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48th out of 334 books
—
78 voters
Giving Up the Ghost: A Story About Friendship, 80s Rock, a Lost Scrap of Paper, and What It Means to Be Haunted
by
Eric Nuzum (Goodreads Author)
At once hilarious and incredibly moving, Giving Up the Ghost is a memoir of lost love and second chances, and a ghost story like no other.
Eric Nuzum is afraid of the supernatural, and for good reason: As a high school oddball in Canton, Ohio, during the early 1980s, he became convinced that he was being haunted by the ghost of a little girl in a blue dress who lived in his...more
Eric Nuzum is afraid of the supernatural, and for good reason: As a high school oddball in Canton, Ohio, during the early 1980s, he became convinced that he was being haunted by the ghost of a little girl in a blue dress who lived in his...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
August 7th 2012
by Dial Press Trade Paperback
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I am so excited! I just found out that I won this book on GoodReads! I will read it as soon as I receive it. Thank you.
Came home from work to find the book waiting for me. I was surprised to get it so quickly! Thank you again. I will post again once I have finished reading it.
Great book. I read the preface and really wasn't sure it would interest me, but once I started reading I couldn't stop. In fact, I was annoyed to go to work without finishing it! I love books that I connect with so thorough...more
Came home from work to find the book waiting for me. I was surprised to get it so quickly! Thank you again. I will post again once I have finished reading it.
Great book. I read the preface and really wasn't sure it would interest me, but once I started reading I couldn't stop. In fact, I was annoyed to go to work without finishing it! I love books that I connect with so thorough...more
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I received a copy of Giving Up the Ghost by Eric Nuzum as an Early Reviewer and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Nuzum's memoir deals with his troubled childhood and adolescence, the Little Girl in the Blue Dress who he thought lived in his attic, and Laura, his best friend he knew next to nothing about. It's a poignant tale, sometimes funny, written from Nuzum's point of view as a fairly successful adult as he tries to figure out his fear of ghosts. He travels to some of the best known haunted places...more
This book isn't really about ghosts. It's about sadness and growing up and the way the world likes to stifle the creative spirit. It's about friendship and loss and finding acceptable ways to express yourself when you can't get your brain to settle down. It's about darkness and acceptance of that darkness and how sometimes the world is poetry but mostly it's not. It's about how the very best thing about a person is often the very worst thing as well. It's about how it's amazing that anyone lives...more
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I was so suckered by the subtitle on this book. I mean, there was no way for me to resist “a story about friendship, 80s rock, a lost scrap of paper, and what it means to be haunted.” I should have guessed it was mostly going to be a ghost story, but that little 80s rock hook and the possibility that everything could hinge on a tiny piece of paper was too enticing. Never mind that it has a 133 call number. Still it was a fairly straightforward memoir about a young man who is haunted by the ghost...more
Given that one of my roommates considers herself an amateur ghost hunter, when I unpacked this book at my job at a metaphysical bookstore, it instantly grabbed my attention. Also, I like 80s rock. I debated whether to give this a 4 or a 5 star rating, but in the end, I decided it was worthy of a 5 since I spent an entire shift with the ghost of the book floating around my head taunting me to read more. I finished it in about 3 days, staying up until 4am the last night because there was only a *l...more
I heard the author interviewed on NPR, which made me want to read this book. I really wanted to like it and like it a lot, and I did like it. Was it was different than I expected? Yes. If you are the type of person who wants everything answered at the end of a book and tied up in a neat little bow, you will be disappointed (I admit I was--I want the neat little bow). There are some mysteries in this book that are never resolved. But that's life. Sometimes there are things that happen in our live...more
Nuzum's personal demons affirm the fragility and ephemeral nature of our relationships to past, present, future, to each other and ourselves. Some parts of life will always remain a mystery: "Because life isn't neat and binary and clean; life is messy, troubled, and leaves ghosts in its wake."
