Product Description
In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling-a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths . . . all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object -artfully encoded with five symbols-is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon-a prominent Mason and philanthropist -is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations-all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.As the world discovered in The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Dan Brown's novels are brilliant tapestries of veiled histories, arcane symbols, and enigmatic codes. In this new novel, he again challenges readers with an intelligent, lightning-paced story that offers surprises at every turn. The Lost Symbol is exactly what Brown's fans have been waiting for . . . his most thrilling novel yet. ... Read more

Product Description
"The thing you discover about Baltimore is that you don't have to make it up.The city's full of peculiar, unpredictable, unpretentious delights-a million little roadside attractions.

So writes Dan Rodricks in Charm City.Here, the popular Baltimore Sun columnist explores the decidedly distinctive character of his hometown.

Baltimore, he informs us, is a revitalized city that boasts the same sort of amenities as other American metropolises-the National Aquarium, the Harborplace market, world-renowned medical facilities and thriving arts organizations, not to mention top-notch sporting venues and first-rate teams to play in them.

And yet, Baltimore has so much more to offer.

There's "Bawlmerese," the city's own languageA tavern with a stoplight where green means enter.Plenty of charming, historic rowhouses.Crab cakes, French fries with gravy.And people who call you "hon" time and again.

Complementing Rodricks' observations are hundreds of images by the area's finest photographers, carefully selected by Roger Miller to help explore the many unpretentious delights-great and small-that make Baltimore the true Charm City. ... Read more

Product Description
Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has become the best-selling hardcover adult novel of all time, spouting a tenuous postmodern worldview akin to the age-old heresy of "Gnosticism." Though Gnosticism has been refuted repeatedly throughout the history of Christianity, and many of Brown's sources have been proven frauds, people are still reading Brown's books to become "enlightened."

The Gospel According to The Da Vinci Code not only refutes the philosophies behind this blockbuster book. It also looks at Brown's other writings to form a clearer picture of the worldview that guides his writings, why this worldview is so popular and what the church must do in response. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Thank You
I read the book "The Da Vinci Code" and found it to be extremely disturbing.In fact I was furious after completing it. I kept saying "Where lies the truth in this book"? Did someone jump of the train too soon?Then fortunately for me, a friend informed me that your book was being written. For that I say thank you.You do an excellent job of dispelling a number of innaccuracies while empowering the readers to validate the "facts".Though theDa Vinci Code is a work of FICTION, it is written in a fashion in which it may lead to the clouding of the senses!I half expected your book to be a "preachy" rhetoric but it was by far anything but.So my thanks goes out to you for putting a fresh perspective out there for readers to enjoy and to provoke thought so that they too will seek the TRUTH.

Sincerely,

Wm. Quinones

Dealing with the big picture
Most of the responses to The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown deal strictly with facts (or the lack thereof). But what about the big picture? What does the novel communicate and how has it impacted our culture? As Christians, how ought we to respond? The Gospel According to the Da Vinci Code by Kenneth Boa and John Alan Turner seeks to answer these questions.

While the novel is actually fiction, our culture is such that many people treat it as non-fiction. "What Dan Brown says he believes is fundamentally incompatible with historic, orthodox Christianity. However, in a pluralistic society such as ours, millions of people seem to think you can pick and choose your beliefs like toppings on your pizza." (2)

Through their introduction and 12 chapters, Boa and Turner analyze the problems The Da Vinci Code presents in our current culture and how Christians should respond. "So what is the gospel according to Dan Brown? Simply put, `Everything you've ever heard about Jesus is wrong.'" (23) They discuss postmodernism, truth, and history, while pointing out Brown's problems and errors.

The authors ask, "What Would Jesus Do With Dan Brown?" (90) They essentially boil down the proper Christian response to "We've got to stop being foolish. We've got to stop being tacky. And we've got to stop being mean." (118) Though they deal a few of the errors in Brown's novel, they point to Darrell Bock's Breaking the Da Vinci Code for a more thorough critique.

