Anatomy of a Beast: Obsession and Myth on the Trail of Bigfoot

by Michael McLeod

Part history, part road trip, and part biography, this is the true story of a remarkable group of men whose obsession with Bigfoot turned the giant hominid into an American icon. Award-winning journalist Michael McLeod tells of Bigfoot's rise to tabloid stardom in a fast-paced account that begins with his own journey to investigate a famous 1967 film clip of a Bigfoot in a California forest. McLeod proceeds to uncover a trail of clues reaching from the late nineteenth century, when a few ambitious, imaginative naturalists and explorers synthesized historical and indigenous folklore with Darwinian ideas and speculated that a proto-hominid "missing link" might still be alive in remote areas. That speculation would eventually inspire a colorful cast of loggers, hunters, con artists, and businessmen in the twentieth century to create the modern myth of Bigfoot, all of them angling for a piece of a monster that the media and the public still can't get enough of. Told through vividly narrated interviews and anecdotes, Anatomy of a Beast offers a unique perspective on the deep roots of counterfactual thinking—and how obsession and myth are created out of it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cryptozoology, Cryptids, Paranormal

238 pages, Hardcover

First published April 13, 2009

Reviews

[Elizabeth Judd Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and there is some good and interesting stuff in it, but I was a little leery about some of the conclusions. The author seemed to freely throw around the idea that anyone eccentric is actually mentally ill, and seemed to think that science can already explain everything. I am in no doubt that there are hoaxers and manic people in the world but I am also sure that not everyone who has seen something they can't explain is crazy or suppressing traumatic memories and replacing them with paranormal manias. In other words, I don't think that blindly believing anyone who says they have had a Bigfoot encounter is a good idea, but at the same time I don't think that a blind belief that science has explained everything already is helpful either. Both point to the sort of blind mania that the author seems to condemn in those who go looking for Bigfoot, but applauds in those who believe everything any scientist tells them. On another note, I didn't think throwing around terms like gyppo was very helpful, and thought it would have made sense to explain what all the lumberjack terms used meant (no, I'm not sure the average person know what a cat skinner is, etc.).

[George Kanakaris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more of a travelogue from someone who is very interested in this subject.
If the names Dahinden , Sanderson , Pyle mean nothing to you, then this book is for you.
The author is also certain that the Patterson-Gimlin film is fake. But is it so?

[Mirko Liang · Rating 2 out of 5]

Right off the jump we are told that the book isn’t about the Bigfoot itself, but about the people who are obsessed with it. Some interesting content - a brief sum of the theories, the conventions, the places and the communities - as well as some probably unneeded digressions - Im not sure I cared about the background of every name named, and their past in the army or whatnot.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers much of the same material as other books. But it was a good read.

[John Ledingham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very solid skeptic's account of the rise of the American bigfoot myth and the various characters, ideologies, and institutions that worked to expand and mutate it along the way. Cool biographical sketches of John Green and the Paterson-Gimlin duo with whom I already had some familiarity. Interesting to see the phenomenon go from a pseudoscientific offshoot of evolutionary science, and, as the author argues, a kind of myth of the American West (and a convincing argument, given the cowboy set of a lot of the midcentury major players, though one too I don't altogether understand) to the present day's more pantheistic, spiritual/psychedelic interpretation among its own followers. Lost my interest some in the back half but that's to be expected, myself neither a strong believer or active bigfooter, just someone with a passing interest and familiarity with the biggest aspects of the culture. Really well written though. Think I found this at a university book sale for $1 and let it sit on my shelf for several years before getting to it. Glad I finally did. Also: the poetry in the phrase Klamath Knot - something bout that really gets me.

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

eh. It was ok. I thought it would be a more in depth look at why people are attracted to the bigfoot search but it read more like a list of who's who in bigfoot sightings of yesteryear. I did enjoy getting the history of bigfoot and the background of the times that made this story really take off. I also found some really interesting things that I'd love to check out (Bigfoot trap?! Really?! 20 miles outside of Medford, apparently). I also wish there was more of a dissection of the film and why or why not it was plausible in the author's mind (since he comes from a film background). I would have loved to read more about bigfoot conventions. To compare this book to the "Orchid Thief" (as one reviewer did on the back jacket) is being very generous.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives you the real lowdown on what is truth and what is fiction about the Bigfoot aka Sasquatch "evidence" in the Pacific Northwest.
I put up a review online at Newsvine. The link to the full review is: http://minnieapolis.newsvine.com/_new...

[G.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful look at the people behind the legend/myth of Bigfoot and a lay person's psychological analysis of what drove/drives them. McLeod treats his subjects with respect. Anatomy of a Beast is well written and thoughtful.

[Sarah Heriford · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was written by my second cousin and explores the legend of bigfoot and the people involed in it.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pitched kinda for dummies (I'm a hater I guess), but I have always loved X-Filesy stuff like this, and the people who really truly believe it. I want to go on a Bigfoot-themed vacation now.

[Anne Nesmith]

A very slow read. Much repetition with little progress. Fascinating in parts

[Rachelle DeMunck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished reading this before bed last night; I was creeped out enough that I couldn't sleep.