{"product_id":"aliens-ghosts-and-cults-legends-we-live-paperback","title":"Aliens, Ghosts, and Cults: Legends We Live - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBill Ellis\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten for both the cultural studies expert and the reader fascinated with reactions to extraordinary phenomena, \u003ci\u003eAliens, Ghosts, and Cults\u003c\/i\u003e pursues motivations for why people tell these \"true stories, heard from a friend of a friend.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEllis shows legends creating a sense of community in a multi-ethnic institutional camp. He traces some contemporary scares to such old tales as the vanishing hitchhiker and murderous gang initiations. In analyzing some newly emerging legend types, such as alien abductions and computer virus warnings, Ellis discovers connections between earlier types of religious experience and supposed witchcraft. Finally, the book reveals how legends can inspire people to actions, ranging from playful visits to haunted spots to horrifying threats of violence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLegends rely on active discussion to spread and mutate. This book considers them to be a social process, not a kind of narrative with a fixed form. People worldwide may tell a legend or one person to who\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBill Ellis\u003c\/b\u003e is an associate professor of English and American studies at Penn State University, Hazleton campus. His previous books include \u003ci\u003eRaising the Devil: Satanism, New Religions, and the Media\u003c\/i\u003e, and he has been published in \u003ci\u003ePsychology Today\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSkeptical Inquirer\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJournal of American Folklore\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eJournal of Popular Literature\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 312\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.81 x 8.98 x 6.48 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 15, 2003\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47426675081394,"sku":"9781578066483","price":63.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/159347bff85b29c12fd3cdf8d089b4ac.webp?v=1778516430","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/aliens-ghosts-and-cults-legends-we-live-paperback","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}