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They Are Already Here: UFO Culture and Why We See Saucers Hardcover – March 3, 2020

by Sarah Scoles (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 122 ratings
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An anthropological look at the UFO community, told through first-person experiences with researchers in their element as they pursue what they see as a solvable mystery—both terrestrial and cosmic.

More than half a century since Roswell, UFOs have been making headlines once again. On December 17, 2017, the New York Times ran a front-page story about an approximately five-year Pentagon program called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. The article hinted, and its sources clearly said in subsequent television interviews, that some of the ships in question couldn’t be linked to any country. The implication, of course, was that they might be linked to other solar systems.

The UFO community—those who had been thinking about, seeing, and analyzing supposed flying saucers (or triangles or chevrons) for years—was surprisingly skeptical of the revelation. Their incredulity and doubt rippled across the internet. Many of the people most invested in UFO reality weren’t really buying it. And as Scoles did her own digging, she ventured to dark, conspiracy-filled corners of the internet, to a former paranormal research center in Utah, and to the hallways of the Pentagon.

In They Are Already Here we meet the bigwigs, the scrappy upstarts, the field investigators, the rational people, and the unhinged kooks of this sprawling community. How do they interact with each other? How do they interact with “anomalous phenomena”? And how do they (as any group must) reflect the politics and culture of the larger world around them?

We will travel along the Extraterrestrial Highway (next to Area 51) and visit the UFO Watchtower, where seeking lights in the sky is more of a spiritual quest than a “gotcha” one. We meet someone who, for a while, believes they may have communicated with aliens. Where do these alleged encounters stem from? What are the emotional effects on the experiencers?

Funny and colorful, and told in a way that doesn’t require one to believe, Scoles brings humanity to an often derided and misunderstood community. After all, the truth is out there . . .
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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pegasus Books
  4. Publication date
    March 3, 2020
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1643133055
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1643133058
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The truth is out there, and They Are Already Here:UFO Culture and Why We See Saucers takes you right to its doorstep. Add this sharp, thoughtful book to your collection.” ― Popular Mechanics, “The Best Space Books of 2020 (So Far)”

“Scoles maintains her position as an outsider journalist making sense of the intricate stew of conspiracy theory, spectacle and kitsch. Scoles marries a thoughtful objectivity with a warm subjectivity as she talks to serious-minded UFO report investigators, tour guides for ET sightseers, and movers and shakers in the UFOlogy community.” ― The Washington Post

“Inspired by the U.S. government’s acknowledgment of a program to investigate UFO encounters, Scoles delivers a nonjudgmental, level-headed look at a long-lasting societal phenomenon. Scoles remains an open-minded skeptic, and it’s this objectivity that makes her buoyant survey so delightful to read.” ― Publishers Weekly

"While many authors in this realm rely on sensationalism and avoid fact-checking, Scoles has written the definitive investigation into the origins of UFO culture and its persistence." ― QUARTZ

Sarah Scoles has gone to some pretty far-out places and talked to a lot of extraordinary people. She wants to understand not just the people who believe in UFOs, but why they believe. Scoles deftly explores the human need to believe in something; something beyond us. -- Jill Tarter

"A fascinating journey; the depth of [Scoles's] research is impressive and her curiosity is infectious."
― Booklist

“This engrossing and well-sourced investigation will leave readers contemplating the human condition of ‘universal uncertainty.’” ― Shelf Awareness

“Framed for skeptics just as much as believers…and will also appeal to those of us who enjoy spending time in nature and staring up at the sky. Scoles deftly gets to the heart of what we feel when we think we’ve connected with something sent from the greater universe: whatever’s out there, maybe it wants to know us and be known, and the experience of discovery makes us special.” ― Outside

"Scoles’s biography deftly and entertainingly tells the story of groundbreaking scientist Jill Tarter, whose work has been pivotal to SETI. Making Contact astutely highlights the nuances and challenges of being a female scientist at the time, a heroic achievement in itself. Tarter's story reminds us to keep pursuing answers to pivotal scientific questions, regardless of the ideological barriers." ― Physics Today (Praise for MAKING CONTACT)

"Tarter emerges as both heroic and all too human. To paraphrase the poet Robert Browning, humanity’s reach must exceed its grasp, or what are the heavens for?" ― Nature (Praise for Making Contact)

"Scoles shares the fantastic story of people willing to pursue a quixotic goal in the face of daunting odds." ― Publishers Weekly (Praise for Making Contact)

"Scoles—who has clear affection for her subject—highlights Tarter’s tenacity. A detailed portrait of how the science sausage gets made." ― Science News (Praise for Making Contact)

"An admiring, insightful biography. Scoles has done her homework, so readers will both understand and sympathize with Tarter, who has become an icon and role model despite pursuing a goal she knows she will never achieve." ― Kirkus Reviews (Praise for Making Contact)

About the Author

Sarah Scoles is a science writer whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, Slate, Smithsonian, the Washington Post, Scientific American, Popular Science, Discover, New Scientist, Aeon, and Wired. A former editor at Astronomy magazine, Scoles worked at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, the location of the first-ever SETI project. She lives in Denver, Colorado.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pegasus Books (March 3, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1643133055
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1643133058
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 122 ratings

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
122 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jack Brewer
5.0 out of 5 stars Page-Turner That Works
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2020
Verified Purchase
When journalist Sarah Scoles first contacted me to discuss some things for possible inclusion in her book, I felt the same way as when any media person wants to ask questions about UFO World: I want to answer their questions if I am able, but I fear they are looking for sensational material and ultimately won't want to hear what I have to say anyway. However, by the time I was finished talking by phone with the author, I was pleasantly surprised and optimistic a worthy work might be forthcoming. Turned out it was.

