- Thomas B. Allen (author)
Thomas B. Allen is an American
author andhistorian . He resides in Bethesda, MD. He is also the father of science fiction writerRoger MacBride Allen . Allen is a contributing editor to "National Geographic".Publication and film
His most famous book to date is "Possessed". [ [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385404425 "Possessed: The True Story of the Most Famous Exorcism of Modern Time"] ] It is a factual retelling of the true story of a teenage boy from Mt. Rainier Maryland who went through the rite of exorcism in 1943. Allen tracked down the sole survivor of the team that performed the exorcism, Father
Walter Halloran as well as a copy of the diary kept by the team leader, FatherWilliam S. Bowdern . It was upon this caseWilliam Peter Blatty based the events of his novel, "The Exorcist ". First published in hardcover in 1993, the book was reissued as a revised paperback in 2000 to coincide with the release of a made-for-cable film "Possessed" [ [http://imdb.com/title/tt0195165/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnx0dD0xfGZiPXV8cG49MHxxPXBvc3Nlc3NlZHxteD0yMHxsbT01MDB8aHRtbD0x;fc=4;ft=36;fm=1 "Possessed" film] ] starringTimothy Dalton as Father Bowdern. The film kept close to the facts as presented in Allen's book for the most part but did add some cinematic scares.Media
Since publication of the book, Allen has been a frequent guest on talk shows, entertainment shows and history shows that discuss exorcism in general, demonic possession and the Mt. Rainier case his book details. Allen adopts a neutral point of view as to the reality of possession, preferring to let the facts and witnesses speak for themselves and allowing the reader or viewer to decide for themselves if such things are real.
Allen has co-authored numerous books with Norman Polmar. He has also written numerous mystery novels.
Bibliography
Other notable books by Thomas B. Allen include:
* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0792251261 George Washington, Spymaster : How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War]
* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1585748080 The Shark Almanac: A Fully Illustrated Natural History of Sharks, Skates, and Rays]
* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0792266900 Remember Pearl Harbor: Japanese And American Survivors Tell Their Stories]
* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0792278895 Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent: How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War]
* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684804069 Code-Name Downfall: The Secret Plan to Invade Japan and Why Truman Dropped the Bomb] with Norman Polmar
* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931839077 Ricokver] with Norman PolmarReferences
External links
* [http://tballen.com/ Thomas B. Allen] His Homepage
* [http://www.pritzkermilitarylibrary.org/events/2005-02-11-paulDicksonThomasAllen.jsp Interview] at thePritzker Military Library
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.