A Review of Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter

It is summertime, which means that I can somehow find time to work on summer reading lists. I picked up and zoomed through this awesome book in just a few short days. This is no small feat for me between work, mommy duty, and fighting crime (alright, so I made that last part up). At any rate, myself and some of the other members from our paranormal group have been watching SyFy's Destination Truth for years now. Albeit, I have skipped around and missed a few episodes, but for the most part I have been a pretty consistent fan of the show. I won't lie - over time I have grown fonder of the travel highlights on the show more than the actual investigations. I am going to chalk that up to the fact that I do very similar stuff - sit in the dark for hours and wait for something to happen. I just have the option to do it in a comfy climate controlled home or business; and not in a jungle covered in snakes, spiders, and killer creatures. The book covers some amazing behind the scenes stories and tales of adventure that are just hilarious, and down right crazy. Josh Gates is just as entertaining through word as he is on the show.

If you are a fan of the show I would highly recommend this book. If you aren't? 

A-What are you waiting for (hello Netflix unlimited stream) 

and:

B-Read the book anyways, because it will in some way or another, change the way you view a little something called travel. 

       For me it also changed the way I view certain aspects of the paranormal field. I would like to call this a "skeptic revival" of sorts for me. I am inching closer to the 5 year mark for my involvement in the paranormal field. As time has progressed I have gone from 3 parts skeptic: 1 part believer, to 3 parts believer: 1 part skeptic. There isn't enough time in the day to argue with anyone on which of those is healthier. Now, I am not saying that Josh has completely swayed me back to the former, but he does raise some excellent points. He lays out several assumptions for all things paranormal (if you want a full synopsis of such assumptions please check out the book!). He states, "All of our assumptions speak to the larger problem: the methodology of paranormal research is largely experimental." He also makes another excellent point, "There must be repeatable results in order to draw conclusions." That was it, that last point - repeatable results. I can say that in almost 5 years of doing this that audio evidence hasn't perfectly duplicated, personal experiences haven't perfectly duplicated, it is rare occasion that the same exact locations are revisited frequently enough to produce duplicates of anything. 

Is what we do a sham? Absolutely not. I can count numerous occasions where we have legitimately helped clients and their families out. Whether it be with advice, knowledge, or what we know as evidence. For that I cannot say that we have wasted any time. 

        I would also like to point out that the mid section of the book has pictures. Who doesn't like a book with pictures?! It is this section that keeps my 18 month old attempting to steal my copy at all odds so she can drag it around the house making wild animal noises, and sticking cheerios inside its wonderfully crafted pages while looking at said pictures. It was possibly one of the roughest copies Josh has ever had to autograph.

The best part about getting to enjoy this book was the fact that I got to hear one of the most important excerpts from Josh himself. He read a chapter straight from his book for the conclusion of his panel at Through the Veil event. It was rather outstanding. I won't divulge and quote a lengthy portion of that chapter, for that you can buy the book. Chapter 19 will have you hopping up to pack your bags. Follow this link to purchase a personalized autographed copy. Which is almost as awesome as mine.

     Some of us PGI ladies with Josh, I am the 

    hobbit to the right:

Disclaimer: I am writing this review of my own free will. Josh didn't pay me with money or travel treasures, I just felt like highlighting an awesome book for our group's blog, as well as my own. No FTC disclosures needed.