Customer Reviews

Talking to the Other Side: A History of Modern Spiritualism and Mediumship: A Study of the Religion, Science, Philosophy and Mediums that Encompass this American-Made Religion

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I found this book to be a very readable and informative history of the Spiritualist Movement in USA, something of which I had previously known almost nothing about. I particularly recommend this book for those wanting to know of the history of made-in-America religions, not only Spiritualism. As well, I also recommend this book for those wanting to know more about the precepts of Spiritualism itself, an extremely unique and interesting religion, situated in science that offers an alternative to institutionalized religions which often do not allow for a personal approach to spiritual development, as Spiritualism does. Based on Dr. Leonard's Ph.D. thesis, the last few chapters answer his research questions gleaned from a questionnaire survey which was qualitatively analyzed in the voices of his participants, the Spiritualists themselves. Along with extensive appendices and various notes throughout, this book is a unique contribution to an area that has not yet been well documented. Dr. Leonard's insider view as a novice Spiritualist himself, to which he converts during the span of the survey, makes this book all the more attractive.

With all the increasing attention on the supernatural, mediums, occult, and metaphysical possibilities, Dr. Leonard's "Talking to the Other Side" presents the extraordinary history of Spiritualism as a religion in America. He explores the early beginnings of the Fox sisters listening to unbelievable rappings, to the spread of seances across America, and to the establishment of Spiritualism as a religion, science, and philosophy in 1848. In addition to the historical text, Dr. Leonard had rare access in meeting with practicing Spiritualist mediums during years of field research. Several chapters reveal stimulating and mind expanding conversations from personal interviews with Spiritualist mediums. If you are searching for more knowledge about mediumship and spiritual growth, this is the book for you. Dr. Leonard's book is not only educational but enriches the reader by exploring the extraordinary and illuminating stories from Spiritualist mediums who continue to talk to the Spirit world. This book is a must read!

Dr. Leonard's book is excellent! It constitutes a sorely needed updating of the religion of Spiritualism as practiced in the United States. The book is in two parts: a) a brief history of religion in the United States with special attention to the origins and development of Spiritualism; b) discussion of the research instrument which was used to attain relevant information about the practice of mediumship from certified mediums who reside and/or practice in three Spiritualist camps and a careful appraisal of the information gained from this instrument.
While the history of Spiritualism and the practice of mediumship have been discussed in monographs, books and television documentaries, Dr. Leonard's book is arguably the first of its kind to present information and assessments about mediums as such....their backgrounds, personality profiles, steps taken to become certified as mediums, and the kinds of mediumship that are practiced. Further, the appendix includes interviews conducted with some of the mediums and relevant information about Spiritualist associations.
I am a resident (more than 20 years) of one of the Spiritualist camps (Lily Dale) in which mediumship is practiced. Dr. Leonard's book confirms the impressions that I have gained over these years about mediums and mediumship.

Franklin Takei, Ph.D.

I must respond to this book! I was privileged to be one of the mediums interviewed for this book and Dr. Leonard has done a superb job of collecting data and telling the story. For those readers with no experience of Spiritualism and its beautiful philosophy of life, this is a great place to start. Dr. Leonard gives history, he quotes interviews with mediums, and gives this religion the solid basis it deserves as it continues to minister to the needs of people world-wide.Congratulations, Dr. Leonard on a job well done!!!

While I did like this book, it was a bit dry some of the time and I had
to skip some areas that are very familiar to me, though they would be
good for someone new to Spiritualism. I don't see anyway around that problem,
as history can be made interesting some of the time, but not when you are sharing
simple facts.
I wish I had owned this when I was studying my Spiritualism course as it would
have been helpful. I will use it mostly as a reference book, and I am sure I will find it
very helpful for many years. I will also loan it to those in our church who are
studying for their testing in the various areas we study.

I found Dr. Leonard's book "Talking to the Other Side: A History of Modern Spiritualism and Mediumship" to be an interesting and dynamic introduction to the phenonemon of spiritualism in America. Dr. Leonard does not try to prove or disprove the validity of spiritualism. Instead, Dr. Leonard offers a historical and an experiential perspective on the development and practice of mediumship.
21st century popular television series include: "Ghost Whisperer," "Touched By an Angel," and "Medium." In addition, popular television talk shows have medium guests like Sylvia Brown or John Edwards. While television emphasizes the sensationalization of mediumship, Dr. Leonard takes an academic stance regarding the spiritualist movement. By offering an objective history of the development of religion since ancient times, Dr. Leonard shows how the conditions of 19th century America made it possible for spiritualism to evolve.
Being a mathematics instructor at a college, I found Dr. Leonard's approach to spiritualism to be refreshingly professional, factual and non-subjective. Given the controversial nature of mediumship, collecting and analyzing data on this subject area is at best difficult. In spite of such difficulties, Dr. Leonard managed to collect some interesting data regarding mediums' religious backgrounds, motivations, training, and daily practices. "Talking to the Other Side" is the first time in the 21st century that an attempt to understand and view spiritualism has been taken so professionally, that I am aware of. It is my hope that Dr. Leonard's book will encourage other scholars to pursue further studies in this fascinating subject area.
To me, some of the most interesting aspects in "Talking to the Other Side" include:
how spiritualism was (is) linked to the women's movement, the philosophical aspects of spiritualim, that spiritualism is an uniquely American-made religion, how linking spiritualism with science in the 18th century may have had negative repercussions on the movement, interviews with "traditional" mediums,and why many modern people are attracted to the religion of spiritualism. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an even minor interest in psychics, mediums, spiritualists, etc.

Dr. Leonard's work is a well-rounded history of modern Spiritualism. It fills the gap in a hole of religious history that is so often neglected. The work would be of interest to the professional scholar or casual student of Spiritualism or religious history. I highly recommend it.

A fascinating book! I have always been interested in Spiritualism so this book is right down my street. However I believe that any person of any religion would find this book interesting and thought provoking.
I have read several books on Spiritualism but most tend to go a bit overboard with their ideas and thus cause you to doubt what they are attempting to portray. Not so with this book.

I found Dr. Leonard's book to be very informative especially the history of American made religions. As an Australian I had no knowledge about this fact.

Spiritualism has always been very popular in Australia so I would be interested to read a book about the history of Australian Spiritualism. Perhaps Dr. Leonard might consider this for a future book.

This book is poorly written and inadequately researched. Many of the author's conclusions are highly questionable, based as they are on sloppy or erroenous scholarship. At best, this book could pass as a mediocre introduction to the subject of spiritualism. However, it should not be relied on for serious academic usage.