The Dibbuk Box
Written by: Jason Haxton
Published by: Truman State University Press (November 1, 2011)
Paperback: 192 pages
ISBN-10: 1612480128
ISBN-13: 978-1612480121
Where to buy:
Truman State University Press, (Free shipping and eBook at 1/2 price!), Amazon, and other fine book retailers.Publisher’s Comments:
A series of eerie events slowly unfolds when a wine cabinet sells at an estate sale in Oregon. It is soon sold and resold on eBay’s Internet auction, and each new owner becomes desperate to get rid of the box along with the health problems, accidents, or death they claim came with it.Jason Haxton, the curator of a medical museum in a small Missouri town, learns of the mysterious cabinet and is intrigued by it as an artifact to be studied and researched. He places a bid on eBay and soon finds himself the proud owner of the dibbuk box. But as he carefully investigates and records everything he can about this unusual item said to be possessed by a Jewish spirit, Haxton discovers far more than he bargained for. In this true account, a dark story comes to light—a story that began at the time of the Holocaust and seems to have come full circle.
About the Author:
Jason Haxton is the museum director at A. T. Still University Museum of Osteopathic Medicine. He speaks on medical history and exhibits artifacts from the museum worldwide.
Hello Ghouls and Boils,
We had the opportunity to interview Jason Haxton recently. He is a nice and very interesting man. If you haven’t heard the interview you can listen to it >>here<<! So now, as promised (ok a day late), here is the review of this truly intriguing book. Enjoy, my fiends.
Abstrusely,
Sarah L, Covert
As someone who has done her own fair share of studying the subjects of spirituality, occultism, and mysticism – when my Assistant Editor brought this book to my attention I was immediately intrigued. Then I found out that Ghost House Pictures (A production company formed by Mandrake Pictures, Sam Raimi, and Robert Tapert dedicated to making awesome horror flicks) was making a movie loosely based on the book – The Possession – and I was VERY interested in getting the scoop.
Between me and my A.E. we nagged and begged and pleaded (ok — only half kidding) Mr. Haxton for an interview. Sadly, life got in the way and it took a wee bit longer to get to the ever patient author’s interview scheduled. But – as the fates would have it – the timing became ideal. We were originally going to interview him prior to the books release, but I was able to get the book in my hands before we spoke!
I wasn’t sure what a Dibbuk (or Dybbuk) was. I never stumbled across such a thing in any of my research. From what I understand it is a Jewish version of a poltergeist, except the malicious spirit attaches itself to an object and not a person or house. Which means it can (and in this case has) move more freely, so to speak.
This book follows Jason’s interesting experiences from the time he purchases the box (on a whim) on eBay all the way through the seven year journey that led him to this fascinating piece of historical non-fiction.
Warning: this book is hard to put down, so make sure when you read it you have some free time to sit in a room with the lights dimmed and some candles glowing. It is sure to send chills down your spine.
Final Thoughts:
If you are someone who is interested in true stories related to the powers behind mysticism then this book is perfect for you. But it is told in such a fascinating way, that this book crosses-over to people who like ghost stories and things that go bump in the night. I highly recommend this book and it gets an easy 5 out of 5 tentacles. Hopefully we will get a chance to interview him again once the movie hits the theatres!
Sarah L. Covert– Creator/Editor/Reviewer/Columnist
