Author to discuss new biography of famed UFO researcher March 23

Author Ralph Blumenthal will discuss his new book, “The Believer: Alien Encounters, Hard Science, and the Passion of John Mack,” in a live, online event March 23 from the Lewes Public Library and Browseabout Books.

“The Believer” tells the true story of Harvard psychiatrist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Mack, who famously studied and attempted to legitimize UFO abduction accounts — at the risk of his own career and credibility. Based on exclusive interviews and access to Mack’s archives, journals and psychiatric notes, Blumenthal’s book reveals the life and work of a man who explored the deepest of scientific conundrums — and leads the reader to the hidden dimensions and alternate realities that captivated Mack until the end of his life.

“John Mack was one of the few prominent American intellectuals who saw and said what was, and still is, really at stake in the UFO phenomenon — reality itself. And Ralph Blumenthal is the perfect biographer to take up Mack and bring him to life, in all his humanity and complexity, on the page. A major achievement,” said Jeffrey J. Kripal, author of “The Flip: Epiphanies of Mind and the Future of Knowledge.”

The Zoom-based discussion begins at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23, and is free to the public. Registration is required and can be done at the Lewes Public Library’s website. Visit the Virtual Programs for Adults page of the library’s website (lewes.lib.de.us) to register, or go to tinyurl.com/zoomwithauthors.

Participants are being encouraged to support the author by purchasing a copy of the book from local independent bookstore Browseabout Books. Each copy purchased comes with an archival bookplate signed by the author. Orders may be placed online, in-person, or by calling the store at (302) 226-2665.

Ralph Blumenthal is a lecturer at Baruch College and author of four books. He is a former award-winning reporter for the New York Times; his 2017 Times article broke the news of a secret Pentagon unit investigating UFOs. Blumenthal will be in conversation with Will Bueché, archivist at the John Mack Institute and former colleague of John Mack.

For additional information, visit lewes.lib.de.us or browseaboutbooks.com.

*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from Coastal Point can be found here ***