Publishers Weekly
★ 12/11/2023
What does it mean that so many Americans believe a large ape-like creature roams the country’s forests? Journalist O’Connor attempts to answer this question in an amusing and thoughtful debut that focuses on “bigfooters” as much as on the legendary beast itself. Through fieldwork and interviews, O’Connor analyzes the belief as a social phenomenon while also cataloging the long history of sightings and noting links to Native American legends concerning a wild man living in the woods. He gives space to serious believers (their ranks include two-time National Book Award winner Peter Matthiessen, who claimed he may have spotted a yeti in 1970s Nepal and thought a similar creature could exist in North America) while also citing fellow author Robert Michael Pyle, a bigfoot agnostic, who theorizes that both bigfooting and Trumpism are related “expressions of disproportionally white, male, middle-aged American angst.” (Though not everyone who believes in bigfoot is drawn to the hunt for such reasons, O’Connor points out.) Plunging into the mystery directly, O’Connor participates in a recreation of the famed 1967 Patterson-Gimlin footage (which purported to show a bigfoot walking for several seconds in California) that fails to prove the figure depicted was above average height. Throughout, O’Connor uses bigfoot as a launching point into rewarding ruminations on pop culture, psychology, and philosophy. It’s a winning portrait of America at its weirdest. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
"Buoyant, wide-ranging book…O'Connor... proves to be a nimble writer…believe what you will about its existence, but there’s no doubting our culture’s fascination with the creature." — The Wall Street Journal
"Strikingly original... O’Connor is affable in the extreme, and funny, and in Bigfoot he has found an object of desire that unites in real intimacy conservationists who long for wilderness and seekers who long for transcendence." — The New York Times
"There’s some great stuff here. About myth and imagination. About the power and importance of wilderness and wildness to the human psyche. About belief, and the lies our own eyes relay to us each and every day." — The Washington Post
"A winning portrait of America at its weirdest." — Publishers Weekly STARRED Review
"Playful and chock full of kooky characters (human and beast), this informative yet raucous account is perfect for fans of Louis Theroux." — Booklist
"This is unlike the average book about Bigfoot… This wildly informative investigative narrative about Bigfoot is definitely worth reading. It’s best suited for nonbelievers, but readers convinced that Bigfoot exists will have a great time too." — Library Journal STARRED Review
"Hilarious. An unforgettable blend of comic hijinx, barnburing journalism, and beautiful writing. The Secret History of Bigfoot places a peculiarly American phenomenon on the continuum of crackpot ideas and believe-whatever-you-want fantasies embedded in our past and present, tracking its life and legend while parsing various subtexts of belief, from Salishan mythology to modern day 'cryptozoology,' from clear-headed skeptics to conspiratorial kooks. His affection for Bigfooters is matched only by his honest and revelatory assessment of their beliefs. Simply one of the funniest and most entertaining books I've read in a very long time." — Kirk Wallace Johnson, bestselling author of The Feather Thief and The Fisherman and the Dragon
"Tales of monsters dwelling in the forest dark endure around the world, but there is something conspicuously, poignantly, and outlandishly American about Bigfoot. John O'Connor takes us on a jubilant journey coast to coast and across the centuries to understand why a mythic figure that seems always to be disappearing just as it comes into view has such an enduring presence. The truth may or may not be out there; The Secret History of Bigfoot is a reminder of how much fun the search for it can be." — Peter Manseau, author of The Apparitionist
"Ostensibly, this is a book about the legend of Bigfoot and the cabal of seekers who studiously attend to its myth, but it is actually a book about wildness, desire, faith, hope, loss, and the various things we sense in our bones but cannot account for. John O'Connor is a deeply smart, funny, and tenderhearted writer, and The Secret History of Bigfoot is a remarkable debut, full of wit, insight, and a devout reverence for the mysteries at the heart of our existence. I loved this book. It made me feel as though both everything and nothing are possible." — Amanda Petrusich, author of Do Not Sell at Any Price
"In The Secret History of Bigfoot, John O’Connor explores a piece of American culture that has often had a buff of exuberant goofiness on its outside, but what O'Connor's wonderful debut shows us is that beyond that sheen is something far more fascinating and profound than Bigfoot. Intoxicatingly adventurous and deftly insightful, this book is magical." — John D'Agata, author of About a Mountain
Library Journal
★ 01/01/2024
What does Bigfoot have to do with Trumpism, economic insecurity, or the ivory-billed woodpecker? Quite a bit, according to O'Connor, a journalist and self-labeled skeptic. He takes readers on what he calls a "Bigfoot walkabout," which stretches from Walden Pond, MA, to Texas. This is unlike the average book about Bigfoot: it's elevated by O'Connor's jaunty writing style, which flows as he recounts famous encounters with the humanlike legendary creature and relates relevant factoids from American history (sprinkled with the occasional expletive) and anecdotes from folks he meets as he explores in the woods, on porches, in cultural centers, and at conventions. Along the way, he discusses some interesting facets of "squatching," the search for and investigation of the mythical creature. For example, he notes the solidarity and community-building that Bigfoot hunting provides, along with the problematic aspects of mostly white Bigfoot enthusiasts appropriating Indigenous stories and retroactively applying them to Bigfoot lore. He also explains the difference between the two camps of Bigfoot searchers: "the flesh-and-blood" and "the woo." VERDICT This wildly informative investigative narrative about Bigfoot is definitely worth reading. It's best suited for nonbelievers, but readers convinced that Bigfoot exists will have a great time too.—Jack Phoenix