There are a number of great points throughout the book, such as, "Saying that Dan Brown's book is about Christianity is like saying Finding Nemo is about marine biology. We have just as much evidence to suggest Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene as we have that clown fish talk." (25) The authors also get points for using Jack Bauer as an illustration (102-103).

Unfortunately, these good points are counterbalanced by poor ones. In at least one case they esteem a cheesy slogan as good methodology: "people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care." (106) The book doesn't appear to have a logical structure and often switches focus without reason. The authors make some brief points about Gnosticism and "the sacred feminine," but no thorough analysis of those topics is offered.

The Gospel According to the Da Vinci Code has periodic good points to offer, particularly in regards to the status of our culture. In that sense, it succeeds in dealing with the big picture. However, readers would be better off reading a book responding to the historical claims and pagan worldview of The Da Vinci Code.

You NEED this book
I wondered what the hubbabaloo about the Da Vinci Code, so when I received the ARC to review this book, I was eager to start it. I was a little confused with Code book, because I liked the story, but found some of the narrative a little boggling, but this book, the Gospel according to, was amazing complex and simple at the same time. These authors take the reader piece by piece through the Dan Brown book and shows who, what, where, when and whys the book is a failure on so many levels. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoyed the Code or didn't like hte code...either way you'll be enlighted!! ... Read more

Product Description
Set of 4 books by New York Times bestselling author, Dan Brown. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

.Not what was advertized
Book listed as larger than what I received.Bought it for my 84 year old grand mother thinking it might be larger print.Just an overprices standard 4.5 x 7 inch book not worth 25 dollars. ... Read more

Product Description
At 22, Dan Brown came to the Bronx's P.S. 85 as an eager, fresh-faced teacher. Unbeknownst to him, his assigned class, 4-217, was the designated "dumping ground" for all fourth-grade problem cases, and his students would prove to be more challenging than he could ever anticipate. Intent on being a caring, dedicated teacher but confronted with unruly children, absent parents, and a failing administration, Dan was pushed to the limit time and again: he found himself screaming with rage, punching his fist through a blackboard out of sheer frustration, often just wanting to give up and walk away.

Yet in this seeming chaos, he slowly learned from his own mistakes and discovered an unexpected well of inspiration to discipline and teach and make a difference.

The Great Expectations School is the touching journey of Class 4-217 and their teacher, Mr. Brown, but more than that, it is the revealing story of a broken educational system and all those struggling within and fighting against it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

A REAL look at a teacher's life
What can I say about this book except that it was a love fest?

I don't care much for "teacher books" because they're often just self-congratulatory exercises that end up making teachers feel less-than.They're often written by teachers with multiple years of experience and they focus on the successes without acknowledging the incredibly difficult aspects of the profession.

Brown isn't focused on making himself look like Super-Teacher.He takes the reader into a classroom full of students who defy each and every attempt at clasroom management.He freely admits that he's at the end of his rope and has no idea what to do.Brown introduces his students and describes their antics in full-color.He also describes an administration working against him most of the time. This is exemplefied by an adminstrator who constantly threatens his job based on his bulletin boards. He comes to find out that his classroom was intentionally seeded with the most hard-to-manage group of students because the principal had it in for the teacher who was supposed to get the class before Brown came on the scene.

As a new teacher myself, I very much enjoyed Brown's realistic description of the life of a first-year teacher in a low socio-economic school.Brown not only discusses his group of students, but the difficulties of his fellow teachers as they worked for an administration and a district that all too often seemed to be dead set on working against the teachers.

I'd say this should be required reading for students in the Education field, but that might scare some of them away from the profession.

Great read... should be required reading for administrators and policy-makers
Dan Brown is one of few teacher authors willing to trade in the "one-person-can-make-a-difference-and-it's-ME!" Superman cape for an honest portrayal ofhis first year teaching in an inner-city school. He's also a fantastic writer.