The insecurity and sense of disconnect that is American adolescence comes across strongly in Eric's story. The fact that his experience was more exaggerated and intense than most, his hold on normal routine...more
The insecurity and sense of disconnect that is American adolescence comes across strongly in Eric's story. The fact that his experience was more exaggerated and intense than most, his hold on normal routine...more
What an interesting read! Nuzum takes readers on a much more personal journey in this second venture into exploring the “real” supernatural. Whereas in The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula, Nuzum centers his focus on all-things vampire, here like the title suggests, the focus is with ghosts. It contains some general information about ghosts and visits to modern “hotspots” in hauntings. Some of these may be familiar to readers from other avenues - in fact, many...more
Everybody has a ghost story. I had what could be called a "paranormal' incident when I was younger, although as time passes and my skepticism grows, I often wonder if I imagined it. There is a certain tragedy in that. Eric Nuzum, in his book "Giving Up the Ghost" would probably feel the same way. Nuzum, a Canton native, was personally haunted, in his dreams and in his everyday life, by a terror-inducing vision of a young girl in a blue dress starting when he was about ten years old until his ear...more
With quotes on the back cover of my ARC from Chuck Klosterman and Rob Sheffield, I guess I was expecting quite a bit from this book. And I think seeing those two names had be expecting something very different from what I got. Additionally, I think the subtitle gives a different impression than what the book is really about. I'm not entirely sure I can elucidate what exactly this book is about - it's a memoir, I got that part covered. But is it about Nuzum's fear of ghosts, grown from an adolesc...more
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I heard the author interviewed on NPR and I was pretty apprehensive at first- a guy talking about his dark and tangled teen aged years, 80s rock, and the paranormal? It could be right up my alley or force me to do serious neurological damage from severe and repeated eye-rolling. I'm pleased to report that this book fit into the former category. I appreciate the fact that the author resisted the urge to sum things up or package them a little more clearly cut than they originally occurred because...more
This isn't a bad book, but it's not exactly a good one either. Two parts memoir and one part journalistic investigation of famous haunting sites, it would have been better off had it just stuck with memoir. It's not that I'm not interested in a journalistic investigation of famously "haunted" places, it's just that I'm not sure this book was the right place for it. The memoir parts of the book are much stronger than the ghost-hunting parts.
That said, the book suffered from many instances of seem...more
That said, the book suffered from many instances of seem...more
One of the best things about Giving up the Ghost is that it is not the memoir you expect. From the publisher's description it sounds like it's going to be sort of a search for information about his friend, but mostly a somewhat serious/somewhat silly romp through paranormal places. It's not that. Not even close.
If you were ever different as a kid, ever bullied or just shunned by the other kids around you, you're left with two basic choices: conform or defy them. Mr. Nuzum chose to defy his class...more
If you were ever different as a kid, ever bullied or just shunned by the other kids around you, you're left with two basic choices: conform or defy them. Mr. Nuzum chose to defy his class...more
Jan 18, 2013
Michelle
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
addiction,
coming-of-age,
funny,
ghosts,
kindle,
memoir,
mental-health,
misguided-youth,
paranormal,
suicide,
dark
It started out a 3 1/2 but ended up a 4 star...
I like the idea of this memoir. And the title, come on, how could you not want to read, Giving Up the Ghost: A Story About Friendship, 80s Rock, a Lost Scrap of Paper and What it Means to Be Haunted? Okay, maybe because the title rambles on a bit. But if you can't handle rambling, you can't handle this book. Eric Nuzum likes to ramble and talk in circles, and if you aren't used to this kind of let's make a long story even longer, then you are going...more
I like the idea of this memoir. And the title, come on, how could you not want to read, Giving Up the Ghost: A Story About Friendship, 80s Rock, a Lost Scrap of Paper and What it Means to Be Haunted? Okay, maybe because the title rambles on a bit. But if you can't handle rambling, you can't handle this book. Eric Nuzum likes to ramble and talk in circles, and if you aren't used to this kind of let's make a long story even longer, then you are going...more
Every so often, I get a book and don't really think about whether or not its what I think it is. I actually thought, based on the description, that this was a horror novel. The prologue even read like a good ficional opening. Then I noticed the narrator and the author had the same first name, and lo and behold, the book is actually a memoir. Yes, the opening about breaking-and-entering a closed mini golf course while drinking underage, and how most of the author's oldest friends all died young,...more
The greatest thing about this book is the friendly, uncomplicated writing style. It feels like Eric Nuzum grabs a stool next to you in a bar and just starts telling you his story. It's an interesting story, too. However, I don't know the reason why he sat down next to me in a bar and started telling it. The purpose for him telling it seems to be just his exorcising his own personal demons and trying to figure out his own troubled youth. He's published a journal of sorts.
