The Close Encounters Man: How One Man Made the World Believe in UFOs

J. Allen Hynek is a name that has been both cursed and celebrated in UFO investigation circles. As an astronomer recruited by the government to debunk and explain away UFO sightings, he was the enemy to many believers. But over the years, he went from being the villain to being a champion of the unknown, appreciated for bringing attention to those cases the government couldn’t explain away with Venus or swamp gas or radar glitches.

The Close Encounters Man chronicles the life of Hynek and his incredible influence both on the UFO community and on how popular culture views unexplained phenomena, government intervention, and other subjects that feel ripped right from an episode of The X-Files.

Seeing Hynek get his due in proper biographical fashion is a treat. Unfortunately, the man himself is sometimes lost in the author’s explorations of the stories around him. Whether it’s the UFO cases he pursued, the government obstacles and involvement he endured, or the curious circumstances surrounding his work, it sometimes feels like Hynek is pushed to the background in order to tell the story of the UFO community’s emergence.

And that does a disservice to a proud scientist, skeptic, and advocate.