Customer Reviews

Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

Let me make this clear, I bought this book not to read more conspiracy theory nonsense, but rather to 1) hear about the rational explanations of the popular conspiracy theories, why they are perhaps wrong, what their basis in truth might be, as well as 2) to hear interesting stories about the lengths to which Skull and Bones members protect their secrets and serve the purposes of its members. I went to her website and read the book's excerpt, which was a copy of the first chapter in which she starts off doing exactly what I was looking for.

Unfortunatly after buying the book, I was dissapointed to discover that the interesting topics which she uses to seduce the reader into a purchase are discussed no further. The reader must first painstakingly work through a miserable history of Yale's traditions, societies, etc. for the first 77 pages of the book--not only boring, but not what I paid for. When she finally does decide to discuss the actual topic of her book, it is dissapointing, to be nice. In a decently thourough manner, she describes the choosing of and ritualistic initiation of new members. She then goes on to describe the rise of power of some of the more powerful Skull and Bones run organizations and families. Um...great (sarcastically).

To be clear, the info she provides on the Skull and Bones society is mildly interesting, seems somewhat objective (with one major exception noted below), is refreshingly realistic given most of the pure conspiracy weirdos tackling S&B, and would have its valid place in a more thourough book on the subject. However, what she provides can by no means be an adequate basis for an entire novel. Or, rather, I should say, a good novel. It seemed as though she was trying to fit 10 good pages of interesting info into a 200 page novel. She doesn't unmask the skull and bones conspiracy theories, but rather poo-poo's them in single sentences or oft ignores them completely. Is it common in the world of investigatory journalism to mention a Neo-Nazi agenda conspiracy theory and a "bones whore" in the introduction chapter without ever even broaching the subject again? I want to read more about these sensationalistic theories, whether they be supported or thrashed as nonsense! Sadly, she does neither. Unfortunately this is the norm for the author instead of the exception. Quite unprofessional. I honestly feel cheated by this book.


One interesting observation is that as she continually downplays the importance and mystique of the Skull and Bones club, she also seems to ellevate the importance and ethical purposes of the other secret societies at Yale, in particular the Scroll and Key Society. (Wonder which society she was involved with?) Her inferiority complex is tangible. It becomes a reacurring theme in her book to point out the ways in which Scroll and Key is either as good or better than Skull and Bones as well as how Yale is so incredibly unique and different (read: better) than Harvard. This desperate need to legitimize her own affiliations underscores any unbiased front she pretends to have as a "journalist." She comes across as more of a scorned sorrority girl, than she does a professional journalist.

Very frustratng read!

Disinformation at its finest. Skull & Bones realized the media dam was breaking and that they could no longer keep the existance of their influential little Satanic private club hidden from the greater public, and so lo and behold! - a naive young writer - herself a member of a Yale secret society - is asked to write a book for a mainstream publisher in hopes to "soften the blow" to Joe Schmoe. There is enough valid information in here so as to not insult the reader's intelligence, but it never really cuts to the heart of the matter, preferring to linger on irrelevant details and on the experiences of inactive members of the group who never really got to know what it was all about in the first place (and who, for all the author knows, might've been feeding *her* disinformation). The idea is that anyone who has enough interest in Skull & Bones to read a book about them, will pick this up at their local bookstore, will have their curiousity assuaged, and, being satisfied that Skull & Bones isn't as lurid as some have made it out to be, will investigate the matter no more. Simply put, this book was released as a form of damage control. Anyone seriously researching Skull & Bones should pick up a copy of Antony Sutton's book, "America's Secret Establishment", in addition to this one, and if you're only planning to read one book on the subject, I recommend Sutton's book over this one (FYI, Sutton was the first researcher to really blow the lid off Skull & Bones, back in the 1980's, when few people had ever even heard of it).

