Customer Reviews

The Man Behind the Da Vinci Code: An Unauthorized Biography of Dan Brown

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I picked up this book on a whim, having already read the 4 books written by Dan Brown, thinking it would be a fun way to spend a few hours. Rogak does a fine job of describing the life and work of Dan Brown and keeps things moving, not unlike the writing style of Brown himself.

While Brown is not the most interesting guy on the planet, I enjoyed reading this book as much for her details of the writing process from an author's viewpoint as I did to learn about America's currently most popular writer. Overall Id recommend it to anyone with a Da Vinci Code fascination or up-and-coming authors.

Dan Brown's career is a lesson in persistence. The world is full of talented writers, but few have the tenacity to stick with it long enough to build a following. Did Brown do the "wise" and "responsible" thing by quitting his day job long before his books began to sell well? Probably not, but in the end it paid off.

Rogak does a great job mapping out Dan Brown's life from Philips Exeter to the music industry and finally to publishing. She describes the influence of Brown's wife, Blythe, in the areas of plot development and marketing. And she gives us an insider's view of the publishing industry as book contracts are shuffled between agents and publishers and authors must do most of their own publicity if they hope to survive.

I was most fascinated by the planning process that went into The Da Vinci Code. Brown and his wife carefully crafted a plotline of sex and religion that was sure to get the press salivating. It worked and the media frenzy that followed saved this exciting story-teller from near obscurity.

A wonderful peek into the life of the mysterious Mr. Brown, both the man and the writer. Lisa Rogak presents an honest account of Dan Brown's early life, his forays as a songwriter/musician and teacher, and his trials and tribulations as a writer before hitting it big with The Da Vinci Code. She goes on to document his enormous success, how he's dealt with it, his research and writing process, and the challenges he's facing in writing his follow-up novel, The Solomon Key.

Extremely well done, very thorough, and a truly fair portrayal of a highly controversial and private man. Kudos to Rogak for digging out the facts.

This one had me up at night, just wanted to go one more page. Wonderfully written biography that not only offers us a glimpse into the life of Dan Brown, an extremely secretive man, but also into the world of writing.

Obviously this wasn't an easy book to write, but most certainly it was easy to read. Lisa offers a writing style that makes you want more. I'm looking forward to Lisa's next book.

For an unauthorized biography this book is very friendly. You come away
thinking he is just a nice guy who writes controversial books.
As it stands someone has stole his idea 'The Solomon Key' in SOLOMON'S KEY THE CODIS PROJECT: A CONSPIRACY THRILLER (Solomon's Key). He has been sued and reviled by religious people.
I suppose he has been convicted of writing a very good novel
and making livings for a whole bunch of other people.
It is fiction, get over it, ha, ha...
I personally wish him well as his heart seems to be
well placed in his body so that even 'unauthorised' biographers like him.

Very pleased with the condition of the book I ordered and the speed in which it came....Amazon has more items to purchase then the department stores where I live!

Time magazine named Dan Brown one of one hundred most influential people of 2005. But, very few people know of Mr. Brown's pre-Da Vinci Code struggle as a pop singer/songwriter or anything else about him. Dan has managed to remain a mystery to his fans, until now.

Biographer, Lisa Rogak offers a fact-filled discovery into Dan Brown's rise to fame. It's an entertaining, one-sitting read that holds your attention throughout. Rogak pieces together Brown's upbringing, education, relationships, dreams and efforts, beautifully. Once I sunk my teeth into this tasty morsel, it was impossible to back away.

I admire Lisa's expert research and awesome ability to sniff out exclusive interviews with Brown's friends and associates. The fact that she found me* is amazing. Music is an important and huge chunk of Dan's essence, and I had a few treasures to offer. No one else ever bothered to ask.

What impressed me most about Lisa's writing was how superbly she caused the pieces to flow. Each chapter strengthens the next to bring an informative look at what makes this man tick.

OK, my opinion may be tainted since I knew Dan on a semi-personal/professional basis for a number of years, and that I had fallen for his seemingly God-given talent as a singer/songwriter, and that I have craved further facts about him for a long while; but it seems to me that others whom have learned to love his novels will find this story just as intriguing as I have.

