American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America

Mystery expert Godfrey (Real Wolfmen) collects the eyewitness accounts of Americans who claim to have crossed paths with monsters—at least in the author’s sense of the word. These so called monsters Godfrey defines as beings who are “bigger than they ought to be,” who “hiss, growl... and scream.” They are divided by terrain into three groups: those who roam the land (bigfoots, werewolves, and freakish felines), those who fly across the sky (dragons, oversized bats, and the Mothman), and those and lurk underwater (alligator men, squids, merpeople, and sea serpents). Godfrey frequently draws from myth and folklore and cites cases from history and pop culture, demonstrating extensive knowledge of her subject matter. She offers theories as to why certain regions attract certain types of monsters. Many of the stories she includes are similar tales of people driving and spotting a weird creature, and this piling-on of stories book often reads like a list. Despite its repetitiveness, the book will prove a handy encyclopedia for enthusiastic cryptozoologists of all ages. (Sept.)