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Southern writer and folklorist Kelly Kazek’s collection of eerie and enigmatic Alabama ghost stories

Dark secrets lurk beneath the sleepy surface of Alabama. Ghosts and grisly creatures haunt the towns and forests. In the great Southern ghost-story tradition, famed Alabama storyteller Kelly Kazek weaves a gothic tapestry of ten stories drawn from real people and legendary creatures, cursed places, and harrowing events.

Each story or legend takes readers to a different place in Alabama. Read about the bestial Wolf Woman who terrified Mobilians in the haunted old port city. In the northern city of Huntsville, visit the Dead Children’s Playground in gloomy Maple Hill Cemetery. In Jacksonville, feel the cold grip of the Old Mill Witch, rumored to protect the workers at the rickety cotton yarn mill. Hear about the mysterious green light that drifts along the Alabama River in the Black Belt hamlet of Gee’s Bend and learn about the role the Gee’s Bend Ferry played in the Civil Rights Movement.

Unlike most ghost-story collections, Some Nightmares Are Real includes an appendix of facts, historical resources, and information about how to visit the locations. These contemporary stories embrace a beloved Southern folkloric tradition for a new generation of young readers. The tales will terrify and ensnare ghost-story lovers of all ages. So settle in, pull the covers up tight, and maybe turn on the light, because the truth is: Some Nightmares Are Real.

Digging up the eerie aftermath of America’s deadliest disasters—where ghost stories take root, history lingers in the shadows, and the past refuses to stay buried.

In this haunting follow-up to Some Nightmares Are Real: The Haunting Truth Behind Alabama’s Supernatural Tales, journalist and storyteller Kelly Kazek investigates supernatural folklore grounded in historical catastrophe. This time, she ventures far beyond Alabama, unearthing the eerie legends born from their aftermath of nine of America’s most infamous disasters. From the strangling suffocation of the Boston Molasses Flood and the terror of Galveston’s notorious Great Storm, to flames blasting from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory disaster, Some Nightmares Are True examines ghost stories that have haunted communities long after the news headlines stopped.

Each spooky story blends vivid storytelling with meticulous research, connecting real events to the ghostly lore they inspired. Kazek explores not just the moment of disaster, but how grief, resilience, and remembrance shape the way stories live on—through newspaper archives, folklore, and generations of retelling.

With both wry Southern sensibility and journalistic rigor, Kazek explores how moments of tragedy like the Dixie Tornado Outbreak in Alabama, the capsizing of the SS Eastland in Chicago, and the haunting aftermath of the Schoolchildren’s Blizzard in Nebraska leave lasting imprints on generational memory. These sites of devastation become more than historical footnotes; they transform into hallowed grounds where grief lingers, legends remain, and the line between fact and folklore dissolves.

For ghost hunters, or simply those brave enough to follow their curiosity into learning more about the stories’ historical facts, Kazek has compiled a robust appendix that provides context, source materials, and location details, making this a perfect pick to toss in the car for that late-night road trip adventure. But remember, Some Nightmares Are True.