Describing Yale as "an institution that presents itself far less as an academic school than as a social game," author Robbins delves into the history of the university itself in an effort to explain the evolution of its secret societies--Skull and Bones, in particular--and to rationalize their continuing existence. Quoting documents from the archives, she cites religious zealotry, student rankings by social status and family background, a veneration of tradition, and the promotion of ultra-conservative values at Yale in the 19th century as factors in the development of these societies during that time. Literary, debating, and drama societies, open to all students, evolved and disbanded during these years, but the secret societies survived, providing in the absence of a residential college system, a bonding experience which fulfilled unmet social needs.

Skull and Bones is highly selective, tapping only fifteen seniors each year, but the networks members forge among themselves, with faculty who were members, and with powerful alumni endure for a lifetime. Bushes, Buckleys, Bundys, Rockefellers, Tafts, and others have formed and exploited their secret society networks in government and foreign policy, the CIA, finance, and business. Robbins firmly debunks, however, the rumors of an "international mafia," a real estate cabal, neo-Nazi philosophy, and the notion that this is the "most powerful secret society the world has ever known."

Herself a member of a "kindred Yale secret society," Robbins can hardly be expected to represent the point of view of the 90% of the campus which is not tapped for secret societies, which, now admitting women and minorities, seem to be trying to represent the college's demographics more fairly. She never really deals with the inherent elitism (or tokenism) which the selection process represents, however, and I disagree with her contention that secret societies are necessary in our lives: "The secret society--like the power of the elitist, old-school colleges...--survives because people like to believe that seemingly random events are orchestrated by someone or something in control...they need causality in much the same way as they need a God. People's need for the Skull and Bones conspiracies to elucidate an underlying order is similar to the need for religion to explain death and purpose." As long as people believe this, secret societies will endure. Mary Whipple

I heard the author on a national radio show some time ago,
and she sounded well-informed, articulate, and intelligent. I
only recently got around to reading the book, which I was
interested in because, indeed, I very much buy into conspiracy
theories. Based on the interview, in which she claimed to have
been harrassed by Skull and Bones (SaB) members, a claim
repeated at the outset of the book, I expected a full expose'
of Skull and Bones.

While the book does provide an expose', about 80% of the
writing that provides background about the so-called Yale
(and Harvard) "mystique," along with staggering amounts of details
about the goings on at Yale, bored me no end, and I found myself
skimming constantly. By the time I got to page 100, half-way
through, I simply could not believe that an editor didn't make
drastic cuts/changes to the contents of the book. It's easy to
understand why the author would be interested in all this "gossip,"
for she was a member of another secret society at Yale, she was
"in" as she wrote. Maybe the editors were too. I can't imagine
who else would want to read this material, except perhaps in brief
outline as background.

Here are some examples. The first 3 pages of Chapter 3, "Inside
Headquarters," is a very boring poem called "The Brown Jug." Pp. 104 -
106 is yet another soporific excerpt from a novel about "Tap Day," which
the author describes in great detail in not one, but two sections of the
book. On p. 130 we are treated to SaB's dinner menu - the chapter is
called "The Secrets of the Skull and Bones!" Further, she often cites
one reference, and then confusingly goes back in time to use another
(at times) long, questionable citation. On p. 204 she engages in many lines
of name dropping that have absolutely nothing to do with Yale or Skull and
Bones!

On the bright side, Chapter 6, "The Network," is very good, well worth
reading, a bold, thorough expose' of the way the members of Skull and Bones
have helped each other out through the years, with ample details of the
Bush family and their connections with the Harrimans and others. Another
topic the book covers well is the incredible obsession that members of
these societies have with rituals (see David Icke's books, for sure!).

At the end of "Secrets of the Tomb" the author clearly accepts the
info she got from "insiders," that they have "planted" most of what

conspiracy researchers have written as "truth" about Skull and Bones. In
one sentence (p. 188) she refutes what I feel are very well-documented
connections between SaB members and the Nazi's (see my review of a biography
of G. Bush), and how can anyone deny that the government prosecuted these
people? I can only conclude that it's a shame that so much effort was spent
on many unimportant pages about the goings on at Yale and relatively few
pages on the more important actions of the members of these secret societies.