The resulting story is a better read and far more helpful than other first-year teacher memoirs. Some scenes reminded me so much of my own first year I felt them in my stomach.

Brown covers his entire first year, beginning with the hiring process. In telling his own story, heillustrates almost every issue that can set well-meaning teachers up for failure: Abusive nit-picking of administrators. Test pressure. The inexcusable practice of creating a "dumping ground" classroom and assigning it to an unsuspecting new teacher. It takes courage to be honest about one's own non-heroic moments, but the end result is a book that, in the right hands, could genuinely impact the policies that chase good people out of teaching. I would recommend this to any administrator or educational policy-maker, and anyone looking for a well-written, honest teacher story.

a super pleaser
this book gives a great glimpse into the classroom for any nyc public school teacher.if you are from nyc then you realize that the neighborhood that Mr, Brown, starts his educational career in, is less then a typical american classroom.It is just the tip of the iceberg into what a classroom is actually like in the south bronx.I think it is a great read for anyone entering the world of education.

A memoir which exposes BIG problems of public education
The book was eye-opening and genuine.I could identify with many of the problems he had (such as little support by the administration) because I previously taught preschool in Queens to a class with similar demographics.It really takes hindsight to see everything clearly and I think that is what is so great about Brown's book. This is an interesting book for anyone, but particularly for teachers and principals who want to improve the system.Personally, I find it sad that so many schools (including my son's high school)teach "to the test."There is too much focus on the standardized tests and not enough teaching for the sake of pure learning and enjoyment. I think Dan Brown should be applauded for his dedication to his children while teaching in the Bronx and for making it through an entire year!The only negative part of the book was that there were too many peripheral stories that did not need to be included.I found them rather distracting and thought they interfered with the momentum of the book.

Inspiring true story
After Dan Brown graduated from NYU's film school in 2003, he decided to apply to become New York City Teaching Fellow.The Teaching Fellow program was designed after Teach For America and was started to help cope with the chronic teacher shortage in the toughest schools in the city.After some summer training, Dan was assigned to teach fourth grade at P. S. 85 , which had a sign over it's door proclaiming it to be "The Great Expectations School."This school is located in the poorest Congressional district in the United States.Equipped with a quick wit and love of children, Dan went into the job full of hope and enthusiasm.He ended up with lots of frustration because the administration was not supportive and parents were not involved. His classroom was made up of several bright, eager learners, plus students with problems such as:

* failing three times
* couldn't read their own name
* being raised by grandparents who couldn't speak English
* being locked in a refrigerator for punishment
* having a twin who had a breakdown because he was molested by their 20 year old brother
* having parents who are drug users
* only attending school 1 or 2 days a week

The beginning of the school year was very difficult and when it began to affect Dan's health, his parents urged him to quit.He stuck it out even though must of the students came to class unprepared - without needed supplies or homework - and ended up having some of the highest test scores in the school.After his year at P. S. 85, Dan taught at an exclusive prep school located in another part of the city and the contrasts between the two are striking.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Great Expectations School by Dan Brown.His compassion and enthusiasm are so apparent.He is just the type of teacher everyone hopes their child has.This book gave me a clearer understanding of the problems schools face today and why governmental mandates aren't working.The stories of some of these children just broke my heart.I also found the school's politics and the governmental regulations frustrating. This is a book that parents and educators will want to read. ... Read more

Product Description
From the Introduction:

The Lost Symbol contains a big surprise. Not only is the lost symbol found within the context of the novel, but according to Dan Brown this lost symbol is out there for every one of us to find for ourselves. This is a book which he wants to have real impact on our lives. For some readers it may even be life-changing-and that's not what we expect of a thriller.

Readers haven't known quite what to make of The Lost Symbol. Early reports-for example reader reviews on Amazon-have shown in roughly equal numbers reviews which are very positive and those which reveal the reader's disappointment or confusion. There seems to be a consensus of sorts that as a thriller this book is better than the average page-turner, but that it nonetheless has plot holes and shortcomings. For many it does not live up to expectations, though in view of the plot weaknesses of all previous Dan Brown books it is perhaps surprising that the expectations were so high.