A great read, though. If...more
A great read, though. If...more
Eric Nuzum grew up in Canton, Ohio in the 80's. While he was in high school, he believed himself to be haunted by a ghost - a small girl in a blue dress who lived in his attic and showed up in his dreams. Whether She was a spectre, a ghost, a warning, or just a drug-induced hallucination, the result was Nuzum being committed to a psych ward. Numbing himself with drugs and alcohol, failing his classes, slowly pulling away from life, Nuzum had one thing keeping him from ending it all - a friendshi...more
Whether or not you believe in ghosts, it’s clear that Eric Nuzum was haunted–by dread and hopelessness and also by a little blonde girl in a blue dress who came to him in recurring dreams to deliver a message that alternately felt like a warning and a threat. Giving up the Ghost becomes Eric’s mission and nearly his destruction. His desire to keep from feeling too much results in continuous abuse of drugs and alcohol during his teen years. He unflinchingly relates painfully shocking episodes as...more
I thought that I would love this book - after all, I can relate to a lot of Eric's life. I love 80s music but not as much as he. I believe in ghosts but not as much as he and my journey to functioning as a productive adult in the world was a bit of a challenge, too. it was an easy read, although it was really heartbreaking through the tough times that he lived. This is an open and honest look at friendship, mental illness, and the pitfalls of self medicating to control your fears. His parents ob...more
I found this memoir to be exactly what Rob Sheffield described it as: "...powerfully sad and evocative...". I was drawn into the story of Nuzum's terror, his psychiatric decline, his experience as a misfit and social outcast, but it never struck me as hilarious. It was moving, sympathetic, intriguing, mystifying...amusing, but never all that funny, to me. That isn't to say that I wasn't raptly engaged in Eric's ghost hunt - both of the ghosts of the past and of the future. I found both parts of...more
Dec 27, 2012
Michelle
added it
However happily he lives his life now, with a beautiful wife, children, job and the essential American dream, Eric Nuzum remains troubled by his past. His close relationship with Laura and the relationship’s ultimate demise continues to upset him, and his experiences being haunted by a little girl in a blue dress have him avoiding anything remotely scary or ghost-related. After years of avoiding closed doors or spooky movies, Mr. Nuzum finally chooses to confront the otherworldly. Giving Up the...more
Eric Nuzum has written a very engaging, sometimes intense book on what it means to be haunted, both by traditional ghosts and by life events. Nuzum takes us to some of the most haunted places in the U.S., in an attempt to find and confront his fear of ghosts. Interspersed throughout his current life are chapters on his childhood, teenage and early 20s, and how he was haunted by the ghost of "Little Girl." Throughout his ordeal, his only true friend is a girl named Laura, who has since also died....more
When I first saw the eerie cover and read the above description, I assumed this was a novel. It's not; it's a memoir. The instant I realized this was not fiction, the story became all the more compelling to me. A book about being really haunted? YES!
