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Beyond Brick and Bone: A True Ghost Story (Volume 1)
In this supernatural memoir, the author shares her true story of growing up in a house of spirits, learning to co-exist with those spirits as a child, then channeling the story of those spirits as an adult--as a Gatekeeper. A fascinating tale of a family and their multi-generational home--a home that harbors explosive secrets from a volatile period in Chicago history.
256 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 16, 2021
Yes, this author is my best friend. But I loved her book. And if you have any interest in the spirit world I think you will too. It's the first in what will be a trilogy memoir about her life. It begins with her childhood in a haunted house and recounts the impact of that and her growing development as someone who is deeply connected to the spirit world.
May 25, 2021
This book surprised me with its simultaneous spookiness and beautiful, memoir-like descriptions of family life. The author is a strong storyteller and though this book is a page turner, I read it slowly because it was so chilling I had to take breaks! The descriptions of the supernatural encounters made the setting feel so alive. There are scenes in this book that will haunt me for quite some time, but there are also touching passages about family bonds and lyrical nature descriptions. The ending weaves everything together very well and has me eager for the next part of the series.
November 21, 2022
I've always been intrigued by ghost stories, and most I've read have been fabricated tales. Antoinette M. Schippers shares her experiences, drawing you into her life and allowing us in, giving us an interior view of her childhood experiences into adulthood. What a brave and vulnerable thing to do as a writer. I couldn't put this book down. Thank you for sharing the stories of the spirits.
July 3, 2023
The author and I have been friends for close to thirty years, so she gave me the opportunity to read an early draft of the first ten or twelve chapters of the book for the purposes of giving my two-cents worth (which, yes, I did), and she sent me a finished copy not long after it was published, but I only got around recently to reading it. Lately, because I spend so much time reading and writing online, I tend to read books less—and in spurts when I do—so I kept putting it off, but earlier this month I decided to get 'er done. And despite that it took me close to a month to finish, it was actually rather a page turner—I just chose to read it a chapter or two or three at a time.
It's divided into two part: the first is autobiographical and woven with her experiences with the supernatural as she was growing up; the second half deals with the lives of three people she believes to have inhabited her childhood home at one time, based on letters found in the house when her parents bought it.
What was interesting for me in reading the first half of the book was that there was so much I hadn't known previously about her and her family. For example, I don't recall ever having known her younger sister Mimi's given name. As for her experiences with ghosts, well... I'm not a believer in such things (she knows this), but she is a good storyteller, and she almost brings me there.
The second half of the book deals with the lives of Joseph (whose last name we do not know), Charles Davidson, and Chara, a "picture bride" (think mail-order bride) who travels from Greece to marry Charles as part of a ruse (unbeknownst to her) to conceal the love affair between Joseph and Charles, who built a house for themselves not long after the great Chicago fire. For a spell, the two claimed to be brothers, but after moving into the house, some of the townfolk began to question that story. An ad regarding the picture brides appeared in the Chicago Tribune, so the second scheme was hatched.
That scheme goes wildly off track, which made the book a little harder to put the book down.
As Tiyi describes in the book's epilogue, the story of Joseph, Charles, and Chara was more or less told to her by the their spirits. That is, she served as a medium by which they were able to tell their story, partially explaining some of the supernatural events that Tiyi and her family experienced in the house the Davidson brothers built.
I've given this four stars as I think that the editing could have been a bit tighter, particularly in PArt One.
It's divided into two part: the first is autobiographical and woven with her experiences with the supernatural as she was growing up; the second half deals with the lives of three people she believes to have inhabited her childhood home at one time, based on letters found in the house when her parents bought it.
What was interesting for me in reading the first half of the book was that there was so much I hadn't known previously about her and her family. For example, I don't recall ever having known her younger sister Mimi's given name. As for her experiences with ghosts, well... I'm not a believer in such things (she knows this), but she is a good storyteller, and she almost brings me there.
The second half of the book deals with the lives of Joseph (whose last name we do not know), Charles Davidson, and Chara, a "picture bride" (think mail-order bride) who travels from Greece to marry Charles as part of a ruse (unbeknownst to her) to conceal the love affair between Joseph and Charles, who built a house for themselves not long after the great Chicago fire. For a spell, the two claimed to be brothers, but after moving into the house, some of the townfolk began to question that story. An ad regarding the picture brides appeared in the Chicago Tribune, so the second scheme was hatched.
That scheme goes wildly off track, which made the book a little harder to put the book down.
As Tiyi describes in the book's epilogue, the story of Joseph, Charles, and Chara was more or less told to her by the their spirits. That is, she served as a medium by which they were able to tell their story, partially explaining some of the supernatural events that Tiyi and her family experienced in the house the Davidson brothers built.
I've given this four stars as I think that the editing could have been a bit tighter, particularly in PArt One.
November 11, 2025
An intriguing paranormal thriller that you won't be able to put down! It is based on the author's experiences growing up in a house haunted by spirits of the past - spirits seeking a venue to complete their unfinished business upon this earth. Antoinette Schippers takes you on a journey from her terrifying early childhood memories to thrilling and touching moments when these spirits whisper stories of their past lives into her ears. Her haunted childhood has enabled her to become a spirit medium helpings others to bridge the gap between the worlds of the living and of the dead. Highly recommend!
July 15, 2021
Wow! Just wow! Mind blown!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews