Unidentified Flying Objects and Extraterrestrial Life

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-Marsh's emphasis here is on the major SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence) projects undertaken to detect alien radio signals. While strange celestial events recorded in ancient Egypt and India as well as Rome, China, France, Russia, and Mexico over the past 2,000 years are touched upon, they and more recent UFO encounters are not the main focus. Quirky theories about what some people believe are depictions of spacecraft and alien beings in cave paintings, West African sand paintings, Mayan carving, and Peruvian rock paintings are given equal, brief space with accounts of abductions, "UFO cults," and even channelers who claim to be in mental contact with aliens. Highlighted sections reveal literature, television, and film's fascination with extraterrestrial-life themes. The conclusion drawn from all reported experiences and SETI searches is that there is no concrete, definitive proof of the existence of intelligent life anywhere but on Earth. This provides some balance for works like Larry Kettelkamp's ET's and UFO's, Are They Real? (Morrow, 1996), which consists mostly of convincing descriptions of UFO encounters as documented events. Decorative full-color and black-and-white photos appear throughout Marsh's book. She augments her work with a well-done glossary, a nine-item list for further reading, a lengthier list of her source material, and an extensive index. Also included is a page full of addresses of space and UFO organizations in the U.S. and Internet addresses for six UFO discussion groups and research organizations.-Ann G. Brouse, Big Flats Branch Library, NY