J. W. Ocker – författare

Come and meet the monsters in our midst, from bigfoot to batsquatch and beyond!

Welcome to the United States of Cryptids, where mysterious monsters lurk in the dark forests, deep lakes, and sticky swamps of all fifty states. From the infamous Jersey Devil to the obscure Snallygaster, travel writer and chronicler of the strange J. W. Ocker not only uncovers the bizarre stories of these creatures but investigates the ways in which communities have embraced and celebrated their local cryptids. Readers will learn about:

The Mothman of West Virginia, a hybrid monster blamed for a deadly bridge collapse in 1967;

The Batsquatch of Washington, a winged bigfoot that is said to have emerged from the eruption of Mount Saint Helens in 1980;

The Lizard Man of South Carolina, a reptilian mutant that attacked a teenager in the summer of 1988;

The Pope Lick Monster of Kentucky, a goat-man that lures people to their deaths on a train trestle bridge in Louisville;

The Nain Rouge of Detroit, a fierce red goblin that has been spotted before every major city disaster;

and many more!

Whether you believe in bigfoot or not, this compendium is a fun, frightening, and fascinating tour through American folklore and history, exploring the stories we tell about monsters and what those stories say about us.

From the author of Cursed Objects and The United States of Cryptids comes an eye-popping compendium of the most infamous, audacious, and dangerous cults in history.

Have you ever wondered how smart, normal people end up enmeshed in extreme cults? Weird history expert J. W. Ocker strives to answer that question in Cult Following. Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about history’s most notorious cults–and the psychology of the people who join them–is packed into this accessible, engaging volume. Walk in the footsteps of the followers who were lured into these sinister groups, including:

Branch Davidians: Led by David Koresh, this cult was waiting out the apocalypse in 1993 when the FBI infamously raided their compound in Waco, Texas.

Narcosatanists: This cult of drug traffickers in 1980s Mexico was led by Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo, who believed he had magic powers and committed human sacrifice.

Brotherhood of the Seven Rays: The earliest known UFO cult, the infiltration and study of the Brotherhood by psychologists inspired the term “cognitive dissonance.”

Ho No Hana Sanpogyo: The founder, Hogen Fukunaga, claimed to be able to tell someone’s fortune by examining their feet.

Breatherianism: Breatherians believe that humans can live on air alone. Their founder, Wiley Brooks, claimed to have gone without food for nineteen years.

NXIVM: This twenty-first century cult attracted several members of Hollywood and engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, and racketeering under the guise of personal development seminars.

In Cult Following, Ocker sheds light on the terrifying attraction of cults, demonstrating the elasticity of belief, the desperateness of belonging, and the tragedy of trust.