox, the sisters whose purported communication with the dead gave rise to the Spiritualism movement - and whose recanting forty years later is still shrouded in mystery.
In March of 1848, Kate and Maggie Fox - siste...more
In March of 1848, Kate and Maggie Fox - siste...more
Paperback, 324 pages
Published
March 29th 2005
by HarperOne
(first published 2004)
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An interesting look at the Spiritualist movement during the 19th century. The sisters, Leah, Maggie, and Kate, remain mysterious to me as they both validated their powers of mediumship for ages as doctors and others tried to debunk them, but also recanted their "powers" only to claim them again. The story of their life struck me as a sad one. I have to admit that I was puzzled by Leah and couldn't help but wonder if she didn't use her sisters, whether their gifts were actual or not, for her own...more
a truly captivating portrait of victorian girls who crossed a line & became famous for it. an interesting study of gender & the otherworldly.
This book is about the life and time of the Fox sisters, the women who sparked the Spiritualism movement (forgive if I get the terminology wrong--I'm doing this without notes, or text consultation in general. E-books are nice, but not very efficient when it comes to activities that one can take for granted with real books, such as quickly flipping through the text to verify half-remembered information.). The author began her research concentrating on the paranormal aspects of the story (were the...more
Oct 12, 2008
Sir Michael Röhm
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
feminist historians, spiritualists, new age enthusiasts
Spiritualism is one of the earliest uniquely American spiritual movements.
While today, with such high-profile 'mediums' (of often dubious legitimacy) such as Sylvia Browne and John Edwards, Spiritualism has become an ingrained part of American culture. Speaking to the dead is its own industry, with Browne alone churning out book after book that are eagerly purchased by her fans - it seems hard to believe that it wasn't always this way - but it was not.
Barbara Weisberg's book follows the often tr...more
While today, with such high-profile 'mediums' (of often dubious legitimacy) such as Sylvia Browne and John Edwards, Spiritualism has become an ingrained part of American culture. Speaking to the dead is its own industry, with Browne alone churning out book after book that are eagerly purchased by her fans - it seems hard to believe that it wasn't always this way - but it was not.
Barbara Weisberg's book follows the often tr...more
It's certainly probably just me, because so many people gave this book top ratings, but while the subject matter was quite interesting, I thought the presentation of it to be just kind of dull. The book runs along the lines of an introduction to Spiritualism (a phrase coined by Horace Greeley (147-148)) in the United States, starting with the Fox sisters, Kate and Maggie, in the late 1840s. It is the author's thought that starting with these two and their experiences with spirit rapping from the...more
So I was meandering past the nonexistent paranormal sciences section of my local library, and I spotted Talking To The Dead. Kate and Maggie (and Leah) Fox are names that get tossed around all the time in books on the paranormal. They were the so-called founders of the Spiritualist movement, and two of the very few mediums of the time never to have been exposed as frauds. They really did bring the Spiritualist movement into the public eye after strange rappings were first heard in their childhoo...more
The author of the book doesn't take a stand on whether the Fox sisters were frauds or not. Or, rather, she postulates a handful of different scenarios as to the level of fraud they perpetrated. At first this really irritated me -- I wanted an *answer*. But over the course of the book I grew to accept and then appreciate what Weisberg is trying to say. We *can't* know what Maggie and Kate Fox meant to do, not at this late date. All we have is what they said and what others said about them.
The Fox...more
The Fox...more
Whether they were real or a hoax, this book is a fascinating read. Spiritualism was popular during the 1800s and many famous people such as Mary Lincoln followed the movement. I was amazed to read how many followers they had.
May 16, 2010
Christy B (Readin' and Dreamin')
marked it as wish-list
After reading Captivity I'm interested in finding out more about these girls.
Something I'd like to read again. Lots of history and information about the rise of spiritualism. If you like ghost stories and the unknown, I recommend it.
I'm a sucker for paranormal history, so I found the story of the Fox sisters and spiritualism very interesting. Was it a hoax or not? :)
Research purposes only for my upcoming book...it had some insight on the daily night prayers we say.
Interesting..... but not enough to finish to the end....
I love the history in this book. Very interesting.
I must admit that this book took me way longer to read than it should, which didn't help in my enjoyment since I was away from it for long periods of time.
It is a historical account of the Fox sisters and how they pushed the spiritualism movement forward. At times there is a bit too much history involved to keep the story moving, but I was fascinated by how America was torn in believing of an after-life.
Overall the book is very good and very factual, and once I really got into reading it I truly...more
It is a historical account of the Fox sisters and how they pushed the spiritualism movement forward. At times there is a bit too much history involved to keep the story moving, but I was fascinated by how America was torn in believing of an after-life.
Overall the book is very good and very factual, and once I really got into reading it I truly...more
I was very excited to read this book - I was very interested in the beginnings of Spiritualism, and the story of the Fox sisters. And I definitely got that from this book. But, for some reason, it was a rather dull read. I can't put my finger on exactly why, I just didn't find myself being really drawn into it or engaged with the people it was about. The information it gave was good though, if you are like me with not much prior knowledge of the subject this isn't a bad place to start.
This is an incredibly interesting book. Rich with historical detail, yet well-written. It made me become more eager to investigate the spiritualist movement and how it became a nationwide craze following the tragedies of the Civil War, in which nearly every family in America lost a relative. It also talks a lot about the role of women in post-Civil War life and how they became powerful vessels in spiritualism yet were considered "weak" and "ill" in regular life.
Mar 10, 2008
Rebekah
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who love ghost stories, feminism, tales of invention
Recommended to Rebekah by:
found on paperbackswap.com
This was a great book tying in the story of the Fox sisters and the changes going all around them in America and the world at large at the time. It was wonderfully told, making great connections, and left me a little heartbroken at the end that the girls didn't have a terribly satisfying life, despite their fame and/or notoriety.
Interesting subject, utterly dull execution. I was so excited to read this and it took me over two months to slog through it. Far too many stories about people the Fox sisters encountered that didn't serve to enhance the narrative. Hopefully someone soon will write a better book on these fascinating women.
[pass-along Mom Jun 2006]
A retelling of Kate & Maggie Fox's experiences with a good chunk of historical & social background provided, starting in the 1840's Upstate New York, thru the late 1880's in NYC and London.
I'm pretty much a skeptic on this topic, but found the story fairly interesting.
A retelling of Kate & Maggie Fox's experiences with a good chunk of historical & social background provided, starting in the 1840's Upstate New York, thru the late 1880's in NYC and London.
I'm pretty much a skeptic on this topic, but found the story fairly interesting.
This is the Story of the Fox Sisters and 19th Century Spiritualism. Whether you are a believer or not, the story is fascinating. Seances, rappings, tabletiltings, talking to departed loved ones- it was all popular during the era. Was it a hoax or not? You decide...
so well-researched it hurts. we believe you already. they were talking to the dead. no need to haunt me! peace, rapping dead folks. no need to haunt me.
Interesting topic, not interestingly-written. Maybe it would have been better as a long article instead of a whole book.
An interesting subject, but I found the book to be rather boring.
May 17, 2013
Karen
marked it as to-read
May 12, 2013
Nellie Kampmann
marked it as to-read
May 12, 2013
Amelia Mangan
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2013
Clara Riggs
marked it as to-read
May 09, 2013
Slay Belle
marked it as to-read
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Nov 02, 2007 09:47am