By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Westwood Public Library (WPL) hosted Author John O’Connor to discuss his book
“The Secret History of Bigfoot.” Attendees gathered together in the Community Meeting Room, eager to hear O’Connor’s experiences when writing this fascinating nonfiction account.
In regards to this event, the WPL went on to state, “From the shrouded forests of the Pacific Northwest to off-the-wall cryptozoological conventions, one man searches high and low for the answer to the question: real or not, why do we want to believe? Journalist and self-diagnosed skeptic John O’Connor was curious to learn more. So, he embarked on a quest through the North American wilds in search of Bigfoot, its myth and meaning. Alongside an eccentric cast of characters, he explored the zany and secretive world of “cryptozoology,” tracking Bigfoot through ancient folklore to Harry and the Hendersons, while examining the forces behind our ever-widening belief in the supernatural.”
At the beginning of this discussion, O’Connor briefly explained some backstory about his writing process of this book before reading a part of Chapter Two for the audience. When starting to do research on Bigfoot, he initially looked for sightings in Massachusetts then broadened his horizons. In total, he went on four expeditions with a team of people in search of Bigfoot, and while O’Connor himself never caught sight of a Bigfoot, other members on the same expeditions claimed they did.
O’Connor additionally went into great detail about how much he talks about belief within his work. At first, he did not think he would have to put so much emphasis on it, but he explained that we all have our own passionate beliefs and believing in Bigfoot could be one of them. There is a huge gray area when it comes to what people may believe in or not, but O’Connor begs the question, “Why do we believe the unbelievable?” With this in mind, he set off on this incredible journey to learn about and try to find a Bigfoot.
Towards the end of the presentation, O’Connor was asked an array of questions by audience members. When asked how he got interested in searching for Bigfoot, he explained that he originally wanted to write a screenplay and the topic of Bigfoot came up. After doing some research, he became quite interested in the topic and realized there was more to this story than what he was seeing. After conducting more and more research, he had enough to put together an incredible book.
Whether a skeptic or believer of Bigfoot, O’Connor was able to share some extremely interesting facts and stories about his journeys. While he did not sight a Bigfoot himself, he stated that many people alongside him on these expeditions turned from disbelievers to believers overnight. For more information about O’Connor’s book, please visit the WPL’s website at www.westwoodlibrary.org.
