• American Cosmic

  • UFOs, Religion, Technology
  • By: D.W. Pasulka
  • Narrated by: Norah Tocci
  • Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (922 ratings)

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American Cosmic  By  cover art

American Cosmic

By: D.W. Pasulka
Narrated by: Norah Tocci
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Publisher's summary

More than half of American adults and more than 75 percent of young Americans believe in intelligent extraterrestrial life. This level of belief rivals that of belief in God. American Cosmic examines the mechanisms at work behind the thriving belief system in extraterrestrial life, a system that is changing and even supplanting traditional religions.

Over the course of a six-year ethnographic study, D. W. Pasulka interviewed successful and influential scientists, professionals, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who believe in extraterrestrial intelligence, thereby disproving the common misconception that only fringe members of society believe in UFOs. She argues that widespread belief in aliens is due to a number of factors, including their ubiquity in modern media like The X-Files, which can influence memory, and the believability lent to that media by the search for planets that might support life. American Cosmic explores the intriguing question of how people interpret unexplainable experiences and argues that the media is replacing religion as a cultural authority that offers believers answers about non-human intelligent life.

©2019 Oxford University Press (P)2019 Tantor

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What listeners say about American Cosmic

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Narration was excellent!

I have no idea why people are saying the narration was bad. I absolutely loved the narrators voice, she was perfect for this book. The book was amazing as well!

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Great !!

Highly recommended this Audio book, sorry was great and very informative. Give it a listen when you get a chance !!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The Artifact

Prepare to challenge yourself to a view of an expanded universe that part of your mind rejects but yet you pulls into it. I enjoyed the listen. It will no doubt lead you to a re-examining of topics of faith, UFOs, gifted individuals and the limits of science. You may see your world” slightly a new after this read.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Interesting content, but narration gets in the way...

The pace of narration is..., frustrating.
It sounds as if it is deliberately being read slowly, or being read to a child. Not sure what the production was trying to achieve, but it does not do the book and its content justice.

This needs to be re-recorded.

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    5 out of 5 stars

A must read!

The only thing I would change is the narration. It would have been lovely to hear the author narrate. Other than that, its incredible. Anyone who is interested in the more mystical side of the UAP topic, or if you believe there is allot more to the phenomenon, you will love this book.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very good subject detail

Well put together and researched, orator is excellent, learned new things not just a rehash

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • cl
  • 01-30-24

Fascinating story but challenging narration

This topic is fascinating and her take on it from a religious perspective is interesting, however the narrator makes everything sound so skeptical that I just got tired of listening. which is a shame because I really have interest in the intersection between ufology and religion.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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amazingly threaded together....

Couldn't stop listening to the research and the story of time. To me this is about Time.......

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • SP
  • 05-08-21

Information is fascinating. Narration is grating.

As others have noted, this is a well-written and fascinating book. However, the narration is mystifyingly stilted and slow. Ultimately, I listened to it at a speed of x1.1 and it changed the whole experience.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Well balanced and forthcoming

Having listened to and watched a few interviews of the author, I was not dissatisfied with this audiobook. If the gap between science and spirituality can be bridged, books like this may be the planks. Personally I would have preferred Diana do her own narration, as the narration took the tone of an AI voice program. I look forward to the next one from Diana Walsh Pasulka.

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