Weird Massachusetts: Your Travel Guide to Massachusetts' Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (Hardcover)

by Jeff Belanger (Author), Mark Moran (Foreword), Mark Sceurman (Foreword)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140275437X
• ISBN-13: 978-1402754371
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 9.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #151,509 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Invaluable Addition to New England, May 8, 2008

By	Justin (New Jersey!) - See all my reviews

I'm from New Jersey but go to school in Mass., so when this book came out I snatched it right up--and I'm very glad I did. It is not only a great addition to the series as a whole, but also a must have companion to the Weird New England book published a few years back. Sure, the obvious stuff is covered here--Salem, Lizzy Borden and so forth--but you really couldn't do a book called Weird Massachusetts and NOT include those stories. It just wouldn't be complete. Even so,the author does a great job of retelling the few obligatory stories that are included here, and somehow manages breathe new life into them through his energetic writing style. But the real tastey meat of this book lies in the material not covered in any previous volumes: like the terrifying stories of Dudley Road, the little know odd finds buried deep in the woods like Deed Rock, and the just plain quirky entries like the story of Sheila Shea's grave (it actually reads "who the hell is Sheila Shea?" In addition to that, there are some chilling tales from some of MA's abandoned place. Sure, most people know of Danvers, but what about Worcester State, Northampton State, and Medfield State hospitals? All are explored here in their creepy and forlorn glory! If you are into Weird and want to know more about its presence in the Bay State, this book has it covered. What more can I say?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Legends, lore, ghosts and more, January 15, 2009

By	Lee Lukaszewicz (New England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Who would have thought there are so many bizarre and unique goings-on in my own innocent Bay State? This volume is stuffed full of fun facts, local history, and little-known oddities in this great new addition to the "Weird" series.

This book is so engagingly written I often had a hard time putting it down for the night. Jeff Belanger has really done the legwork in unearthing every stone and peering into every nook and cranny to uncover the little known people, places and things that have influenced the Bay State. A floating island crashing into waterfront backyards? Cars rolling uphill? Ghost ships, balancing rocks and Bigfoot? It's all here - amusing, mysterious, scary and strange! There are giant chairs, spooky abandoned asylums and the Cat in the Hat. (Did you know Dr. Seuss was from the Bay State?) How about a Sacred Cod in the House of Representatives and a Holy Mackerel in the State House?

You will enjoy this wacky ride from one end of Massachusetts to the other, and you can rest assured you won't be missing anything along the way. I haven't had this much fun between the pages of a book in a long time!

Here's the award for the funniest (and most devious) story in the book: The Cape Cod Canal Resident Tunnel Permit. How many tourists have driven the length of the canal hoping to find this local oddity? (C'mon, was it you?)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and interesting stories, great for Halloween! , October 17, 2008

By	R. C Sheehy "deadsox" (Foxboro,MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Weird Massachusetts is a fun, silly, enjoyable book enjoyable to read for anyone who enjoys good ghost stories, local legends and other weird events. Of course they are not true but like most people we all love to be scared and left with the question of "what if?" This book is highly recommended for people who enjoy a good fright and love to read stories about ghosts and goblins and want to share those with others around them.

Read this for some good, scary, fun!