In "Secrets of the Tomb," Alexandra Robbins repeats, and dismisses, many of the claims made by conspiracy theorists like Anthony Sutton about the Yale University senior society Skull and Bones. She also calls into question the authenticity of Ron Rosenbaum's account of a Skull and Bones initiation, suggesting that it was not authentic, but rather a skit contrived and performed by members who knew that Rosenbaum was eavesdropping on them.

In the stead of such "exposés," she provides a history of early Yale and the peculiar social climate in which this society came to be. The truth is as interesting as any of the fantasies. ... Skull and Bones (as well as several other similar societies) reflect today what was once a much broader system of college clubs that served to reinforce institutional culture. Of course, that culture has changed with the passage of years; the successful (i.e., surviving) societies have adapted to change even as they resisted it.

We don't learn much more about the German connection or the ritual background of Skull and Bones here than we do from Sutton. The German university corps from which the Yale society emanated as a chapter is not identified; Ms. Robbins has not said which German university Gen. Russell visited. If naked mud wrestling or lying in a coffin are not (at least now) parts of the ritual, drinking simulated "blood" out of a skull is, which suggests von Hund's masonic Templars as a ritual source. The presiding officer is named "Uncle Toby," apparently derived from the character in Laurence Sterne's novel "Tristam Shandy," and the mysterious number 322 from the date of Demosthenes' death. The Skull and Bones library contains an Aldine edition of Demosthenes and a first edition of "Tristam Shandy," both great bibliophilic rarities. Many Latin tags about bones (ossis), as well as macaronics on "bonis" (the good), reflect the past importance of the classics in a university education. (Conspiracy theorists may wish to note that, if Mimmo Siclari's lyrics can be trusted, the legendary founders of the Mafia were named Ossu, Matrossu, and Carcagnossu - which may be translated as "Bones," "Mother Bones," and "Burdened Bones," respectively.)

While Ms. Robbins discounts wild claims of world conspiracy, she does portray a club the members of which have historically been drawn from a monied and socially influential background, and who have been assiduous in promoting each others' interests. This has taken place within a prestigious and influential university that itself has drawn its students from a highly select pool. The author's lipservice to the shibboleths of political correctness, exhibiting fashionable condemnation of "élitism" and "tokenism," ring rather hollow in view of her indication that she belongs to another Yale secret society (the name of which she does not disclose). It is hypocritical posturing to denounce élitism and tokenism when one has already derived their benefits....

...If Ms. Robbins has not learnt that at Yale, I'd say her tuition was a great waste of money.

An excellent effort to describe in a single volume the history, mythos, practices, and network behind Yale's #1 secret society. I give it four stars only because I'm just not interested in a lot of the material, but what's there is beyond a doubt well interested and well researched.

... The author does an admirable job explaining how these societies wormed their way into the Yale consciousness and have always held such fascination and such sway over the community.

There is extensive discussion over the Bones/Bush connection, which for me was pretty dull (I'm much more interested in the tomb, the rituals, and the junk they've stolen over the years--I really couldn't care less who is in the club or what they've said to each other), but the details will be fascinating for students of American politics who are interested in tracking the hidden connections that keep the government running. Me, I'd rather have the coffee table book with three pictures of the Inner Temple than a thousand pages of who gave what job to whom.

I did find one point rather disingenuous--even while the author exposes one society, she judiciously and conspicuously avoids mentioning the name of her own, which to me doesn't seem really fair. My completely uninformed guess is Scroll and Key: first, because it's one of the Big Three (to whom Bonespeople would be more likely to open up) and second, the author mentions how dark the door to the tomb is, and Wolf's Head, the other of the Big Three, has a light over its front door (at least it did the last time I was in New Haven). However, I'm sure some irate Bonesperson will "out" her on the Internet in the near future, perhaps as the start of the next society expose'.

