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Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies (For Dummies (History, Biography & Politics)) (Paperback)

by Christopher Hodapp (Author), Alice Von Kannon (Author)
Key Phrases: other presidents, truth movement, free blacks, New York, Air Force, World War (more...)

2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Entering the world of conspiracy theories and secret societies is like stepping into a distant, parallel universe where the laws of physics have completely changed: black means white, up is down, and if you want to understand what’s really going on, you need a good reference book. That’s where Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies comes in.

Whether you’re a skeptic or a true believer, this fascinating guide, packed with the latest information, walks you through some of the most infamous conspiracy theories — such as Area 51 and the assassination of JFK — and introduces you to such mysterious organizations as the Freemasons, the Ninjas, the Mafia, and Rosicrucians. This behind-the-curtain guide helps you separate fact from fiction and helps you the global impact of these mysterious events and groups on our modern world. Discover how to:

Test a conspiracy theory
Spot a sinister secret society
Assess the Internet’s role in fueling conspiracy theories
Explore world domination schemes
Evaluate 9/11 conspiracy theories
Figure out who “they” are
Grasp the model on which conspiracy theories are built
Figure out whether what “everybody knows” is true
Distinguish on assassination brotherhood from another
Understand why there’s no such thing as a “lone assassin”

Why do hot dogs come in packages of ten, while buns come in eight-packs? Everybody knows its a conspiracy, right? Find out in Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies.

From the Back Cover
What do Skull & Bones, the Kennedys, and UFOs all have in common?

Your guide to an undiscovered world of arcane rites and rituals

Whether you're a skeptic or a true believer, this fascinating guide, packed with the latest information, walks you through some of the most infamous conspiracy theories — such as Area 51 and the assassination of JFK — and introduces you to such mysterious organizations as the Freemasons, the Ninjas, the Mafia, and Rosicrucians. Sorting out fact from fiction, you'll be able to explore their global impact on society today.

Discover how to:

Test a conspiracy theory
Spot a sinister secret society
Assess the Internet's role in fueling conspiracy rumors
Explore world domination schemes
Evaluate 9/11 conspiracy theories

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Paperback: 362 pages
Publisher: For Dummies (March 31, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0470184086
ISBN-13: 978-0470184080
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #328,357 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category: (What's this?)
#51 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( K ) > Kennedy, John F.

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
other presidents, truth movement, free blacks, most common conspiracy, nefarious foes, occult secret societies

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Air Force, World War, United States, Colossal Compilation of Conspiracy Theories, Knights Templar, French Revolution, New World Order, World Trade Center, New Orleans, Catholic Church, The Conspiracies Behind the Guns, Black Hand, Cosa Nostra, The World's Longest-Running Secret Society, African Americans, Jack Ruby, Apocalyptic Conspiracies, Cold War, Innocent Pawns, Civil War, Five Points, Middle East, Middle Ages, The World's Most Common Conspiracy

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	82% buy the item featured on this page: Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies (For Dummies (History, Biography & Politics)) 2.9 out of 5 stars (8) $14.99
	6% buy Freemasons For Dummies (For Dummies (History, Biography & Politics)) 4.5 out of 5 stars (61) $13.59
	4% buy The Templar Code For Dummies (For Dummies (History, Biography & Politics)) 4.3 out of 5 stars (9) $13.59
	4% buy The Rough Guide to Conspiracy Theories 2 (Rough Guide Reference) 4.5 out of 5 stars (2) $14.99

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

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2.9 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Truly Gullible Need Not Apply...., April 5, 2008

By	E. King - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having read all three of Chris' prior books and being a pretty active conspiracy scoffer, I'd girded my loins for a disappointment this time around. Just more Freemason conspiracy (Solomon's Builders) and more Templars conspiracy (Templar Code for Dummies) with a little lettuce thrown around on the edges to make it look fancy and different....

HARDLY!

Whether it's organized crime, the Illuminati, or world domination, Chris and Alice take you down the dark alleys of mystery and fear but always keep a flashlight focused carefully so you won't get grabbed by the hobgoblins. Trying to put a coherent order to the 'weird things of the world' would be a daunting task for anyone but the authors start with a very plausible premise: it all began with the French Revolution. They frequently reach back to that touchstone as the net grows wider in explaining the bizarre and while you might not accept it at face value, you soon realize that the premise has LOTS of merit.

In the basic areas of foolishness (such as the Hoaglund 'Face on Mars'), the authors are wryly dismissive but in the more controversial or confusing things there's a calm and deliberate presentation of facts and a laying out 'common knowledge' interspersed with 'the rest of the story' (i.e., the FACTS!). In few cases they do pull out the 'tin-foil hat' award but otherwise it's basic exposition with an admission that there's no answer when, in fact, there is none. There's no doe-like innocence to be found but neither is there overt criticism. It's reminiscent of Sergeant Friday: "Just the facts, ma'am." - but this time with some humor added.

It's clear that Chris and Alice have read from the major skeptics before beginning and they regularly refer to specific (and qualified) debunkers. Apropos of the subject, the book cries out for an annotated bibliography. Sadly, such is not the style of the 'Dummies' series. I'd happily pay extra for that because it would save me wearing out the binding looking back for things all the time. Sadly too, there aren't NEARLY enough Rich Tarrant cartoons here to satisfy: when you're knee deep in alien space monsters or gangland retribution, a little graphic levity can help!

