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Weird NJ
Mark Sceurman, Mark Moran
Sterling (2003)
Weird New Jersey, Your Travel Guide to New Jersey's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets
This hardcover "travel guide to New Jersey's local legends and best kept secrets" is a fun read. The stories, many of which are accounts sent in by Weird NJ magazine readers, are short and it's easy to flip the book open to a random page and get a fix of weirdness before putting it down again.
Weird NJ, a magazine which I've been a fan of for the past few years, goes far beyond just the odd and uncanny, they serve up an educational smorgasbord of historic and cultural articles that shed much light on some otherwise not-well-known facts about New Jersey. Young and old readers alike can benefit from the wealth of information found both in the Weird NJ magazine, and in this fine hardcover presentation. Plenty of interesting characters in New Jersey too.
Still, there are so many spookily enticing mysteries presented in this book that I often find myself re-reading some of the strangest tales, especially those that have occurred near my area. The mysterious lights seen, and videotaped, floating about above the Wanaque reservoir for example. The most recent documented sighting was in 1992, but a series of sightings were reported during the 1960's, police officials included among the witnesses.
Another of my favorites is Big Red Eye, the mysterious Bigfoot like creature that has been seen in and around Sussex County, New Jersey for years. In the early 1970's a nocturnal visitation by a hulking, human-like creature was reported by a Sussex farmer, who claimed to have shot at the monster before it ran off into the night. Later, a forest ranger at High Point State Park encountered a large, hairy man-like beast while hiking along one of the park's trails. More recently, strange noises have been reported in the boro of Sussex, and a report of a large, red eyed, hairy humanoid creature comes out of Mahwah, New Jersey.
These and other great tales of the unexplained are what capture my attention most in the Weird NJ book. It also contains wonderful history and reader stories, of local legends, lore, and landmarks, as well as tales of the Jersey Devil, the Caldwell Mystery Thread (bizarre), the Devil's Tower, Clinton Road mysteries and more. All presented with many photos, artwork and compelling graphics.
By the way, if you've never driven along Clinton Road at night, I dare you. If you're interested in good spooky fun, then Clinton Road is a must for you. An innocent enough road to travel by day, but at night, depending on the strength of your imagination, it can become a gloriously eerie ride through spookville.
The long anticipated Weird NJ book of New Jersey's local legends and best kept secrets is a must have for anyone interested in strange mysteries, legends, folklore and the supernatural, Jersey resident or not. One fact cannot be denied, New Jersey stands to be the weirdest state of them all, and I'm proud to be a Weird New Jersian! Thanks Mark and Mark!
Review by Drew Vics for Eclecticreviews.com
