The Vatican's Exorcists: Driving Out the Devil in the 21st Century
Anyone who has seen the movieThe  Exorcistwill never forget the transformation of lead actress Linda  Blair from an innocent young girl into a demonically possessed, vomit-spewing  monster. According to Wilkinson's account, some contemporary Catholic  priest-exorcists have seen even more horrifying metamorphoses. If the priests  interviewed in this informative book are to be believed, there is an increasing  demand for their services. Underlying the attraction to exorcisms, Wilkinson  speculates, is a desire for simple explanations for complex problems. "In a  world awash in catastrophe and unspeakable suffering, many people feel  increasingly compelled to see evil in concrete and personified—not to mention  simplified—forms, and to find a way to banish the bad." Wilkinson adroitly  places those who recommend exorcisms in tension with those who do not see value  in the practice. The questions the skeptics raise are obvious but important:  are people who desire an exorcism really possessed by Satan, or are they  mentally ill? How does one distinguish a "legitimate" possession from other  pathologies? This book is certainly not an apologia for exorcisms, but it will  appeal to those looking for a fascinating history and some thoughtful  commentary from proponents and skeptics alike.(Feb.  21)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.