Queer Hauntings: True Tales of Gay & Lesbian Ghosts [Paperback]

Ken Summers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2009

Queer Hauntings: True Tales of Gay and Lesbian Ghosts is a collection of eerie locales worldwide with a queer bent, combining historical fact and unearthly encounters from across the United States, as well as around the globe. From haunted bars in New Orleans to a haunted theater in London, this guide encompasses the other side of the supernatural. The stories range from the serious, from brutal murders in rural Georgia, to the light-hearted, including the male spirit who enjoys unzipping men's trousers at a British pub. Ghosts of legendary celebrities intermingle with ordinary individuals.

Along with these queer spirits are many businesses, either gay-owned or catering to a gay/lesbian clientele, experiencing hauntings. Clubs and bars hide more than shy young lovers in their darkened corners. Countless bed and breakfasts have otherworldly guests staying the night. Behind the shadows and doors of societal homophobia hide find pink phantoms and lavender apparitions in cities and towns spread across the globe.

Editorial Reviews

Review

For fans of the paranormal, Queer Hauntings - True Tales of Gay and Lesbian Ghosts is the perfect read for gay and even straight audiences alike. --Edge Boston

Utterly, absolutely fascinating reading; a must-have for paranormal enthusiasts and lovers of ghostly lore, regardless of sexual orientation.... The lives of the people who populate this volume are as like to send chills (chills of sympathy and horror over the tragedies, the lives lost, the interrupted and misunderstood loves) down your spine as the hauntings themselves. Ken Summers is an engaging storyteller.... --Rainbow Reviews

This book is easily the first of its kind and a very welcome edition for gays and lesbians that like to get goose bumps in the middle of the night for reasons other than someone pulling the covers off of them! Recommended for any library that wants to add another dimension to its supernatural section. Suitable for teens and adults alike. --GLBT-Roundtable of the American Library Association

About the Author

Ken Summers is a paranormal investigator, blogger, columnist, lecturer, and writer. His work has been featured in Edge New York, The Akron Beacon Journal, and Cleveland Scene Magazine, along with various local news channels. He currently resides in northeast Ohio.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Lethe Press (September 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590212398
• ISBN-13: 978-1590212394
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,266,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #98 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > Travel

More About the Author

Ken Summers began avidly reading paranormal books at 10 years of age. Though he researched his first local ghost story at 13, his first official investigation was conducted alone at midnight on October 31, 1995. Over the next few years, he traveled to well-known haunted locations around Ohio to explore the unknown. Oral history led his travels back home where he researched and investigated dozens of locations within Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Summers founded his own paranormal website, The Moonspenders, in 1999.

After living for a brief time in Shreveport, Louisiana, he returned to northeast Ohio to write 'Haunted Cuyahoga: Spirits of the Valley'. He has since conducted lectures on hauntings, been featured in print media and on local television, assisted in historical research projects, and worked in conjunction with many other paranormal investigators. In his spare time Summers dabbles in photography, explores interesting places, and seeks out interesting ghost stories. He currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something New and Unique!, September 16, 2009

By 

Jesse Bannister "Buck" (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Queer Hauntings: True Tales of Gay & Lesbian Ghosts (Paperback)

I've been a "fan" of Ken's for quite awhile, having discovered his blog by accident. I've thoroughly enjoyed his work there and was thrilled to learn he was penning a new book on GLBT ghosts!

Somehow in the field of paranormal research people tend to forget about sexuality. Whether it is because of the incipient religiosity of many investigators who are uncomfortable with the subject or simple ignorance of how much our sexuality affects our lives and even our deaths, it's refreshing to see the topic covered in Ken's book.

This book is a wonderful collection of ghost stories and folklore that connect to the GLBT community is various ways. However, unlike many strict folklorists, Ken goes out of his way to bring us stories that can be verified as historically accurate. This takes his work from the realm of regurgitating urban (or suburban) legends to being an interesting exploration of where history and folklore intertwine.

The book is a great read and Ken's personality and attention to detail shine through. I'm pleased to have this work in hand finally and pleased to recommend it heartily to all who are interested in the paranormal and in particular this oft neglected corner of the paranormal world.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gays & Lesbians DO Go "Bump" In The Night, September 28, 2009

By 

Steven Stoltz "DJ Kode" (Cleveland, OH.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Queer Hauntings: True Tales of Gay & Lesbian Ghosts (Paperback)

Ken Summers brings to the world his sophomore effort in "Queer Hauntings: True Tales Of Gay & Lesbian Ghosts", and with this 195 pages, one finds tales beyond common myths and stereotypes - taking the reader into another realm where few have traveled.

The tales of Gay & Lesbian hauntings as well as Gay/Lesbian Businesses' paranormal activity is explored in detailed stories of the likes of Lizzie Borden of Massachusetts, New Jersey's Original Gay Bar in Minehill, NJ, The spirit of Long beach, California and more! This collection of angered, lost or mischievous ghosts covers tales of all regions in the United States, as well as other countries including Canada, Slovakia, Africa, and the Phillippines.

Though paranormal investigation is nothing new, the search for gay & lesbian souls has been neglected and thrown into the mainstream label of ghost hunting until now. Ken Summers has given these spirits a voice and brought the tales of those whom haunt us around the globe.

Every story is a flashback through the eyes of the ghost, giving the reader insight to the aspects of their lives, both in our reality, and in the reality we call the "afterlife". As you read each fascinating tale, you find yourself experiencing the event and truly understand more about these humans who refuse to be forgotten.

I can guarantee that once you pick up this book and begin reading - from The Borden House to Slovakia's Bloodiest Countess.. You will find that there's much more to life after death than heaven and hell. And Ken Summers will deliver to you a new understanding and admiration for the unexplainable things in life known as Queer Hauntings.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick and easy to read, January 7, 2011

By 

Wayne M. Malin "Preppy" (Malden MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Queer Hauntings: True Tales of Gay & Lesbian Ghosts (Paperback)

Book that looks at ghostly places that have a gay person (or persons) haunting it. It goes all over the US and other countries and offers short quick little descriptions of the history of the place and the hauntings of it. It's VERY quick and easy to read...but a little unsatisfying. Frankly I didn't find any of the stories particularly spooky or scary. They were interesting but none even gave me a little shudder. Also (in a few cases) the author is GUESSING that some of the people who lived in the place MIGHT have been gay. I though he was pushing it a little when he suggested Lizzie Borden had a lesbian lover. Also one in California (A Grand Illusion Who Haunts the "Houdini Mansion") gives zero evidence that ANYBODY involved was gay! The author is just guessing. Still I'm glad we have a book like this. For gay readers like me it is fun to read about lesbian and gay ghosts and some of the stories are shocking (but not scary). If you're in for a quick easy read about gay ghosts this is it.