About the author
James McClenon was a sociologist whose research examined paranormal belief and anomalous experience from a social-scientific perspective. Wondrous Events, published by the University of Pennsylvania Press, surveys phenomena such as extrasensory perception, apparitions, near-death and out-of-body experiences, sleep paralysis, psychokinesis, firewalking, and reported psychic healing, examining the social and psychological foundations underlying belief in them. The Entity Letters, from Anomalist Books, narrows the focus to a specific case: a years-long investigation of a sitter group, the Society for Research, that reported table movements, levitations, poltergeist activity, and other physical phenomena, approached with a sociologist's attention to group dynamics and testimony rather than a believer's or a debunker's framing. McClenon's work sits within the sociology of religion and anomalous experience, written for readers interested in how paranormal belief functions within communities rather than in adjudicating whether the phenomena themselves are real.
📖 Where to start with James McClenon
💬 What our editors say about James McClenon's books
“McClenon delivers a fascinating sociological dissection of a specific paranormal experiment, offering fresh insights into the mechanics of mediumship. However, this book does not suit readers seeking straightforward supernatural…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on The Entity Letters: A Sociologist on the Trail of a Supernatural Mystery
“McClenon’s analysis is intellectually robust, successfully bridging parapsychology and religious studies to reveal how 'wondrous events' influence faith. However, readers seeking paranormal sensationalism or practical occult…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Wondrous Events - Ingram Academic McClenon, James
