“In this probing biography, Blumenthal, a former Times reporter, depicts Mack as a complex, deeply intelligent seeker, a man drawn equally to the mysteries of consciousness and the cosmos.”—Gal Beckerman and Emily Eakin, New York Times Book Review
“Drop all mention of the extraterrestrials and The Believer remains a riveting look at the psychology of how we come to believe things. Mack’s abilities, his brilliance, flaws, hubris, and mania, are anatomized with sensitivity. Readers will close the book wiser than when they opened it and painfully aware of what they do not and perhaps can never know about Mack, about extraterrestrials, and about the nature of truth.”—Simon Ings, The Times [London]
“A compelling biography. . . . This well-researched account uses Mack’s personal journals, archives, and notes, along with interviews of close friends and family members, to capture the full picture of Mack’s life and genius.”—Marissa Mace, Library Journal
“Detailed, thoughtful, and entertaining. . . . Ralph Blumenthal is a sympathetic biographer and, perhaps, a kindred spirit.”—Nick Pope, The Seminary Co-op Bookstore blog
“Based on fifteen years of research, interviews, and exclusive access to Mack’s archival material, The Believer is the story of a brilliant man whose breadth of interests generated a lifetime of achievements. Believers will appreciate the book’s extensive cosmic phenomena, and nonbelievers will find a unique chronicle of an unquenchable human spirit.”—Amy O’Loughlin, Foreword Reviews
“With his access to Mack’s archives and other significant sources, Blumenthal’s book is a significant insight into the man, his missions, and the controversies that followed them.”—Bill Chalker, UFO Truth Magazine
“An inherently fascinating biography that is a ‘must read’ for all dedicated UFOlogists.”—Able Greenspan, Midwest Book Review
“This extraordinary biography reads like a fast-paced thriller. It deftly weaves the detailed richness of John Mack’s genius and complex life through the historical backdrop of the alien-abduction phenomena. Ralph Blumenthal has so beautifully captured the essence of Mack’s soul and his relentless curiosity that by the end of the book I mourned that Mack is no longer with us.”—Trish MacGregor, coauthor of Aliens in the Backyard: UFO Encounters, Abductions, and Synchronicity
“As a person sane enough to hold a driver’s license, I say, what are we to make of Mack’s findings? Read this gripping, factual account of a mental-health pioneer and truth-seeker by a soundly accredited successful author, veteran New York Times foreign correspondent, and reporter. Decide for yourselves and then tell me!”—Dan Aykroyd
“Anyone who is intrigued by the involvement of John Mack, a psychiatrist on the faculty of Harvard, or by the interest of psychiatrists in the anomalous in general and UFOs in particular, should not miss reading this book! It is filled with details on the topic, both pro and con, that are not publicly available in any other place that I know.”—David J. Hufford, author of The Terror That Comes in the Night: An Experience-Centered Study of Supernatural Assault Traditions
“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.”—Jeffrey J. Kripal, author of The Flip: Epiphanies of Mind and the Future of Knowledge
“Ralph Blumenthal’s definitive biography is beautifully written and impeccably researched, providing fascinating new insights into the professional and personal life of John Mack. What drove the Harvard psychiatrist to take alien abductions seriously? This question has never been addressed as brilliantly or as deeply as it is in The Believer—a must read!”—Leslie Kean, author of UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record
