If there ever was an eye-catching title for a book The Brotherhood: The Explosive Expose of the Secret World of the Freemasons. Yes, author Stephen Knight has come up with a truly tremendous title. The one problem here is that it is unnecessarily salacious. It is somewhat odd to write an “explosive expose” about an organization that really doesn’t bother anyone. Well, if you prescribe to Illuminati roleplaying fantasies about secret organizations, you might really be interested in a hard hitting expose. The reality here is that most people do not see anything untoward about freemasons. But, the public does have a strong sense of curiosity regarding what might occur behind the closed doors of a freemasonic lodge. As such, books such as The Brotherhood provide a glimpse into a realm few have been able to see.
Freemasonry is not exactly a subject people outside of the fold have much insight into. That is, of course, by design. Freemasons are a clandestine group of individuals that share many common bonds with one another. Such bonds are made stronger thanks in large part to the fact that membership in a freemasonic order is reserved for the privileged few. This does raise more than a few eyebrows as many will be curious about what goes on behind the walls of a freemasonic lodge. Outsiders certainly are not allowed to peer in. Those that do wish to gain a little insight into what occurs behind these walls can now look towards The Brotherhood by Stephen Knight. Yes, this is certainly an interesting work and those interested in the subject of freemasonry might consider it an excellent text to explore.
Knight’s work tries to get to the root of common questions and myths surrounding freemasonry. The specter of conspiracy theories and desires to influence the global order are addressed. Honestly, there are pros and cons to this approach. First, because so many fringe books have tried to tie freemasonry to global world order movements, such theories have to be addressed in print. The problem here is that there is no conspiracy to dominate the globe. (And if there is, it is taking a long time!) So, the pages invested in conspiracy related themes do not effectively address the truth behind freemasonry. Such pages also do not debunk anything either so what you are left with is a bit of speculation. In some ways, you could say that is fine as well. Speculation opens the door to thinking, discussing, and analyzing. As long as one’s logic is not terminally flawed in the analysis phase, the speculation can have an educational and informative side to it.
Does The Brotherhood have its flaws? If you are seeking a definitive text on the history of freemasonry, this is not it. If you are interested in learning about why people are drawn to freemasonry, the book has some value. If you are interested in the pop cultural speculative perspectives of freemasonry, the book can prove to be a fun and enjoyable read.