Review of MONSTERS IN AMERICA by W. Scott Poole

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

It seems that human beings have always had a certain strange obsession with mysterious supernatural horrific creatures or monsters. Shows like The Walking Dead and the Twilight series are a case in point. So I was really interested in a book that focused specifically on this obsession with monsters and what may lie underneath it. MONSTERS IN AMERICA by W. Scott Poole is an interesting take on the subject as it focuses on American obsession with monsters. In fact, MONSTERS IN AMERICA is strangely a book about American history.

Poole traces American history through its monsters. America's monsters read like a reflection of America's most corrupt moments.

While the concept of tracing America's history through its monsters is an interesting one, I think I would have enjoyed an exploration of humanity's obsession with monsters in general with more of a focus on the current landscape of monster obsession around the world. But that wasn't the focus of this book. Still, it's an interesting read as Poole speculates on the real-life conditions he believes have spawned America's monsters.

Review copy provided by Baylor University Press