Intimate Alien, David Halperin
Intimate Alien, David Halperin
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Intimate Alien
The Hidden Story of the UFO

Author: David Halperin

Narrator: Kevin T. Collins

Unabridged: 10 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/23/2020

Synopsis

A voyage of exploration―to the outer reaches of our inner lives.UFOs are a myth, says David J. Halperin, but myths are real. The power and fascination of the UFO has nothing to do with space travel or life on other planets. It’s about us, our longings, and terrors, especially the greatest terror of all: the end of our existence.This is a book about UFOs that goes beyond believing in them or debunking them, to a fresh understanding of what they tell us about ourselves as individuals, as a culture, as a species.In the 1960s Halperin was a teenage UFOlogist, convinced that flying saucers were real and that it was his life’s mission to solve their mystery. He would become a professor of religious studies—traditions of heavenly journeys being his specialty. With Intimate Alien, he looks back to explore what UFOs once meant to him as a boy growing up in a home haunted by death and what they still mean for millions, believers and deniers alike.From the prehistoric Balkans to the deserts of New Mexico, from the Biblical visions of Ezekiel to modern abduction encounters, Intimate Alien traces the hidden story of the UFO. It’s a human story from beginning to end, no less mysterious and fantastic for its earthliness. A collective cultural dream, UFOs transport us to the outer limits of that most alien yet intimate frontier: our own inner space.

About David Halperin

David Halperin taught Judaic studies in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, until his retirement in 2000. He has published five nonfiction books on Jewish mysticism and messianism, as well as the coming-of-age novel Journal of a UFO Investigator (2011). He blogs about UFOs, religion, and related subjects at DavidHalperin.net.

About Kevin T. Collins

Kevin T. Collins, an Audie Award–winning audiobook narrator, is an actor, singer, recording artist, and director who can be seen off Broadway, on television, and in films.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jayaprakash on May 27, 2022

I encountered David J Halperin on an esoteric podcast, where he spoke about his research on Sabbatai Zevi, a 17th century kabbalist who claimed to be the Messiah, gathered a movement around him, was captured by the Ottomans and forced to convert to Islam. A fascinating story, but especially through......more

Goodreads review by Steve on March 06, 2021

David J. Halperin joins a growing list of religion scholars (including Jeffrey Kripal and Diana Pasulka) taking on the question of UFOs. Intimate Alien: The Hidden Story of the UFO,/i> approaches the mystery from a different angle than many of the scholars (who are few) that address the topic. A ret......more

Goodreads review by Roger on December 27, 2022

Like so many of the books I enjoy the most, I found Intimate Alien merely by browsing shelves in the bookstore. The UFO phenomenon, and its related conspiracy-theory literature, captured my attention just over ten years ago, in autumn 2012. The circumstances of my life, at the time I discovered and......more

Goodreads review by Santi on June 06, 2024

This is a simply outstanding book, written by a kind, wise, and wonderful scholar. It is delightful to read—insightful, witty, and compassionate. While I might disagree on some details, I agree with the big picture. Halperin almost exclusively focuses on what UFOs mean rather than what they are, whi......more

Goodreads review by Joseph on February 12, 2023

Parallelomania is the process of mistakenly perceiving similarities and fashioning analogies where they don’t necessarily exist. It’s a product of a fertile, active and usually knowledgeable mind that’s stretching itself a little too far in its workings and free-associations. It’s classified as a ki......more

Quotes

“A thoroughly fascinating dive into a third domain, a genuine twilight zone that is perpetually shimmering between mind and matter.” Dean Radin, author of Real Magic

“[A] clearly argued position that a collective unconscious fed the experience, memory, and mythic continuation of UFO folklore.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion

“On one level, this is a book about the UFO phenomenon. On another, this is a book about how a scholar of religion comes to be.” Jeffrey J. Kripal, Rice University

“Part folklorist and part psychologist, Halperin reads our UFO mythos like an alienist analyzing an extended collective dream.” Jesse Walker, author of The United States of Paranoia

“It takes a classical scholar to fully challenge the belief in flying saucers, and David Halperin is the right expert for the job.” Jacques Vallée, author of Passport to Magonia

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