Mark O'Connell

press release: One man can arguably be credited with bringing our fascination with alien life into modern times, and that man is Dr. J. Allen Hynek. The Close Encounters Man is the definitive biography of an often misunderstood and misrepresented figure in UFOlogy. Responsible for (among many other things) coining the phrase “close encounters of the third kind,” Dr. Hynek is a controversial figure on both sides of the UFO debate, to say the least. He enthusiastically debunked UFO reports on behalf of the Air Force for years. Then, he recanted. His agonizing transformation from skepticism to true believer is one of the great misunderstood and misreported stories of science.