Because the author's three prior works were so steeped in Masonic 'stuff', I was expecting to simply skip over the Masonic section as 'old hat'. What a mistake that would have been. Somehow this book has managed to circumvent the 'old wine - new bottle' conundrum and has included a fresh and relevant approach coinciding with the book's title. They've got what essentially could be called the 'elevator pitch' on Freemasonry with explanations that are simple and understandable - and something any Mason could use when asked that question "What is Freemasonry?" that brings even long-term members to the point of stuttering.

I did have a couple of small quibbles. One was the mention of a meeting between two 18th century conspiracists, John Robison and Abbe Barruel. My prior reading indicated that this had never occurred but they simply acknowledged (belatedly) the work done by the other (and, in fact, Barruel was quite dismissive of Robison's work. Vernon Stauffer's seminal work on this topic provides a quote in support of this. It's a bit of minutiae we can arm wrestle over elsewhere and it does not in any way lessen the assumptions, conclusions or assessments which cover FAR more ground more accurately and intelligently than any other work on this topic. The other quibble involved the loss by the town of Roswell, New Mexico of some 5,000 souls between the start of a paragraph and the end. Then again, who knows: maybe it was a conspiracy!

Like the Hodapp family predecessors, this is a book with an easy to read style and it's one you can consume in small pieces at your leisure. I'll bet, though, that like me you'll devour it within a few pleasant hours and set it down having learned a bunch of things about events and organizations you thought you had thoroughly understood prior to that. If you're looking to debunk things like the origins of the Rosicrucians or your friend who's convinced he has all the facts about 9/11, then this is the book for you. Of course, if you think that David Icke is the true messiah or that Coast to Coast is more factual than National Public Radio, you won't enjoy it AT ALL! Move along: there's nothing to see here....

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good treatment of a massive topic, March 18, 2009

By	Templar Guy - See all my reviews

I wanted to hate this book. It was one of those moments in the bookstore, like when I came across 'The Complete Idiot's Guide To The Kennedys,' when I said, 'You've got to be kidding' right out loud. Judging from the cover (yes, yes, I know better than that), I figured this book swallowed the whole New World Order / FEMA camps / 9-11 inside job / Zionists / Freemason / World Domination / Denver Airport line of Alex Jones style balderdash. Instead, what I got was a popcorn-like experience of standing in the bookstore for almost an hour reading, unable to put it down. (Yes I bought it.)

'Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies For Dummies' is a truly rare find in a shelf full of drivel. I was already a fan of Christopher Hodapp and Alice VonKannon's book 'The Templar Code For Dummies', and they bring the same evenhanded approach to this material. Face it - it's easy 'or I assume it's easy' to write a book that does nothing but heap contempt on what are fringy beliefs, like shooting fish in a barrel. But this book is frankly densely packed with a huge range of subjects, crammed into a small, easy to like package. They manage to cover most topics with humor, without venturing into scorn or snarkiness (with the possible exception of the 9/11 truthers movement, which IMHO deserves all of the scorn it can get).

This book avoids being a laundry list of subjects, and the chapters have a quirky logic that seems to work. I have probably 30 Dummies books on a vast assortment of subjects at home, and I always marvel at the way one author will totally get how to organize and write these books, while others seem clueless. Hodapp/Von Kannon are fast becoming favorite authors in this series of books. It makes me curious about how these books are created, but that's another topic.

What I really found interesting was that they take the trouble to analyze where conspiracy theories actually come from. That sounds simplistic, but believe me, it's rare in books like this. Likewise, they don't just write little blurbs about secret societies, but go to the trouble of explaining their history and development, along with whatever they are accused of. There's deadly serious material here, along with the truly frivolous, and the breadth is truly amazing: Freemasons and Rosicrucians, UFOs, Tesla, HAARP, Skull and Bones, the CFR, Bilderbergers, Trilateral Commission. and even stuff like subliminal advertising, JFK, 'Paul Is Dead,' and Elvis spottings. There's a whole chapter on the Mafia that is the best explanation on the subject I've ever read. Likewise, the KKK gets covered in a brief, but very detailed manner.

On and on it goes, and that's why I think this book is so good at a difficult subject, The authors keep it moving fast, but don't skimp on the details. And in the end, they seem to be letting the facts speak for themselves, instead of having a dismissive point of view. To me, that makes this book one of the best introductions to the subject.

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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies for Dummies, June 5, 2008

By	Steven D. Wittberger "Steve Wittberger" (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While Chris presents a serious topic in a light-hearted way, this is quite a useful book about what, for many, is quite a confusing subject.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Very Biased Reference Book
Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies (For Dummies (History, Biography & Politics))

I have read many of the "Dummies" series books and really liked them,... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Michael D. Neely

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing but Informative...
Being a conspiracy theorist, I was kind of disappointed in this book but I read it anyway. It is very obvious that the authors look down upon conspiracy believers and ridicule... Read more

Published 4 months ago by D. Braddy

1.0 out of 5 stars just a bad book all around
i am not a conspiracy nut by any means i just like to see whats out there. i have read many conspiracy books and i have to say this is by far the worst. Read more

Published 4 months ago by M. gosney

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a very good book.
This book is not what one would expect it to be. It is written by two conspiracy debunkers. It seems that these two authors have an agenda in wanting to debunk every conspiracy... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Anthony Sakalauskas

4.0 out of 5 stars Paranoia and Reading
The books so far is interesting, and there are a lot of weird theories out there. It is worth taking a look at it.

Published 7 months ago by Aislinge Kellogg

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