Yet there is something about The Lost Symbol which lifts it from the status of just another fast-paced thriller to something which warrants consideration as a serious work of literature. For in this book the characters go in search of what is in effect a Holy Grail-the lost symbol-and in a break with the tradition of the genre they really do find the lost symbol. By the end of this book this symbol is not only found but is made available to every reader. It is a quest both for the characters and for the readers, and a quest where for both the goal is really reached. If you read The Lost Symbol you too can find the Lost Symbol-and perhaps it can change your life.

My view is that The Lost Symbol is no ordinary thriller, and those who seek to evaluate it solely as a thriller miss the point. Rather this is a book where we are invited to follow the hero Robert Langdon on a journey of personal development, a voyage into the mysteries of faith.

In this book l I offer some additional information and reflection aimed at following up on the quest set by Dan Brown, and perhaps helping a few more people find what Dan Brown is showing us. Taking The Lost Symbol section by section this book offers an exploration of Dan Brown's themes, his plot and characters, and explores some of the references in this work which Dan Brown calls "fact-based fiction". It looks also at his presentation of the Masons and how Dan Brown's own life influences his book. Most of all it looks towards finding the lost symbol, helping to unlock the potential of the novel and bring to the fore its message of hope for humanity.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Great
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!

No secret codes here
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.

Excellent!!!
Superb representation of the "Facts."Dan Brown I am looking forward to your next "Work of Cultural Significance!"

Interesting read..
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.

Persistence
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.
... Read more

Product Description
Quando um famoso cientista do CERN é encontrado brutalmente assassinado, o professor Robert Langdon é chamado para identificar o estranho símbolo gravado no seu peito. A conclusão é avassaladora: a marca é de uma antiga Irmandade chamada Iluminati, supostamente extinta há séculos e inimiga da Igreja Católica. Em Roma, o Colégio dos Cardeais está reunido para eleger um novo Papa quando se apercebe do rapto de quatro cardeais, ao mesmo tempo que a Guarda Suíça é informada de que uma perigosa arma está na cidade do Vaticano com o propósito de a destruir. Robert Langdon - quem não o conhece? - ajudado desta vez por Victoria Vetra, cientista do CERN, procura desesperadamente a antimatéria no meio das intricadas pistas deixadas pelos Iluminati, lutando contra o tempo para salvar o Vaticano. ... Read more

Product Description
Aujourd hui, avec Le Symbole perdu Dan Brown nous livre la suite très attendue des aventures de son héros, Robert Langdon. Six ans après le Da Vinci Code, le succès phénoménal avec plus de 5 millions d exemplaires vendus en France, toutes éditions confondues, Un embargo absolu sur le livre jusqu au 15 septembre... mais la promesse d une nouvelle intrigue montée par un Dan Brown au meilleur de sa forme : codes, histoire, énigmes : tout y est ! ... Read more

Product Description
While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others. In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth -- will be lost forever. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Cultural literacy thriller
This book starts out with lots of superfluous description of people and places that never ties up or is relevant to the tale.The story takes quite a bit of time to get off the ground.The story line is textbook predictable.You know who the bad guy(s) are before they are introduced.As they say in the trade "it is the last person you would suspect."

Now for the positives.After a slow start the action finally starts to move.If you think it has holes that you could fly a jet through, maybe but if it did not you would have no story.One thing people enjoy in books is things they already know about.With Tony Hillerman it is Navaho culture.With Stephen King it is spookiness based on standard premises.This book also bases its suspense on existing conspiracies weaving current events into age-old mysteries.

A FASCINATING AND INTRICATELY PLOTTED THRILLER...
For a while I resisted reading this book, thinking that it could not possibly be as good as its hype. Well, I was wrong. This is simply one terrific book that will keep the reader riveted to its pages until the very last one is turned. It is a very well-written, intricately plotted thriller in which a great number of esoteric historical facts and interesting theories of a religious nature are woven. Those who read it should, first and foremost, keep in mind that this book is simply a work of fiction.

