Secret Societies of America's Elite: From the Knights Templar to Skull and Bones (Paperback)

by Steven Sora (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Despite the promise of its somewhat lurid title and cover, this odd combination of scholarship and speculation does not really have what it takes to capture the attention of a general reading audience. Its extremely broad theme is that "from the time of the Crusades to modern years, a handful of families have controlled the course of world events and have built their own status and wealth through collective efforts and intermarriage." Sora, who covered much of the same material in his earlier The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar, connects the leaders of the 14th-century French military group the Knights Templar to 18th-century pirates such as Captain Kidd as well as Revolutionary heroes such as Benjamin Franklin. Sora provides some interesting insights into each subject: the business organization and acumen of the Knights Templar made them, in effect, "the first ever multinational corporation"; William Kidd was a businessman with ties to Scottish Masonic private clubs; and Franklin's efforts to keep the colonials supplied and funded meant that he "operated through Masonic groups in England and France, and his partners in the pro-American war efforts were more often than not hedonists, occultists, Rosicrucians, slave traders and spies." But his general attempt to connect Masonic groups to more current events like the J.F.K. assassination is on far shakier ground, and a final chapter on Yale's legendary Skull and Bones fraternity seems tacked on to book only to allow Sora to argue-but never prove-that "coincidences point to an elite handful of interlocking relationships that have a hold over national affairs."
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
. . . a simply fascinating, authoritative, strongly recommended study of a metaphysical aspect of human history not shown in most textbooks. -- The Midwest Book Review, May 2003

Steven Sora is an amazing researcher and a thought-provoking writer. -- Michael Peter Langevin, Magical Blend, August 2003

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Destiny Books (February 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892819596
• ISBN-13: 978-0892819591
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #497,950 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Full of errors: stay away from this sloppy book !, October 14, 2003

By	Boileau0663 (Tournai, Belgique) - See all my reviews

I started reading this book with great interest but when I was told on page 42 that England was Protestant at the time of Joan of Arc and that Louis XVI was Napoleon's archenemy on page 46, I just put it aside...
Joan of Arc: 1412-1431
Hundred Years War: 1337-1453
Martin Luther: 1483-1546
Henry VIII: 1491-1547

Napoleon's enemy was Louis XVIII and Malta was taken by him in 1798 and not in 1789, as the author claims on page 46. 1789 is the year when the French revolution broke out.

If Mr.Sora can't his facts right on matters everybody knows about how can we trust him when he writes about secret dealings and societies?

One wonders how this book could get the green light.Shameful...

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars BE CAREFUL OF THIS ONE, August 28, 2004

By	D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I am fearful that the historical accuracy of some of the statements made by this author are in question. I found the work to be rather poorly footnoted and some of the author's conclusions quite questionable. I also found that the work was quite repetative and that much of what the author had to tell us could have been presented in about one fourth of the pages actually used. After reading the book, I certainly would not try passing myself off as an expert on "secret societies" and their impact on our present time. Do some home work on your own before reading this one, and as I said, becareful of this one!

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another very interesting book from Steve Sora., March 28, 2003

By	Gary S. Fenstermacher "gfen" (bethlehem, pa USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was anxious to get my copy of this, as I completely enjoyed his last book, Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar.
This one begins rather similarly to the last, there's a decent portion on the origins of the Knights Templar, their rise to power and eventual downfall. It also then documents the beginning of Freemasonry from the remnants of the Knights. This is where the two seperate, with this one following the Masons and their web from old Europe to the new world, and shows how a web of conspiracies all seem to, at times, point back to master plans laid out. Secret Societies also delves into the way America's wealthiest elite seem to have formed a somewhat closed circle, not all that different from the aristocracy of old.
The book shows us how many of these familes and many of our modern corporations have their beginning in such things as the slave trade and the opium trade, and how history has, at times, been selectivly re-written to remove some of that stain from the past of our wealthiest. Since I'm not a student of history, there are times in this book where the pace slows down and the geneaologies are laid out, however, it definatly goes much quicker and easier at certain points, most notably the major influences secret societies and the Freemasons had on the birth of the United States and the Revolutionary War, and then especially at the end as modern history proves its not immune to the touch of these groups, as well. I have to say that I think this book fufilled one of its author's goals when I picked up a newspaper the day after finishing it and began to notice many names, all in positions of power, that I'd only just been familarized with from this book.

This is a book that will definatly pique the interest of those who are historians as well as the conspiracy minded.

1/30/05 Update: In our current times of trouble, when so many people are wondering about the state of our country, our adminstration, and corruption that this book should be given another glance... It definatly helps place some of the current goings-on into a historical perspective, and allows one to gain additiona insight to the people who are in some of the most powerful positions in America, the boardroom, and indeed the world.