With Catastrophic Disclosure, journalist Kent Heckenlively joins documentary filmmaker Michael Mazzola, best known for his work about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs, previously known as UFOs) in examining the evidence regarding alien phenomena on earth.
The book covers most of UAP lore, by now a staple of pop-culture from movies, TV, and streaming series. Recently, the topic has gained credibility after declassified documents spurred three U.S. Congressional hearings and a Department of Defense (DOD) report into alien encounters.
The book’s first half details the alleged alien abduction of Betty and Barney Hill; the 1947 purported crash and recovery of an alien ship in Roswell, New Mexico; The Men in Black (alleged real-life government agents who cover up alien incidents), and Project Blue Book (a United States Air Force effort that, from 1952 to 1969, investigated UAPs).
The book’s last half covers the more recently released DOD reports, government documents and hearings, including testimony from whistleblowers like retired Air Force officer David Grusch, who posits there’s an ongoing government, military and aerospace cover up about aliens. The chapter on the Nazca mummies linked to Mazzola’s documentary This Is Not a Hoax is particularly intriguing; the “alien mummies” were discovered by looters in a cave in 2017 in Nazca, Peru.
As sensational as the book’s content, its main strength is its significant documentation; the content is supported with more than 400 endnotes. The writing is clear, chapters are well-structured, and the authors present the evidence and reported accounts and leave the final conclusions to readers.
There’s a glaring typo (a reference to World “Contract” (rather than Contact) Day – related to the day in 1953 when people worldwide tried to mentally connect with aliens), and sometimes, the point-of-view switches jarringly from first to third person.
Alien aficionados won’t find much fresh here, but those new to the topic will appreciate this accurate, detailed summary of the history and lore behind “alien and UAP phenomena.”
Also available in paperback and ebook.