Lisa did an excellent job of covering everything I hoped to learn. Is Dan Brown a "right-place, right-time," "Cinderella," or "work-your-ass-off" kind of story? I've finally got my answer. Thank you, Lisa! It's a solid, honorable book.

*Ron Wallace is founder of the Creative Musicians Coalition, an international organization with purpose to help musicians expose their music. Ron met Dan in 1991 and worked with him, on and off, for about a decade.

I have just finished reading Lisa Rogak's unauthorized biography of Dan Brown. In a word: I loved it! Okay, that's three words which helps explain why I'm not a famous writer. Like the author she's profiling who drops codes, clues, secrets and puzzles into his writing, Lisa's own research turns up some interesting and obscure facts for her book. Did you know, for example, that although Dan Brown was admitted to the Vatican library and the Vatican archives that he was not permitted in the Vatican "secret" archives, and that only three Americans have ever been admitted there? Or that for every page you read in The Da Vinci Code that Dan Brown had thrown out 10 others? You'll learn more about this "simpler is better" theme in her book.
I think every writer who aspires to write the next blockbuster novel should read this book. Not only does it include solid background about Dan Brown's research and writing habits, but there's wonderful information about agents and publishers that will be enormously helpful to wanna-be best-selling authors.
Or just read it because you're fascinated with Dan Brown. Admit it: You're going to pick up a copy of his next book, The Solomon Key, as soon as it's published.

Ah, star power. The media giveth and the media taketh away.

Dan Brown of little Exeter, NH, has been riding pretty high in the mediasphere for the last couple of years as the official "best-selling fiction writer of our time." (Did anyone check with Stephen King before prying that title off his mailbox?) One sign that the literary love-in is tapering off is when the tell-all, unofficial biography appears. Well, it's here. And written by New Hampshire's own Lisa Rogak, author of a recent tell-all bio on diet Dr. Robert Atkins and of the forthcoming tell-all bio of Playboy artist Shel Silverstein.

Rogak is known for her down & dirty style as well as her attention to accuracy and detail, so naturally this book is full of juicy revelations and a few surprises. For example: Brown's first successful book was "187 Men to Avoid: A Survival Guide for the Romantically Frustrated Woman," written under the pseudonym Danielle Brown. His final suggestion in that book is to avoid: "Men who write self-help books for women."

Brown's rise as a bookish superstar is all the more astonishing when you learn that his first shot at fame came in the 1990s as a singer/songwriter. His first CD, "Dan Brown," had hotshot Barry Fasman as a producer and featured an A-list of session men, including Madonna's bass player and the drummer from the Doobie Brothers. Independently released it sank into obscurity. His second release, "Angels and Demons," was also unsuccessful but seemed to signal many of the themes that would resonate in his writings like "The Da Vinci Code." The cover art for the CD and tape was an "ambigram" by artist friend John Langdon, whose last name Brown later borrowed for the main character of his mega-best-selling opus.

Somehow this bit of musical history has been lost in the current hubbub. Perhaps a tune will turn up in the film version of "The Da Vinci Code," coming in May. Can't wait? Hear clips of his music on the New Hampshire Magazine Web site: www.nhmagazine.com.

Rogak's book is a great read and is guaranteed to provide lots of diversions during the next watercooler talk about The Da Vinci Code, whether it's the bestselling book or soon-to-be-a-blockbuster film

It's hard to make something so filled with detailed facts read like a novel, but the author has done it. The Man Behind the DaVinci Code is a fascinating journey backstage in the creation of a book -- and a career.

I was particularly interested to see inside the publishing world, as the author chronicles Brown's previous books and their misadventures in the complicated maze of big publishing houses. It makes me wonder how many other fine writers are out there waiting to find the right agent, editor and publisher to bring them to the world's attention.

The book is well worth reading for its carefully researched look at the life and work of an author, but it's just as compelling for the new dimension it adds to Brown's books themselves. I will enjoy reading the rest of these even more, having read their "life histories."