David J. Halperin

Author David Halperin investigates stories of UFO encounters not to settle the question of whether we've been visited by extraterrestrial beings but with the goal of identifying why those experiencing such encounters saw what they did. Halperin sets aside the arguments around what "really" happened, focusing instead on what the observers remember and report and what this means. What personal or collective trauma in combination with which myth or shared symbolism resulted in the specific vision of a flying saucer or strange lights or threatening men in dark suits? Even when facts are uncertain, stories still reveal truth.

Although I have limited interest in UFOs (beyond a brief obsession in my early teens which was an offshoot of my broader and longer-lasting love of the supernatural), as someone intrigued by the stories we tell ourselves and how these stories change over time, along with the slippery nature of memory, I found the premise of this book quite interesting.

Halperin observes that UFO sightings increase during times of cultural or historical upheaval, citing, for example, an increase in UFO sightings in Europe around the time the Berlin Wall fell. I wonder...are people seeing more UFOs during our current global pandemic? And if not, what are we seeing? How are our myths manifesting themselves during this crisis?… (mehr)

Journal of a UFO Investigator by David Halperin is a debut novel about a boy who is forced to be a shut in because of his ill mother. Danny Shapiro tries to enrich his life through a fantasy life he has invented for himself, involving alien invasion, ancient intelligent species, men in black, and enough conspiracies to keep Fox Mulder happy.

The set up of Journal is similar to Michael Ende's The Neverending Story. One could argue that it's just the tale of a boy hiding in his school's attic reading a really awesome book. Here, then, it's a boy stuck at home apparently writing an awesome book.

And there in lies the fundamental problem with this book. The fantasy sequences are so much better than the "coming of age" part that it's always a HUGE disappointment when the story shifts gears.… (mehr)