Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans

One On One With SatanA chilling and highly convincing account of possession and exorcism in modern America, hailed by NBC Radio as "one of the most stirring books on the contemporary scene."Review“Martin is above all serious. He is not speaking about madness, about illusions or the irrational, but about the real beyond all reason.... He presents exorcism as ... a titanic clash of wills that threatens the lives, the sanity, even the souls of all attending.” (Newsweek) “Martin’s polished contemporary sense of traditional theology entices even the skeptical.... Stunningly pertinent ...Will set you thinking-and thinking-and thinking.” (Detroit News) “The most shattering book on demonic possession isn’t fiction at all but Malachi Martin’s spellbinding work of interpretive reporting.” (New York (Sunday) Daily News) “In the barrage of books on possession and exorcism, this is undoubtedly the most authoritative and convincing.” (The Washington Post Book Review) “Malachi Martin ... was the greatest expert on the subject of possession and exorcism in the English speaking world.” (M. Scott Peck, M. D., author of Glimpses of the Devil) “Hostage to the Devil is the first and only textbook on the subject of possession and exorcism in modern times. It is the only work to describe the stages of exorcism and it is obviously based on an enormous amount of personal experience. ... a brilliant work.” (M. Scott Peck, M. D., author of Glimpses of the Devil) From the PublisherA chilling and highly convincing account of possession and exorcism in modern America, hailed by NBC Radio as "one of the most stirring books on the contemporary scene." Hostage to the Devil is a controversial nonfiction bestseller, a chilling and true account of possession and exorcism in modern America, hailed by NBC Radio as "one of the most stirring books on the contemporary scene."--Back cover. In 1976 Satanism was presented, and was probably regarded by most Americans, as a box office and a bookstore draw. In fact, Hostage to the Devil was intended as a clear warning that Possession is not- nor was it ever- some tale of dark fancy featuring ogres and happy endings. Possession is real; and real prices are paid. Among the general population of Catholics and Christians of other denominations, large numbers of people no longer learn even so basic a prayer as the Our Father. In churches and parochial schools alike, the subject of Hell is avoided, as one midwestern priest put it, in order not to put people "on a guilt trip." The idea of sin is likewise avoided, according to the same source, in order not to do "irreparable damage to what has been taught for the past fifteen years." That much alone leaves every Christian at a profound and needless disadvantage in the confrontation with evil that life brings to each of us. Deeply felt prohibitions against mixing what is termed the "rational" with the faith that is necessary for the recognition of evil is, for many, an insurmountable obstacle. And without the grace that is born of true faith, Satan does what he does best- he ceases to exist in the eyes of those who do not see. - Preface. What happens when a human being becomes possessed by Satan? What are the horrors of being possessed? What type of man is an exorcist? Why would he offer himself as hostage to the devil so as to free the person possessed by evil? What are the physical tortures and mental anguish of the exorcist? Here for the first time, in a book of unforgettable power and compassion that is being praised as a milestone by churchmen of varied faiths, are documented case histories of possession and exorcism -- the real life dramas of five Americans whose exorcisms were performed between 1965 and 1974. - Jacket flap. Cover......Page 1 Preface to the New Edition: Possession and Exorcism in America in the 1990s......Page 2 Michael Strong - Part 1......Page 10 Zio's Friend and the Smiler......Page 24 Father Bones and Mister Nacht......Page 59 The Virgin and the Girl-Fixer......Page 117 Uncle Ponto and the Mushroom-Souper......Page 167 The Rooster and the Tortoise......Page 214 Michael Strong - Conclusion......Page 291

One On One With Satan

A chilling and highly convincing account of possession and exorcism in modern America, hailed by NBC Radio as one of the most stirring books on the contemporary scene.

"When the search party reached the disused grain store known locally as Puh-Chi (One Window), the bombing of Nanking was at its height."