Jane Ammeson

This book was originally suggested to Jane Simon Ammeson by an editor at an academic press. It took me perhaps ten pages to figure out why it was instead published by a non-academic publisher: It can't be taken seriously.

Belle Gunness -- now she was worth taking seriously. A Norwegian immigrant who settled in La Port, Indiana, she became one of the most effective serial killers in American history -- apparently polishing off two husbands, at least one adopted child, and probably dozens of men who came to work at her farm. But her (known) career ended in April 1908 when her home burned, leaving four dead bodies burned beyond recognition in the wreckage.

It was some time before it was discovered that Belle was a mass murderer. Once it was, she became the subject of many newspaper articles and several semi-popular songs. But, because the bodies in the house were so badly burned, it was never certain whether Belle was one of the victims of the fire -- or if she had set it herself to cover up her crimes. Since I was researching the songs, I wanted to get to the bottom of the story. Since this is, as of this writing, the newest book on the subject, and since it is marketed as non-fiction, I decided to look into it -- it is said that there has been an "inconclusive" DNA examination, and I was hoping for details.

And soon discovered that the book has no index and no footnotes. Not good for an academic book, but sometimes publishers try to save money in bad ways. But, no, the reason that it has no academic apparatus is because it's so heavily fictionalized. Example from very near the beginning: Ammeson reports that, while in Norway, Belle (who had not yet adopted that name) became pregnant by someone of higher wealth and station, but the father would not marry her, and beat her; she lost the baby. According to Ammeson, she managed to arrange for his death. Ammeson presents this as fact, even though she can't so much as figure out the name of the man she allegedly killed.

For the record, the most reliable book on the subject, Harold Schechter's Hell's Princess, mentions the incident bout doubts that it even happened. The tale came from much later reporting from people who knew Belle in Norway before she emigrated, but hadn't known her for decades.

Yet Ammeson not only treats it as fact, she actually tells us what was going on in Belle's head as this unverifiable incident occurred.

I frankly started skimming after a few dozen pages of that. Since there is no way to tell what is fact and what is Ammeson (my rough estimate is 30% fact), what's the point of reading? The story of Belle Gunness is interesting enough, and frightening enough, to be worthy of a non-fiction telling. So if you're interested, get the real book on the subject, the aforementioned Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter.… (mehr)

First picking this book up at the library I read the title and thought it was going to be a book about the Ghosts of the Underground Railroad. Once I began reading and also took notice of the authors explanation of her book I looked at the book in a whole new light.

If you are looking for a book filled with ghostly apparitions of runaway slaves trying to reach freedom, then you will be disappointed. BUT if you look at the book for the content inside it is full of very interesting history. What one should understand is that the Underground Railroad was secret, it was meant to be that way. It was meant not to leave a trace- it was meant not to be recorded or talked about. Let's face it if I were trying to get my family to freedom, writing a letter or writing in a diary is the LAST thing I would be doing.

The author did a beautiful job describing possible places that could have been part of the Underground Railroad, as these building were either already constructed or were constructed along some routes suspected to lead to freedom. Yes, some can be documented to a point, but really it all comes down to speculation and stories handed down through many generations. This book tells of tragic events that happened in the homes, on the grounds, and in the towns. Some people experience ghostly apparitions, unexplained things that happen in these structures or places. And then again there are others who don't.

What I loved about the book is the history that is told throughout. The fact that there was a war going on, that battles took place on those pieces of land that the structures were built upon, that prohibition also played a big part in the way some of these houses had those secret tunnels or rooms. The author is very upfront about what she decided to put in the book and what they chose to leave out. Hand me down stories are unreliable, after a while people begin adding small details here and there that never were apart of the original telling.

If you love to learn about interesting facts from the past and some of the tragic events that have taken place in some dwellings, then by all means I honestly believe that you will like the book.

If you believe that "Hauntings" only means ghosts - then you will find yourself not enjoying it as much. To me the title is very fitting- Haunting to me is the memories of tragic events, the memories of the families I read about will haunt me to a point. This book is a haunting retelling of events that occured along the Underground Railroad which led to tragic events, death, and freedom to more than just the slaves.… (mehr)

I remember visiting "Santa Claus Land" when I was a young girl and it must have been at the tail end of its time being known by that name. Now Holiday World has been a part of my children's lives since they were born. Now they are all teenagers. We continue to visit this magical park at least once a season. The park is now home to three of the most highly rated roller coasters in the nation and it has, hands down, the most amazing and innovative water park anywhere. My family is a fan of waterparks in particular and we have traveled quite a bit to visit waterparks, indoor and outdoor and nothing beats a weekend spent at Splahin' Safari waterpark. This park is also the BEST bang for its buck when you get free Pepsi products, free sunscreen, free inner tubes, and free parking all day long. We'd rather visit Holiday World than Kings Island or Cedar Point. The water park is better even than those in Wisconsin Dells.

This book was such a treat to read. You know why Holiday World is so fantastic? Because it is family owned and operated by the fantastic Koch family. This book shares little known facts about Santa Claus land and Holiday World and behind the scene moments with the Koch family. The book is extra poignant since a lot of it is told by Will Koch, Holiday World's president who passed away not very long ago. We just returned from the trip and one of the most amazing things we took in on this visit was a Halloween scene with scarecrows and the faces on them were those of the Koch family. We see Pat Koch on almost every visit. The book makes us feel even closer to her family. I think other park owners should read this book and study Holiday World so they can learn how running a phenomenal park is truly done.… (mehr)