The Little Book of Secret Societies by Joel Levy

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

The subtitle pulled me in immediately:  The World’s Most Notorious Organizations and How to Join Them.  Not that I would want to join them, since I follow the sage observation of Groucho Marx who once said he’d never join any club that have him as a member.

The book divides the societies into five broad groups:  Elite Societies (Freemasons and Illuminati, for example); Mystical and Occult Societies (Rosicrucians and Druids); Religious Societies (Knights Templar and Opus Dei); Paramilitary and Political Societies (Ninjas, Ku Klux Klan, Al-Qaeda); and Criminal Societies (Yakuza and American Mafia.)

For each entry, there is a box of quick facts, such as when the organization was founded and by whom; a history, insofar as is known; the conspiracy theories; what the skeptics say; an estimate of the global influence of the organization; and finally, a sentence or two on how to join.

Let me be honest and say that I really wasn’t expecting much from this slim volume but I was most pleasantly surprised.  Levy’s histories are succinct but surprisingly informative, and he presents a balanced tone between conspiracy theorists and skeptics, though one can usually determine what Levy really thinks from the “Global Influence” entry. The “How to Join” section is most pithy. If one wishes to become a member of the Chinese criminal fraternity called a Triad, the advice is “Learn to speak Chinese and brush up on your martial arts and invulnerability magic.”  For the Bilderberg meeting, you only have to “Make a billion dollars, get elected to high office, or make friends with a member of the steering committee.” Joining the John Birch Society is even easier—just sign up on their website.

Die-hard consipiracy theorists probably won’t enjoy this book, but if you’ve ever wondered a bit about some of the best known secret societies (now there’s an oxymoron!) this book will give you at least a basic idea.  I hadn’t heard of a number of these, and others I had only heard vague references to so I was pleased to know more.  The book lists books sources, website sources, AND has an index, which warmed my little librarian heart.

The All-Seeing Eye

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Reviewed by Sue Wolfe

Ooh.  Do you like Conspiracy theories?  Cliff-hangers?   If so, The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown will keep you turning pages from one chapter to the next.  I found the book almost impossible to put down until the very end.

And what an action packed adventure it is.   In a Masonic ritual at the very beginning, a plot is planned by a new inductee, Mal'akh, to embarrass the country’s leadership, expose Freemasonry, and unexpectedly, to seek revenge on a family’s misdeeds.   The action really starts with a severed hand.  And then, the race is on.

This is the third Robert Langdon novel.   Again, Dan Brown dishes up a plate full of symbolism, historical mysteries, and brilliant twists and turns.  The villain is as smart as Langdon.   It is a chase up, down, over and through several of the best known sites in Washington.  Just the descriptions alone of the Capital building makes you wonder:  how does he know this stuff?  The symbolism, details on architecture, and secret rites had to have taken years of research.   Did you know that there was an eternal flame in the capital?  Or that a little known misprint about Moses having horns led to statues of a horned Moses?

Freemasonry has had a bit of a black eye in the media over recent years, and we have books that touch on this.  From what I have heard, the rituals described are accurate.  Plus, Brown goes into a bit of a background about the symbolism behind them.  This alone makes this a fascinating read but the information about the Masonic background of the original leaders of America left me way impressed.  Their touch is imprinted all over Washington, DC.  They tried to pass on the best of hope for our country.  Did you know why there is a limit to the height of buildings in Washington?  It has to do with the “Lost Symbol” and the sun daily hitting a monument capstone with an inscription.  (Sorry, don’t want to give away one of the best parts.)

The Lost Symbol also does a great job of introducing mass numbers of readers to Noetic Science.   It’s a newer field of science that is relatively unknown, and wow…it is like magic.  Surely there have now been thousands of Google searches about it, thanks to this book.

Brown’s books are always controversial.  They’re rich in detail, fun and unusual.  You will not be disappointed!

Both Main and Avoca hold copies of this book ( F BRO); in Large Print (SSB F BRO); and on CD  (CD F BRO).