To the publication of which, I say, "Keep 'em coming."

This book is absolutely excellent. When I bought the book I expected it to be mostly about conspiracy theories associated with Skull and Bones (for example, that Skull and Bones is part of a secret world government). But the book is so much more than that. Robbins deftly debunks much of the lore of this society, pointing out that, while its members - typically wealthy or high-achieving Yalies or children of prominent alumni - revel in their secrecy, the society is mostly a social club whose members go out of their way to assist one another after graduation. The author reveals the organization's secret initiation rites, and dissects their true impact on world affairs. I loved the way the she named names, to show how both Bush presidents helped - and were helped by - fellow Bonesmen. I also enjoyed the great irony: George W. Bush has called Yale a place of Northeastern intellectual snobbery and made fun of his education there. Yet Robbins documents how his ascent to the presidency is littered with Bonesmen. This is detailed, responsible journalism at its best. Every fact is documented. Every suspicious account is investigated with a critical eye. This book is a great read. Alexandra Robbins is a wonderful and entertaining writer. I recommend this book highly.

I thought Secrets of the Tomb Skull and Bones, The Ivy League, And the Hidden Paths of Power.
was excellent. The president and his father are both members of Skull and Bones and so is Senator John Kerry who will run against George W. Bush in 2004 are all so called "Bonesmen". The author Alexandra Robbins writing style is incredibly smooth and the fact that she mentions that she is a member of "one of Skull and Bones kindred Yale secret societies" only makes it more fascinating. This is an enjoyable mystery within a mystery of a mysterious book.That is part of what makes it even more interesting The book it self is mysterious looking with a wild picture of "The Tomb" and the creepy but aesthetic skull and Bones symbol with the 322 draws the reader in. There are a lot of photos I've never seen before in this book. The reader will get a vivid picture of how the Society system works. This is a part of American culture that needed to be discussed not just through rumor. You also get a tour of the "Tomb" and the private island owned by Bones all as bizarre as the recent movie Skulls. In an interesting chapter on the initiation ritual the author takes inside this ritual but makes it interesting and yet manages clear up some of the rumors that surround it's secrecy. You get I think a real taste for what these initiates went through. It's funny to think of the president and his son and fellows Bill Buckley going through this ritual. The Networking of the Order is the who's who of the elite's and a must read for those who like to study how power structure works. In fact if you read The Wise Men Six friends and the world they made by Isaacon and Thomas you'll remember they mention Skull & Bones briefly but prominently in this mammoth work about the diplomats men of Wall street true insiders several of them were indeed Skull and Bones directly influenced the post WWII world. Secrets of the Tomb revels that connections still exist today. I charters of this are a who's who of the powerful. If you liked that movie the Skulls or even Harry Potter or even Rushmore or your an avid listener of Cost to Cost radio you'll love Secrets of the Tomb. I think even the most paranoid reader or conspiracy theorist will find the wealth of fasinating information within. It a wilderness of mirrors this Skull in Bones. Read about Skull and Bones the most infamous of all the Secret Societies.

This book gives every detail you'd ever like to know -- the truth -- about such secret societies at Yale. I believe that this book will be misunderstood by those that aren't at Yale. There's something about the university, maybe a more mysterious atmosphere, I don't know. There will be people that will be upset by this book: it doesn't discuss world domination or demon worship, because there simply is none. Have fun reading this book. I finished it in two days.

The book has an intriguing cover and title. The introduction was captivating. Sadly, it's all downhill from there -- it reads like the minutes of a long and unproductive meeting.

Apparently, the author has succeeded in recruiting her friends to leave contrived reviews. Of the 28 which rated this book at 5-stars, 15 were anonymous and 9 had this book as their only reviewed work. That leaves 4 people who unquestionably enjoyed it -- the editor, her parents, and boyfriend. The others are suspect.