Since so many scientific discoveries happened behind closed doors, a new kind of belief system started to take shape. And these institutions effectively shut out the laypeople. But as equipment got more expensive and the body of scientific knowledge grew infinitely larger and more esoteric, science became the purview of universities and well-funded labs. Science was fairly accessible to anyone who was interested.

Citizen scientists were able to observe the world and make important discoveries. The author began with an explanation that science and religion co-existed well enough (with some periods of upheaval) until sometime in the 1800s. Instead, the author delivered a few such stories followed by the well-researched history of the surrounding beliefs, that particular time in history, pertinent mini-biographies, and the ways that believers internalize and protect these modern myths. I think I expected it to be more of a collection of those encounters. I knew this was nonfiction about the worlds of cryptozoology, alien encounters and other unexplained phenomena. My review keeps turning into a book report because I want to discuss so many of the ideas I just read!

Not that I’m complaining this book is absorbing. I’m not quite sure what I expected when I downloaded this book from the library but it’s not exactly what I got. The book becomes an exploration of humanity’s fascination with unsolvable mysteries and our need to know that there is something more in the world than science would have us believe. The Unidentified presents popular modern legends and inexplicable events and then provides the historical and scientific context that helped create each myth. Title: The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained

Colin dickey books