Summary of The Secret History of Bigfoot by John O’Connor: Field Notes on a North American Monster

By Justin Reese

DISCLAIMER

 

This book does not in any capacity mean to replace the original book but to serve as a vast summary of the original book.

 

Summary of The Secret History of Bigfoot by John O'Connor: Field Notes on a North American Monster

IN THIS SUMMARIZED BOOK, YOU WILL GET:

• Chapter astute outline of the main contents.
• Fast & simple understanding of the content analysis.
• Exceptionally summarized content that you may skip in the original book

John O'Connor, a skeptic and journalist, embarks on a quest to understand the myth and meaning behind Bigfoot, a recognizable primate featured in various media. He explores the cryptozoological world, tracking Bigfoot through ancient folklore and the Hendersons. O'Connor's journey through the Pacific Northwest, firsthand accounts, and Bigfoot conventions reveals the blurred lines between myth and reality. This heartfelt exploration of American folklore explores why we believe in things, what that says about us, and how it shapes our world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: jUSTIN REESE
• Release date: Feb 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224329496

Book preview

PROLOGUE

The author spent a year writing a film script about a group of eco-warriors who blow up a fracking well owned by a nefarious Big Oil outfit in a Pacific Northwest forest. The explosion rocks a Bigfoot hub, killing scores and unleashing the Wrath of the Squatch, who descend on the eco-warriors and oil company guards in a spree of freakish, primeval violence. The author and screenwriter Farooq Ahmed called the script memorable, but neither of them had thought to do much research. As they worked on the script, they started seeing Bigfoot everywhere, including CBD oil, air fresheners, car polish, coronavirus masks, scented candles, Nalgene bottles, maple syrup, and vile, undrinkable IPAs. The author realized that they had boiled their fascination with Bigfoot into lowbrow genre schlock, rather than understanding its origins.

The script's unwritten hero was an eccentric Bigfooter named Kennerson (Walsh), who spoke for those who felt seductively bored by everyday life and scorned and neglected by the world at large. The author aimed to set aside their own convictions, unpeel the oniony layers of belief, and understand something about Bigfooters and the culture that shaped them.

SHADOW COUNTRY

The author recounts their experience of being stranded on a mountain in the Northern Cascades, a place where two hikers had gone missing in recent years. They felt a sense of prefrontal slippage and a sense of being eight years old again. They had strung a bear bag and an inedible trail bar, but they were unsure if they encountered a wild bear or a marmot. They considered various myths and creatures, such as Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and other Native American creatures.

The noise of the bears and marmots echoed through the air, and the author lay still, clutching a plastic spork to their chest. They heard a surgical howl and another feral, childlike wail, and the crash of rock on rock. They resorted to burrowing deeper and humming Little Feat's Willin' while weeping inwardly.

When the noise subsided, the author wriggled free of their bag, unzipped the tent, and stuck their face into the darkness. They found a loose tent peg being dashed against the rocks by the wind, creating an unfathomable howl. The author's coping mechanisms included burrowing deeper and humming Little Feat's Willin' while weeping inwardly.

David Rains Wallace's book, The Klamath Knot: Explorations of Myth and Evolution, describes a series of visions and night terrors he experienced in California's Siskiyou Mountains, a region of frequent Bigfoot sightings. The author, who was on Green Mountain, wanted to write about Bigfoot's myth, meaning, origin, and why it bewitches, confounds, and occasionally terrifies us. During the pandemic, the author became caught up in the spirit of our strange times and began to imbibe Bigfoot literature, podcasts, chat room banter, Instagram posts, and Facebook rants.

The author's obsession with Bigfoot became his own obsessions, propelling him down uncertain paths and making life more interesting. He planned to hit all points of the compass on his Bigfoot walkabout, but it was in the Pacific Northwest where Bigfoot's story begins. In the fall of 2021, he flew from Boston to the Washington Cascades to see the landscape, arguably the biggest Bigfoot country in the Lower 48, and the Mount BakerSnoqualmie National Forest, specifically the Darrington Ranger District.

The author felt as vital as a beating heart, moving again and taking part in the existence of things, as D. H. Lawrence and Pauly Shore said. The author's journey to the Pacific Northwest was a testament to the power of imagination and the importance of moving forward in the face of adversity.

The author describes their experience in a dark and unfathomable forest where they encounter eight-hundred-pound monsters roaming undetected. They are drawn