Book Review: Chasing Spirits by Nick Groff

I’ve only watched one episode of Ghost Adventures (which stars paranormal investigators Nick Groff, Zak Bagans, and Aaron Goodwin), but when I saw that the library had a book written by Nick Groff (with Jeff Belanger), I decided to read Chasing Spirits: The Building of the Ghost Adventures Crew to find out more about how the show came into existence.  Nick has had paranormal experiences since childhood; he had a near-death experience when he was eight years old and saw his first ghost at age ten, so it’s not too surprising that he made a documentary about ghost hunting years later and that it led to Nick, Zak, and Aaron getting a show on the Travel Channel.  The book was very interesting, and I enjoyed reading about Nick's life.  My favorite chapters were "Possession in Savannah," where Nick talks about an entity attaching itself to him (causing him to have thoughts that weren't his own about killing Zak and Aaron) when the Ghost Adventures crew was investigating the Moon River Brewery in Savannah, Georgia, and "Linda Vista Hospital: The Game Changer," in which Nick recounts the scariest moment of his life...locking eyes with a woman in a hospital gown, who, of course, was a spirit.  Near the end of the book, Nick said something that I really agree with: "It's always bothered me that when you think the paranormal exists, it's called belief and subject to ridicule and mockery.  But when you buy into religion unabashedly, it's called faith, and that's perfectly acceptable" (page 219).  This has always bothered me too...more people have seen paranormal entities than God, so I've never understood why it's seen as normal to believe in God, but people will act like someone's crazy if they say they've seen a ghost or an alien.

I really enjoyed Chasing Ghosts, and it made me want to watch more episodes of Ghost Adventures.  I'm excited to watch the two that are on my DVR (especially the one that takes place at the old jail in my hometown of Charleston, SC) and I'll definitely watch even more of them!

My rating: 8/10