{"product_id":"the-close-encounters-man-how-one-man-made-the-world-believe-in-ufos-9780062484178","title":"The Close Encounters Man: How One Man Made the World Believe in UFOs","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe wildly entertaining and eye-opening biography of J. Allen Hynek, the astronomer who invented the concept of \"Close Encounters\" with alien life, inspired Steven Spielberg's blockbuster classic science fiction epic film and is the subject of History Channel's \u003cem\u003eProject Blue Book\u003c\/em\u003e, and made an entire nation want to believe in UFOs.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn June 1947, private pilot Kenneth Arnold looked out his cockpit window and saw a group of nine silvery crescents weaving between the peaks of the Cascade Mountains at an estimated 1,200 miles an hour. The media, the military, and the scientific community--led by J. Allen Hynek, an astronomer hired by the Air Force--debunked this and many other Unidentified Flying Object sightings reported across the country. But after years of denials, Hynek made a shocking pronouncement: \u003cem\u003eUFOs are real.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThirty years after his death, Hynek's agonizing transformation from skepticism to true believer remains one of the great misunderstood stories of science. In this definitive biography, Mark O'Connell reveals for the first time how Hynek's work both as a celebrated astronomer and as the U. S. Air Force's go-to UFO expert for nearly twenty years stretched the boundaries of modern science, laid the groundwork for acceptance of the possibility of UFOs, and was the basis of the hit film \u003cem\u003eClose Encounters of the Third Kind\u003c\/em\u003e. With unprecedented access to Hynek's personal and professional files, O'Connell smashes conventional wisdom to reveal the intriguing man and scientist beneath the legend. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTracing Hynek's career, O'Connell examines Hynek's often-ignored work as a professional astronomer to create a complete portrait of a groundbreaking enthusiast who became an American cult icon and transformed the way we see our world and our universe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eO'Connell, Mark:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eMark O'Connell is a screenwriter, teacher, and blogger. He wrote episodes for \u003cem\u003eStar Trek: The Next Generation\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, \u003c\/em\u003eand has developed feature film projects with major studios, including Walt Disney and DreamWorks Animation. He is also the founder of the UFO blog \u003cem\u003eHigh Strangeness\u003c\/em\u003e. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife, Monica, and teaches screenwriting at DePaul University in Chicago.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dey Street Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50459911094546,"sku":"9780062484178","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ec883d20-6682-4206-a218-a2981d1e7c66.jpg?v=1730014486","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-close-encounters-man-how-one-man-made-the-world-believe-in-ufos-9780062484178","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}