The In-Betweens: The Spiritualists, Mediums, and Legends of Camp Etna

They believed they would live forever. So begins Mira Ptacin's haunting account of the women of Camp Etna--an otherworldly community in the woods of Maine that has, since 1876, played host to generations of Spiritualists and mediums dedicated to preserving the links between the mortal realm and the afterlife. Beginning her narrative in 1848 with two sisters who claimed they could speak to the dead, Ptacin reveals how Spiritualism first blossomed into a national practice during the Civil War, yet continues--even thrives--to this very day. Immersing herself in this community and its practices--from ghost hunting to releasing trapped spirits to water witching-- Ptacin sheds new light on our ongoing struggle with faith, uncertainty, and mortality. Blending memoir, ethnography, and investigative reportage, The In-Betweens offers a vital portrait of Camp Etna and its enduring hold on a modern culture that remains as starved for a deeper sense of connection and otherworldliness as ever.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Published: 10/29/2019
ISBN: 9781631493812
Pages: 288
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.40w x 1.20d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2019
Library Journal 09/13/2019 pg. 1
Publishers Weekly 09/23/2019
Booklist 11/15/2019 pg. 20