5 "Lux in Tenebris" stars !!


Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Perseus books for an ecopy. This was released August 2020. I am providing an honest review.

This was fucking outstanding popular history written with riveting journalistic flair.

I did not take any notes so will not try to write an exhaustive list of what this book covers.

Mr. Dickie takes us through the history of the Craft and takes us to Scotland, Ireland, England, France, India, the USA and Italy.

He gives us the most interesting and scandalous bits of history along with the much good these organizations have provided men and their communities. We learn about all the conspiracy theories as well as true stories of persecution and ties to other criminal groups. We learn about the groups formed for women and by black men in the USA. Why these groups flourished in the USA while Europe/Asia/Middle Easthad different levels of success and failure. On and on and on...all equally interesting and compelling !

Fascinating !
Provocative !
Doggone amazing !

If you have even a minor interest in FreeMasonery then this is the book for you !

I thought this would be interesting but it was dry and I just couldn't get into it. I had to set it down half way through.

I really enjoyed this book, and any armchair conspiracy theorist worth their salt will as well. Stunningly researched and painstakingly organized, this book is the next installment on the Freemason's shelf.

Dickie takes us through a very (comprehensive possibly) complete overview of the world of the Masons. My boyfriend is a mason and I have been fascinated with their history and rituals and secrecy for years. I remember in college, I had a crush on a guy that I knew was an active mason. I told my mom about him and once I mentioned his "status" she immediately told me to stop talking to him. We were Catholic and the two were not supposed to mix well.


Whatever.


Regardless, this book gave me insight into a world that I knew very little about, but have always been intrigued by. From their history, to some secrets that have come to the light, to previous masons, Dickie really does a great job of showing us this world, without (in my opinion) overstepping and oversharing.


4.5/5 Stars

This was not exactly what I expected. Non-fiction is a more difficult category for me but from the description I felt I would be interested in the content. Unfortunately the style was not one I could immerse myself in. I can't recommend or not recommend this one simply because I have no opinion on it. It was well-researched and the content might've been there with a less dry writing style, but it wasn't, so I'm torn. I give it 3 stars, an average rating for an average book.

A meticulous dive into the history and influence wielded by the Freemasons over the last three centuries. The reader is given fascinating insight into the addictive power this group possesses, as well as an exploration of the pageantry involved with becoming a Freemason. Anyone that has an interest in the Masons will discover something from this book.

From the publisher: A global history of the world's most famous secret society, encompassing kings and presidents, writers and legislators, composers and entertainers, generals and entrepreneurs.

During the Scottish Reformation, when kings, princes, and popes were being toppled from their thrones, a new and secretive society was formed. The Freemasonry's fixed rules, suggesting a connection to an ancient wisdom and known only to its initiates, attracted many antagonists, including the Roman Catholic Church, but also attracted a diverse range of members, from tradesman, merchants, actors, lawyers, Jews, and even people of color.

The Craft is a vibrant, revelatory history of the Freemasons, their core ideas, and its members, including revolutionaries (Giuseppe Garibaldi, Simón Bolívar, Motilal Nehru, and George Washington), rulers (five of England and no fewer than fourteen U.S. Presidents), and luminaries (Arthur Conan Doyle, Goethe, Mozart, Shaquille O'Neal, Harry Houdini, Henry Ford, Buzz Aldrin, and Walt Disney; the Duke of Wellington, Duke Ellington, and more). John Dickie captures the mystique of Masonic secrecy, and shows why its history is too important and too compelling to be the exclusive property of the initiated as Freemasonry has had a role in shaping the world for all of us.

*****

The Craft by John Dickie is an intriguing read. This is a book you will find yourself immersed in because each page you finish makes you curious to discover even more. Deep and complex, it explores the history & mystery of Freemansonry better than any other book I've read on this subject and highly recommend it.

A very thorough history of Freemasonry.
I learned new information from this book and would definitely purchase a copy for reference purposes.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I never anticipated how much I enjoyed and learned while reading The Craft by John Dickie. I have no real connection to the Freemasons - my great uncle by marriage was a member, and I recall my grandparents being wildly unenthusiastic about it when he and my great aunt got together. The small, rural town I grew up in had a Masonic Lodge just off Main Street, but again, it never really got on my radar. But, when I came across the description of this book - a description which promised a thorough and compressive history of the organization - I decided to try it.

And I'm glad I did. Although the author goes way, way deep into the history of the Freemasons, he does so in a way that is both engaging and informative without being condescending or dry. Quite a feat considering the book's topic and length.

The Craft also effectively and thoroughly grounds the Freemason movement within a rich and detailed historical, cultural, theological and political context, It is as much a historical look at the transfer of ideology and influence between countries and across centuries, as it is a look at the often times manufactured and well-guarded history of one organization.

And what an organization! The symbolism and iconography, the rituals and traditions, the handshakes. Everything hides a secret meaning for those in the know, and the author shares all of it with the reader.

As an American, the book really got interesting once the Freemasons took root in the colonies, thanks in large part to Benjamin Franklin - who knew! Actually, that was my response to so many scenes in the book. Who knew! It seems nearly every major American achievement or struggle was influenced by the Freemasons.

The author does a brilliant job of telling history through people, sometimes ordinary and mostly unknown people associated with the Freemasons, but also through famous (and infamous) people most Americans recognize -- presidents, statesmen, men of influence, revolutionaries, soldiers, abolitionists. The section on the Freemasons in the Civil War and Reconstruction was especially insightful.

As in every history, there are uncomfortable truths brought forward in The Craft. There is racism and antisemitism and sexism, silence in the face of Hitler and others, Human flaws on an organizational level. In other words, a full and complete, and complex history.

The Craft is a great bit of history and an interesting look at the influence the Freemasons have had on the world, on American and on our culture. The surprising thing is the book is a great read even for someone like me who initially had little knowledge or even interest in the topic. I can only imagine the impact it might have on someone who actually does have an interest in the organization, or someone who is a member. That said, the book might be too real for some who see the organization as something it is not.

This review was based on an advance copy read.