The author does not present herself as a UFO expert, but an inquisitive explorer, and the book is a page-turner that works. Scoles clearly separates her opinions from those of the people portrayed on the pages, and she does not casually accept unproven beliefs absent evidence. The writing style is one that more UFO writers, and non-fiction writers in general, would be wise to adopt.

It is refreshing to read an informative and entertaining work on the UFO genre in which the writer is even-handed, while simultaneously revealing a flair for the creative and poetic. I appreciate this book, the work that went into it, and the style portrayed. Scoles demonstrates we don't have to forsake reasonable skepticism in order to develop an appreciation for people and mysteries, nor must we abandon critical thinking to appreciate life's metaphors and ironies that surround us all.
32 people found this helpful
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Joseph J. Truncale
4.0 out of 5 stars A well-written and objective scientific look at the UFO phenomena.
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2024
Verified Purchase
As someone who has been a voracious reader for more than 7 decades my interests have ranged from A to Z and from the scientific to the esoteric. One of my numerous interests has been the subject of UFOs. As a young teenager after reading every book I could find on the subject at the downtown Chicago Library, and I became a true extraterrestrial hypothesis true believer. After many years of study, I became a scientific skeptic on the subject. This is why I loved this book (They are already here: UFO culture and why we see them by Sarah Scoles), because the author gives a non-biased objective approach to the subject. Even with the recent Military photos and videos we have seen on television still do not prove scientifically that UFOs are extraterrestrial flying vehicles.

This excellent book covers various interviews and experiences of the author with numerous true believers of the extraterrestrial hypothesis, which makes for an interesting read. Some of the areas covered include “Da Vinci’s garage door opener, the politics of the UFO Congress, the government closet, the mutually supportive mutual UFO Network, riding the extraterrestrial hypothesis highway into area 51, all along the UFO Watchtower” and other interesting topics.

As a person who has always tried to follow the scientific method along with the use of reason, logic and rationality in my evaluation of extraordinary claims, I highly recommend with this book to anyone interested in the subject of UFOs.

Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Tactical Principles of the most effective Combative Systems).
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Rasty Messier
5.0 out of 5 stars Not so crazy after all
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2020
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If you've always equated UFO-believers with tinfoil-hat types, Sarah Scoles will set you straight. Her humorous, smart, and insightful writing gives us an overview of UFO culture—from Roswell and Area 51 to the Pentagon's secret program. By relying on facts and science, her writing elevates what could be an extremely silly topic to the level of real journalism. And she treats people fairly, asking questions that explore their interests and beliefs in UFOs, examining their experiences honestly, and confessing to her own doubts about what the universe actually holds. I would have loved to hear more about places besides Roswell and Area 51, which are well-trodden ground, in favor of some of the less infamous sightings out there.
16 people found this helpful
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George R. Herrmann
3.0 out of 5 stars Now what I expected
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2020
Verified Purchase
Interesting book, but not really about the purported subject. In the end, it is about the author's personal struggle with "belief," everything else is peripheral. She sets it up well and articulates it reasonably well (grammar is what you'd expect from a millennial), and it is interesting to hear her take on it, but I didn't really get what I thought I would from it.
24 people found this helpful
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steven doty
2.0 out of 5 stars Skeptics will be pleased.
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2020
Verified Purchase
Sentence construction hampered the understandability of this book in some chapters. Deep but narrowly focused research did add a few interesting and little known points of interest for experienced readers in the genre. Includes events from 2019, so up to date in that respect. Nothing new is learned about the phenomenon itself, but exciting disclosures abound on the foibles of the humans involved.
12 people found this helpful
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Jonathan McDowell
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining reality check
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2020
Verified Purchase
Sarah Scoles explores the world of UFO hunters with a skeptical, scientific but also sympathetic eye. As someone who has debunked his share of UFOs (those 1970s Canary Islands UFOs? Amazingly correlated with the dates of now-declassified Poseidon multiple reentry vehicle tests launched across the Atlantic from Florida.. and let's not even start with the Norway Spiral...) I appreciate Sarah's no-nonsense analysis of the actual events - but this book is not about the UFO sightings, but the people who report them and the community they have created. Recommended reading for those on either side of the consipiracy-theory worldview.
11 people found this helpful
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William Holmes
4.0 out of 5 stars Travels in UFO Culture
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2020
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“They Are Already Here” is a witty exploration of ufology culture, with discussions of the iconic stories like Arnold’s siting of flying “saucers” in 1947, the Roswell “crash,” Project Bluebook, AATIP and other government investigations, the Nimitz videos, and Area 51. Part folklore study, part travelogue, part journalistic inquiry into tale tales and snake charmers, the book is a rumination by a skeptic who sympathizes with those who want to believe but is not convinced herself. The government probably is hiding something, Scoles agrees—it’s just not alien bodies or extraterrestrial technology. The style is a little breezy for my tastes, but the book is still an enjoyable and worthwhile contribution to the study of Ufology.
11 people found this helpful
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