Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans

by Malachi Martin
General Nonfiction

If you’re looking for a scary book to read for October, Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans by Malachi Martin has plenty of terrifying stories. A Traditionalist Catholic priest and former Jesuit, Martin was a prolific author on the Catholic Church. This well written and thought-provoking book gives us a glimpse into the possession and exorcism of five individuals. Martin is not writing about mentally ill people, but individuals who have become involved with evil spirits. Loneliness, confusion, and dabbling in heretical and occult ideas and phenomena may have opened these individuals up to entities they did not fully understand. We also learn about the exorcists and their attendants. Interestingly, the demons often appear to know of the past sins of exorcists and their helpers. Exorcism involves a clash of wills, where, even after it is over, some of those involved will carry scars the rest of their lives.

Hostage to the Devil includes two appendices to help readers understand the book’s content. Appendix One contains “The Roman Ritual of Exorcism.” Appendix Two contains “Prayers Commonly Used in Exorcisms and Mentioned in the Exorcisms of this Book.” The book does contain some strong language and blasphemy.

Recommended by Art N, Reference Librarian