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Book Review: Secrets of the Code

Posted on August 27, 2006

When I first read the Da Vinci Code (DVC) I was captivated. I read the book through in one sitting and then passed it along to my roommate who did the same. While reading the book I found myself constantly hopping out of my chair and heading over to the computer to do research. The more I dug into the art and scholarship relating to the DVC the more I wanted to dig. Fortunately Dan Burstein (accomplished journalist and GP/founder of Millennium Technology Ventures) was doing the same research and I had the idea to compile the best scholarship on the subjects featured in the DVC and put it all in a book called Secrets of the Code.

I was able to get my hands on a copy of the book through a BzzCampaign I was part of (see BzzAgent for more) and started reading it immediately after I received it. I just finished the book over this past week while I was on vacation and I can now officially say it is well worth a read, especially for anyone looking to know more about the themes in the DVC from the “professionals.” One thing that I particularly love about Secrets is the fact that the book takes scholarship from both sides of every DVC related debate so that the reader obtains a balanced perspective and can make up their own mind.

There are other features of the book that are equally as interesting as the scholarship. Two of these sections, both written by veteran journalist David A. Shugarts, should be noted. One section chronicles Dan Brown’s life to show readers where he may have found his inspiration while the other showcases Shugarts’ well researched answers to some of the DVC’s most asked questions including a listing of many plot holes and timeline issues that can be found throughout the book.

The essays in Secrets, numbering nearly 50, are written by top minds from Newsweek, Time, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal as well as the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail, The Jesus Mysteries, The Chalice and the Blade, The Gnostic Gospels, The Templar Revelation, The Goddess in the Gospels and The Woman with the Alabaster Jar (just to name a handful). Also included within the pages of Secrets are a guide to all of the DVC characters, a glossary, backgrounders on all of the contributors and web resources for further research. If you want to understand the thinking of the people on both sides of the DVC debate this is definitely the book for you. Give it a read, you won’t be disappointed!