Savannah Ghosts: Haunts of the Hostess City

by David H. Rousseau, Julie Collins Rousseau (Illustrator)

Blending history with mystery, ten ghostly tales send readers on a haunted journey that began in 1734 and continues through the mid-twentieth century. They include tales of vengeance, mojo, pestilence, witchcraft, betrayal, bravery, and tragic loss, all set against the backdrop of Savannah, Georgia, one of the South's most beautiful cities. Adding to the eerie atmosphere they create are twenty darkly beautiful illustrations. The tales represent the collective unconscious of Savannah that has been passed from family to family, one generation to the next, and from Savannah natives to inquisitive travelers. These stories that "Mama an' them" swear by are worth retelling. Anyone hungry for a good ghost story will love this book!

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 2007

Reviews

[Gwynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, I loved the actual storytelling. Most books about hauntings are very technical with accounts and details and theories. This tells an engaging story (10 stories) with facts/encounters/etc at the end which I really enjoyed. Not your normal ghost book.

[Humberto Hernandez-Sanchez]

Very interesting book and easy to read.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

~ decent ~ I’ve heard most the stories before so I found the extra “fluff” just boring and unnecessary ~ not a fan of the writing style but I’m a sucker for savannah stories so had to give it a go ~

[Amanda Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorite stories were Alice Riley, Rene, and Come to Scratch

[Dennis Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are for the most part tales that are used to spook children much like the old tale if the teeny tiny woman. These stories have been around for generations and the author has done an excellent job of collecting them. The writing is very good and the author is a superb storyteller. The problem is that this book is titled in a way that makes the buyer assume that this is a book about the spirits that roam Savannah instead of a collection of folklore. Despite how well written this book is it just lacks the zip that real ghost books obtain by bringing the stores into the present day. The history of the haunt is very important but a tiny paragraph at the end that just might mention a ghost in a backhanded manner just sort of leaves the whole story flat. A good balance is what is called for and that is severely lacking here. Eyewitness accounts are completely lacking and the use of such accounts actually comes under fire from this author because he says that they confuse people. Balderdash!

Basically this is a nice little collection of old Savannah tales that does provide some nice background on Savannah and its culture. It is not however a collection of Savannah ghost stories. This would be a good book to read if you are looking to get a feel for my favorite city in the world but if you really want to study the haunted history of Savannah you will need to look elsewhere. Given his writing ability this author could turn out some excellent books on this subject if he would only do the legwork and interviews that would be required to do so.