Book Review: It Came from Ohio by James Renner

While I was at the Ohio Bigfoot Conference earlier this month, I picked up a copy of James Renner's book It Came from Ohio: True Tales of the Weird, Wild, and Unexplained. The author takes a look at quite a few strange creatures/occurrences from throughout the state and it was an enjoyable read.

This book isn't really an "examination" of any of the reports and/or stories - Renner actually doesn't really do any examinations at all. He just presents the stories as they are, and in a way this was quite enjoyable. This book was not supposed to be about proving or disproving whether a man-beast lives in such-and-such park. It's a collection of stories of sightings and urban legends.

Renner doesn't focus on just one sort of odd phenomena, either. Mysteries featured in the book include Bigfoot, the Lake Erie monster, UFOs, ghosts, the Loveland frog and mothman, melon heads, possible extraterrestrial contact, werewolves, and more.

One thing I liked about this book is that, being a journalist, Renner actually went and talked to people who would know a thing or two about the legends. He spoke to one of the witnesses of the "Loveland frog," people who have spent time searching for Bigfoot in Salt Fork State Park, and people who have worked at houses supposedly haunted by spirits.

Overall, the book is a quick, fun read. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in urban legends or Ohio mysteries.

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