Lily Dale: The True Story of the Town That Talks to the Dead [Hardcover]

Christine Wicker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2003

In Lily Dale, New York, the dead don't die. Instead, they flit among the elms and stroll along the streets. According to Spiritualists who have ruled this community for five generations, the spirits never go away - and they stay anything but quiet. Every summer twenty-thousand guests come to consult the town's mediums in hopes of communicating with their dead relatives or catching a glimpse of the future. Weaving past and present, the living and the dead, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Christine Wicker investigates a religion that attracted millions of Americans since the 1800s. She reveals the longings for love and connection that draw the people to "the Dale," introducing us to a colorful cast of characters along the way - including famous visitors such as Susan B. Anthony, Harry Houdini, and Mae West. Laugh out loud funny at times, this honest portrayal shows us that it ultimately doesn't matter what we believe; it is belief itself that can transform us all.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; First Edition edition (2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0641625588
• ISBN-13: 978-0641625589
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,092,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lily Dale Medium's View: Entertaining & Educational, March 9, 2003

By 

Critical Thinker in NYC - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lily Dale: The True Story of the Town that Talks to the Dead (Hardcover)

This is an unusual book by an unusually gifted journalist. Christine Wicker has a way of approaching her material--a quirky little town in western New York, filled with people who follow the traditions of Spiritualism, first founded as a home for what were called the Free Thinkers--with curiousity, compassion and respect. (Many of us still are free thinkers--one reason we talked to a reporter, I suppose!)

As a registered medium in Lily Dale, I'm one of the people Christine has written about. I still fondly remember her first visit to Lily Dale: the summer she arrived as a religion writer from the Dallas Morning News. Her photographer was baffled, and seemed a bit spooked by it all, but he was a trooper (although we never saw him again!) But Christine came back, and back again, to delve into the mysteries of what makes my odd little summer home "tick."

For me, its a haven: a place where I'm one of 30-some registered mediums, rather than the only one. In Princeton, NJ, I feel at home, too--but it's in Lily Dale that I can settle in to a place that understands, no explanation required.

To an outsider, though, Lily Dale must seem quite unusual, with its dilapidated Victorian charm and population of people who believe that the dead aren't dead, and that they still communicate with us, to guide us and help us journey safely through life. We'll even teach you how you can do the same.

Christine Wicker manages to blend personal stories of visitors staying in the beautifully restored home of a retired college philosophy professor, Frank, and his psychologist wife Shelley. Her own story is told, too: a journey from curious observer to a woman who learns she, too, can pass on messages from the other side, with many twists and turns and funny, touching moments in between.

If you're curious about people, or just want to read a nonfiction book that has the heart and soul of a novel with a bit of history tossed in, this is one book you won't want to miss. It'll touch you--much like the town itself touched the author...

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Recommend, April 15, 2003

By 

Rebecca A. Bandi (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lily Dale: The True Story of the Town that Talks to the Dead (Hardcover)

I felt that Christine Wicker's book was very well written and insightful. I have been to Lily Dale twice. The first time was merely to view its amazing houses. I don't know why, but the minute we drove through the gates, I was euphoric, and no, that is not too strong a word. I came back again because it the most magical place I have ever been. I fell in love with Lily Dale and Ms. Wicker's book only reinforced what I felt. As I read, I could feel her struggle at times to be objective and rational. I feel that her "evidence" was more compelling than she allowed. It crossed my mind that more conventional religions are founded and maintained on less physical evidence or on evidence that was documented thousands of years ago and yet their believers feel that what they believe is true as do the Spiritualists. I loved the book and have passed it on. I wish much happiness to the people of Lily Dale. Most of all, I hope this books encourages its readers who may not be familiar with Spiritualist idealogy to open their minds to another way of thinking. I think the best proof that there is something very good in Lily Dale is the fact that Christine Wicker did not just research a book and walk away, but instead went back to Lily Dale again and again as I imagine I shall. During my two visits, I was too shy to approach a medium for a reading...it was enough for me to just be there. After having read this book, I know that I will when I go back. Thank you for that, Christine. You have written a good book.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lily Dale by Christine Wicker 2003, March 6, 2003

By 

Jacqueline Lunger (Lily Dale, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lily Dale: The True Story of the Town that Talks to the Dead (Hardcover)

Bravo! Ms. Wicker has written a long over-due book about the Spiritualist community of Lily Dale, NY. I found it to be well researched and colorful. The book is thought provoking as she describes her experiences and those of others she met in Lily Dale. I found it frequently humorous and at times a bit offensive as she decribes the people she encountered in Lily Dale. There is a sadness too, which is to be expected when discussing physical loss of loved ones. The book opens your mind and your heart again and again.

Recognizing each of us is on a spiritual journey, I appreciate her efforts to be objective and present all avenues of possible conclusions for the reader. Read it and draw your own! Better yet spend some of your summer in Lily Dale and find out for yourself.