Nuzum neither presumes that ghosts are real or not real, he simply tells his own story with being haunted and how it became a contributing factor in a downward spiral of despair in self-destruction. While a teenager, Nuzum did many things that were u...more
Nuzum neither presumes that ghosts are real or not real, he simply tells his own story with being haunted and how it became a contributing factor in a downward spiral of despair in self-destruction. While a teenager, Nuzum did many things that were u...more
I first encountered Eric Nuzum's work a few years ago while browsing the stacks of the main branch of the Phoenix Public Library. I came across The Dead Travel Fast and aboslutely loved it. Nuzum's relevant and clever style grabbed my attention immediately and kept me engaged throughout the book. I was thrilled to see an announcement a few month's back that Nuzum had another book coming out, and equally thrilled to find the same style and cadence at work again in this remarkably vulnerable and t...more
Aug 14, 2012
Joanna Liberty
added it
I love reading memoirs, partly because my favorite class in high school was about writing memoirs. While I still don't think I really accomplished the goal of the class (writing an awesome memoir), I did learn quite a bit about the craft of the memoir. To me, a successful memoir is one that is the author's personal story yet other people are able to relate to their own lives, to learn from, to understand, and to take a message away from the story. In this respect, Giving Up the Ghost by Eric Nuz...more
A seemingly understated work that manages to deliver in a most fulfilling way. In 'Giving Up the Ghost' Nuzum manages to combine the most appealing parts of three very distinct styles. His contrite detailing of a troubled adolescence feels like the musings of Augusten Burroughs, while his recantations of traveling to supposedly haunted places to face his spectral fears are comparative to the work of Sarah Vowell. Finally, Nuzum is able to legitimize a narrative whereby the reader knows who is de...more
I'm a sucker for a good memoir so when I won this book through Goodreads I was excited to give it a go. Giving up the Ghost is easily one of the best memoirs I have read to date. Although the entire book revolved around Eric Nuzum's experiences with ghosts and his own personal hauntings, it actually felt like a story that we can all relate to in some way. Of course we all might not be scared of the ghost of a little girl in a blue dress or enjoy hallucinogenics on a regular basis, but this memoi...more
First of all, there's like ten books called "Giving Up the Ghost" so if you're looking for this one, beware. Also, if you're thinking of writing a book, think of another story.
This memoir written by journalist Eric Nuzum was, I thought, a "real" ghost story. Well, it's not real in that sense. But it's very real in many ways--Eric is very honest about how messed up he was and he's a very good writer. His adolescence is "haunted" by a the Little Girl in the Blue Dress, but his life is haunted by o...more
This memoir written by journalist Eric Nuzum was, I thought, a "real" ghost story. Well, it's not real in that sense. But it's very real in many ways--Eric is very honest about how messed up he was and he's a very good writer. His adolescence is "haunted" by a the Little Girl in the Blue Dress, but his life is haunted by o...more
The book description seemed so interesting. The book was supposed to be "hilarious" and "moving", as described, but what I got, instead, was moderately amusing and overly emotional. I loved the premise of the book, the idea of such a memoir, but the execution could have been way better. That being said, I can think of people who might actually like it. I would recommend the book to people who don't put much thought into reading, who are looking for a light, breezy read. It is also a good horror...more
I really enjoyed this book, even though I couldn't really relate to the troubles he faced as a teenager. But I think that shows the strength of the story -- to appeal to someone who couldn't relate to it. I was, however, a child (teen) of the 80s, and really loved the music references (I would have preferred more, actually).
Nuzum seamlessly travels back and forth from the 80s to the present, and you can clearly see the troubles he faces, and how he deals with the grief that impacted him as he gr...more
Nuzum seamlessly travels back and forth from the 80s to the present, and you can clearly see the troubles he faces, and how he deals with the grief that impacted him as he gr...more
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ERIC NUZUM is a recovering pop culture critic, VH1 pundit, and author of Giving Up the Ghost: A Story About Friendship, 80s Music, A Lost Scrap of Paper, and What It Means to be Haunted (2012), The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula (2007/2008) and Parental Advisory: Music Censorship in America (2001). He writes a lot of inane stuff that falls somewhere between the...more
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“If there is one thing I'd learned about hospitals, it's that they aren't interested in healing you. They are interested in stabilizing you, and then everyone is supposed to move on. They go to stabilize some more people, and you go off to do whatever you do. Healing, if it happens at all, is done on your own, long after the hospital has submitted your final insurance paperwork.”
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11 people liked it
“Right there in that room, listening to the tape Laura gave me, I decided that I wanted something more than what I’d allowed myself to become. Listening to the voices and piano notes fade in and out, I decided that I wanted to be happy. If I had to fight for things in life, I wanted to fight for something bigger than the right to eat with a fork. I wanted to love and be loved and feel alive. I had no idea how to find my way, but listening to that music wash over me, I felt, for the first time, that the struggle I faced would be worth it.”
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2 people liked it
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