Editing Communion (book)

{{Short description|1987 book by Whitley Strieber}}
{{Infobox book
| name          = Communion: A True Story
| title_orig    = 
| translator    = 
| image         = Communion_book_cover2.jpg
| caption = Front Cover
| author        = [[Whitley Strieber]]
| illustrator   = 
| cover_artist  = 
| country       = 
| language      = English
| series        = 
| subject       = 
| genre         = 
| publisher     = [[Avon (publishers)|Avon]]
| release_date  = February 25, 1987
| english_release_date =
| media_type    = Print (paperback)
| pages         = 320
| isbn          = 978-0-380-70388-3
| oclc= 17375661
| preceded_by   = 
| followed_by   = Transformation
}}
'''''Communion: A True Story''''' is a book by American [[ufologist]] and [[Horror fiction|horror]] author [[Whitley Strieber]] that was first published in February 1987. The book is based on the supposed experiences of Whitley Strieber, who experiences "lost time" and terrifying [[flashback (psychology)|flashbacks]], which hypnosis undertaken by [[Budd Hopkins]] later links to an alleged encounter with aliens.<ref>Colin Groves in ''Skeptical - a Handbook of Pseudoscience and the Paranormal'', ed [[Donald Laycock]], [[David Vernon (writer)|David Vernon]], [[Colin Groves]], [[Simon Brown (author)|Simon Brown]], Imagecraft, Canberra, 1989, {{ISBN|0-7316-5794-2}}, p. 4</ref> ''Communion'' was a nonfiction best seller for six months in 1987.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=The Daily Spectrum (Saint George, Utah) | title=Whitley Stieber: UFO cultist or serious author? | page=9 | date=November 10, 1988 | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75610652/whitley-strieber-cultist-or-author/}}</ref>

The book was later made into [[Communion (1989 film)|a film]] directed by [[Philippe Mora]] and starring [[Christopher Walken]] as Strieber and [[Lindsay Crouse]] as his wife, [[Anne Strieber|Anne]].  A 2008 trade paperback edition presents a new preface by the author.

Strieber compares the "familiar" being he sees, whom he describes as female, to the [[Sumerian religion|Sumerian]] goddess [[Ishtar]].{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

==Cover art==
The cover painting of an alien was rendered by Ted Seth Jacobs. The painting is considered one of the most widely recognised popular culture images of alleged "[[Grey alien|grey]]" aliens. The ''Communion'' cover, Jacobs recounts:
:"was painted in my small apartment on East 83rd St, in New York City. Whitley sat with me first for a drawing of the Alien. As I sketched, he would indicate how to change the portrait so that it would more match what he saw. It was, I believe, the process used by police sketch artists. Every last detail was corrected according to his instructions. At one point, he said the image corresponded exactly to what he had seen. With Whitley beside me for the subsequent session, I began to paint the image on a wooden prepared panel, going through the same process as for the drawing, until Whitley finally said the image was exact. ... As to the gender of the Alien image, to tell the truth, the subject didn't come up. I don't even know if the 'greys' have gender as we understand it. Whitley corrected the developing image to have a certain fragility, a vulnerability. I suppose we Earthlings usually associate these qualities with femininity."<ref>[http://www.beyondcommunion.com/communion/9910tsjacobs.html Bueche, W., "Ted Seth Jacobs: An interview with the artist"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821042337/http://www.beyondcommunion.com/communion/9910tsjacobs.html |date=2008-08-21}} URL accessed Aug 18, 2008(1999)</ref>

==Popular culture references==
''[[The X-Files]]'' episode "[[Jose Chung's From Outer Space|Jose Chung's ''From Outer Space'']]" parodied the book cover.<ref>{{cite book|year=1996|author=Genge, Ngaire|title=The Unofficial X-Files Companion II|isbn=0-380-79024-6|publisher=[[Avon Books]]|page=[https://archive.org/details/unofficialxfiles00geng_0/page/175 175]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/unofficialxfiles00geng_0/page/175}}</ref>

Virginia [[screamo]] band [[Pg. 99]] included an audio recording of a person reading a short excerpt of the story in their album ''[[Document 5 (album)|Document #5]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/129519/|title=Pg. 99 - by the Fireplace in White Lyrics}}</ref>

Swedish [[progressive metal]] band [[Evergrey]]'s album ''[[In Search of Truth]]'' is a concept album based on the book.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metal-rules.com/interviews/Evergrey.htm|title=Evergrey – In Search of the Truth with Thomas Englund|publisher=Metal-Rules.com|accessdate=8 October 2015}}</ref>

Sahar is seen reading a well worn copy of this book in "Love Language" (S1, Ep5) of the [[SyFy]] series ''[[Resident Alien (TV series)|Resident Alien]]''.

Strieber makes an appearance in the 2009 film ''[[Race to Witch Mountain]]''.<ref name="urlRace to Witch Mountain (2009) - Review | Sci-Fi Movie Page">{{cite web |last=Orndorf |first=Brian |title=Race to Witch Mountain (2009) - Review |url=http://www.scifimoviepage.com/race.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090324024638/http://www.scifimoviepage.com/race.html |archive-date=March 24, 2009 |accessdate=2021-11-07 |website=Scifimoviepage.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2008-07-16 |title=Race to Witch Mountain Set Visit: Part I |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/features/46483-race-to-witch-mountain-set-visit-part-i |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=ComingSoon.net |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
* ''Communion: A True Story'' by [[Whitley Strieber]], Avon Books, paperback, 1995. {{ISBN|0-380-70388-2}}

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=tt0097100|qid=Q1211330|title=Communion}}

{{Whitley Strieber}}

[[Category:Books about extraterrestrial life]]
[[Category:Books by Whitley Strieber]]
[[Category:Alien abduction in popular culture]]
[[Category:1987 books]]
[[Category:Books adapted into films]]
[[Category:Avon (publisher) books]]