Yesterday morning I was chatting with a few friends about Gray Barker's Mothman-themed book, "The Silver Bridge" of 1970. I've come to know over the years that many people don't realize that the first book on the subject of Mothman is NOT John Keel's book, "The Mothman Prophecies," that was first published in 1975. It was Barker's.
I have to say that Barker's writing style is much better than Keel's. It's far more gripping. But, there's a problem.... Barker wrote a great book, but he chose to exaggerate his style. By that, I mean Barker chose to go too far with both his style and content. And to the point that it's hard to tell what's real and what's made out of Barker's imagination.
In fact, for me, Barker's writing often comes across like genius Hunter S. Thompson's: a mix of fact and what became as "Gonzo" writing. Now, there's another "but." At times, Barker exaggerated to the level that he could have been called a liar. And justifiably.
So, if you're someone who is interested in the origins of the Mothman phenomenon, get your hands on both books: "The Silver Bridge" of 1970 and "The Mothman Prophecies" of 1975.
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