All hell breaks loose when Jacques Sauniere, the elderly and revered curator of the Louvre, is murdered inside the museum. The crime scene and the body itself are laden with symbols and cryptic messages pointing to renowned Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon. He is invited to the crime scene by the wily Captain Bezu Fache, of the Central Directorate Judicial Police, the French equivalent of our Federal Bureau of Investigation, ostensibly to assist the police. Little does Langdon know that he is, in fact, the prime suspect.

When he meets police cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, they join forces. They are then led on a merry chase by a series of riddles and ciphers that are ground in a historical context. They are always just one step of the French police, who seem determined to charge Langdon with the murder of Jacques Sauniere. During their voyage of discovery, Langdon and Sophie come across a secret society, the Priory of Sion, that has a startling list of former members, which list includes Leonardo Da Vinci, as well as the late Jacques Sauniere. There is also some interesting historical detail about the ancient Knights Templar, as well as Opus Dei, a conservative religious organization currently in existence.

Langdon and Sophie peel back layers of historical clues that point to a secret of such magnitude that some would kill for it. As Langdon and Sophie surreptitiously travel from France to England and seem to be headed closer to the heart of the mystery that they are trying to unravel, an unknown nemesis is closer to them than they would dare imagine. This unknown adversary is marshaling resources in order to obtain the long hidden secret that Langdon and Sophie appear to be on the brink of discovering. It is one that has the potential to have earth shattering implications.

This is a fast-paced, plot driven, rather than character driven, thriller. It hurls itself into the reader's consciousness at break-neck speed, and before the reader realizes it, the book holds the reader in its thrall: hook, line, and sinker. For those readers who love historical detail and unusual facts and coincidences, this is definitely a fascinating book that will hold their interest. It is a page-turning thriller in which nearly every chapter leaves the reader on the brink of a precipice. The book is written in clear, effortless prose, which makes the most esoteric historical details surprisingly easy to understand. Simple in its presentation but intricate in its plotting, it is no surprise that this book has become a runaway, international bestseller. Bravo!

A fun read
I picked up this book with a little bit of skepticism because of all the hoopla surrounding the book. A few days later I was glad I read it.

Here is a word of warning: If you are an ardent catholic this book might offend you. If not this book should fascinate you.

It is a well written and researched book. It excites and propels the reader's interest to turn each page. It grabs the readers from the very beginning takes them on a wonderful journey and never lets up until the very end.

You will learn about the Illuminati and the Priory of Sion one of the oldest and most secret of societies and their relationship with Leonardo Da Vinci.

You will also read about a Roman Catholic organization called "The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei", commonly known as Opus Dei. The Opus Dei gets a bad rap in the book and here is where the Catholics might be offended.

Nevertheless this is a work of fiction and maybe the Catholics just need to develop a better sense of humor. And the ending in my opinion is well worth the effort to get there.

The illustrated version of this book helps you see what the author is talking about but I still get more out of looking it up on the internet.

I guess you can tell that I really enjoyed this book and if you read it maybe you will too. ... Read more

Product Description
Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, by author Dan Brown, have deceived millions of people across the world with a plethora of lies about the one true God, Christianity, the Holy Bible, and the Christian Church. Dan Brown has achieved this by presenting the elements in his novels under the guise of fiction, while at the same time, claiming that they are factual.But even Brown's "facts," which he maintains are historically informed, are full of inaccuracies and historical discrepancies. What Dan Brown is describing in Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code can most certainly not be categorized as fiction, because in reality, the core and foundation of his writing is Theological and Christological.However, the Theology and Christology which Dan Brown has incorporated into his novels is a false Theology and Christology?-?it is grossly distorted and stridently far from the truth. This apologetic work sets out to provide the true Theological and Christological teachings of the Holy Orthodox Church in response to the deceptions in the selected writings of Dan Brown. ... Read more