Backyard Bigfoot

A reviewer

I confess I started to read ¿Backyard Bigfoot¿ with some trepidation since in my childhood I was deathly afraid of Bigfoot. I also found myself more alarmed while reading the book to discover that not only is Shiel immensely interested in hairy hominids but she has also had some interactions with them! Talk about a scary topic. But as I read ¿Backyard Bigfoot¿, I found myself more and more engrossed in the book. Shiel¿s interactions with Bigfoot occurred both in Texas and her current home in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan--just a few hours away from me! Besides hearing Bigfoot screams and finding their footprints, Shiel has played a game of stick signs with her hairy hominid friends. After finding strange stick formations laid out in the woods around her home, she decided to make her own stick formations nearby, only to return the next day and find her stick signs rearranged into new patterns. The purpose of the stick formations she found remains unknown, other than being a game or a sign that the hairy hominids were simply curious about her and sought to interact with her. But stick signs are just the beginning of what becomes a very gripping narrative. While most authors who write about Bigfoot seek to convince readers that Bigfoot exists, Shiel refuses to go that route. Instead, she speaks with commonsense about science, its often faulty views about evolution and DNA, and where and if the hairy hominid fits into the human family tree. She also details examples of sightings of hairy hominids back to ancient times, including potential references in the Bible, drawings of them from Ancient Egypt, and the attributed Wildman of medieval legends. Shiel makes a very convincing argument that hairy hominids do exist and that a better understanding of them is vital to our own understanding of evolution and human history. And then the strange flashing lights appeared near her home¿Yes, Bigfoot has a UFO connection, but to explain that would give away the fun of reading the book. What I will say is that Shiel is extremely level-headed about her arguments. I don¿t think she exaggerates, fakes evidence, or uses faulty reasoning. I don¿t always completely agree with her arguments and conclusions, but I find them fascinating and possible. I especially commend her common sense in asking valid questions regarding scientific theories about evolution. ¿Backyard Bigfoot¿ is a fast, fascinating, and thought-provoking read. It is the most interesting scientific-based book I have read since Bryan Sykes¿s ¿The Seven Daughters of Eve¿, a book Shiel would obviously find fault with. I recommend ¿Backyard Bigfoot¿ to anyone interested in science, history, anthropology, evolution, and the supernatural who also enjoys a gripping story. Shiel is also the author of a series of adventure novels about Bigfoot. I will definitely be reading those soon. And Lisa, when you do talk to Bigfoot, please tell him to stay over in the Keweenaw. I enjoy reading about him, but I¿m not up for a houseguest in Marquette. - Tyler R. Tichelaar, author of The Marquette Trilogy: ¿Iron Pioneers¿, ¿The Queen City¿, and ¿Superior Heritage¿.

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