2024 the best trick the devil review

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(as of Nov 18, 2024 09:49:14 UTC - Details)

Part true crime story, part religious and literary history, an investigation into the nature of evil and the figure of the Devil by acclaimed journalist Randall Sullivan

Throughout history, humans have struggled to explain the evils of the world and the darkest parts of ourselves. The Devil’s Best Trick is a unique and far-reaching investigation into evil and the myriad ways we attempt to understand it – particularly through the figure of the Devil.

Sullivan’s narrative moves through centuries of historical, religious, and cultural conceptions of evil and the Devil: from the Mesopotamian and Egyptian gods to the Book of Job to the New Testament to the witch hunts in Europe in the 15th through 17th centuries to the history of the devil-worshipping “Black Mass” ceremony and its depictions in 19th-century French literature. He references major literary, religious and historical figures, from the Persian sages Zoroaster and Mani, Plato, Thomas Aquinas, John Milton, Edgar Allan Poe, Aleister Crowley, and many more, among them Charles Baudelaire, from whose work Sullivan took the title of the book.

But this is not just a cultural history – Sullivan intersperses original reporting and personal reflection. He travels to Catemaco, Mexico, to participate in the “Hour of the Witches” — an annual ceremony in which hundreds of people congregate in the jungle south of Vera Cruz to negotiate terms with El Diablo. He takes us through the most famous and best-documented exorcism in American history, which occurred in 1928 and lasted four months. He ponders the psychology of evil through his encounter with one brutal serial killer and he reports on the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s, detailing the shocking story of a small town in Texas that, one summer in 1988, unraveled into paranoia after a seventeen-year-old boy was found hanging from the branch of a horse apple tree and rumors about cult worship spread throughout the wider community.

Randall Sullivan, whose reportage and narrative skill has been called “extraordinary” and “enthralling” by Rolling Stone, takes on a bold task in this book that is both biography of the Devil and a look at how evil manifests in the world.

From the Publisher

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atlantic Monthly Press (May 14, 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0802119131
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802119131
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 1.42 x 9.06 inches
Reviewer: Steven bdeen
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great Book
Review: I loved the narrative style of the book. The information was both chilling and frightening. I will recommend this book to others as it was recommended to me

Reviewer: walkamungus
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Not really
Review: Bought and read the book after reading the NYT review. Not sure exactly what I expected. The writing is excellent. The book is loaded with detail, and the author has assimilated an impressive amount of information. (Nevertheless, there are about a half-dozen errors that should have been caught in editing.) I felt that the argument wandered, and lost energy when it was wandering. There is perhaps too much of the Childress story in the book. At one point I was actually angry (this was during the Freemasons part) because it was clear that we were headed down a blind alley, and taking far too long to do so. (My suggestion is, when you hit the Freemasons, skip to Part 2.) The author is at his most interesting when writing about Jewish and early Christian theology, and when writing about his trip into Mexico. As one man’s investigation into how his beliefs about the Devil-as-concept have evolved, a worthwhile read, although I was skeptical of some of his sources, both interviewees and titles in the bibliography.Ultimately, whether or not the Devil is “real,” however, pales next to the existence of evil in the world. The author might say that the Devil is the source of evil, but people are completely capable of doing atrocious things without supernatural help. I know that evil does exist: in rape and murder, and in sociopaths certainly, but also in greed, in callousness about the lives of others, in denying humans fundamental rights, in abusing and misusing animals, in power and the pursuit of power. And the potential devastation of unchecked climate change makes the Devil look puny compared to Mother Nature.Milton drew Satan’s character as he did so that his fall would be more profound.

Reviewer: Belgianwaffles75
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Not as good as I had hoped
Review: After reading the NY Times review, in which the reviewer left off convinced that the devil is real, I was intrigued.The historical philosophy is very interesting and done well. To say that any od it will convice a reader that there is a devil, is fantastical. If you believe it to be true, the logical gymnastics of the ancients will support your preconceptions. Alternatively, if you don't, this book won't convice you otherwise.The rest of the book is very disjointed - the Mexicans, the deaths in Childress, eh., it's all so so.Many readers remark how well the book is written - I didn't think so, perhaps I was a bit put off by the author's style. As well, there are ao many names in the book it's hard to keep track of who's who and what's what.Anyhow, I wouldn't buy this book again, I'd get it from the library if anything.

Reviewer: levi
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title: If you like Ghost Hunters or Ancient Aliens you'll love this
Review: Zero facts, lots of hearsay, and an author who makes himself out to be a would be Indiana Jones while bragging about the restaurants he eats in.

Reviewer: Patrick C. Weidinger
Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars
Title: No Answers To the Central Question
Review: This book had a promising and timely idea. That evil ( the devil) has tricked us into believing evil has disappeared. Evil is no longer an ever present reality and danger. But if you are looking for evidence of that in this book, it ain’t there. Instead there are three main story lines. None of which the author bothers to tie together. None of which, on their own, addresses the premise. It’s a history lesson on the devil ( ok, not bad), a story about Mexicans embracing the devil as their country implodes, and a story about a possible satanic homicide, that, frankly, goes nowhere. The book is not bad, it is just a bad execution on what could be a super topic.

Reviewer: Constant Reader
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I wouldn’t be caught dead in a yellow cravat.
Review: I’ve been hoodwinked. Bamboozled. Defrauded! I can’t get the reading time back that I put into the prologue of this book. I thought this was going to be “a unique and far-reaching investigation into evil and the myriad ways we attempt to understand it – particularly through the figure of the Devil.” Religious mythology? Count me in! However, not five pages in Sullivan claims to encounter the devil himself. IN PERSON! On the Piazza Navona in Rome no less! The devil is dapper, dressed in fine cream linen pants, a blue blazer, and a yellow cravat. He singles Sullivan out, parting the seas of humanity before him through some supernatural force. He speaks! But not in Italian. No. In some language that is not Italian! Then, with one eye focused on the author, translation provided by Sullivan’s grasped scapular medal, the devil says, “I’ll catch you later.”I. Am. Not. Joking. Is this fiction masquerading as non-fiction? Like a found footage film? Is this an Onion spoof? Is this …. What is this? And who convinced me to buy this book?! A curse upon them. I’ve had it sitting on my TBR for too long and so the return window is closed. Maybe, dear reader, I am the devil! Or he is acting through me, convincing me to write this review so that no one will believe that he is real. Or maybe he was embarrassed about his one-liner the day he encountered Sullivan in the piazza and wishes everyone would just forget it. He is the devil after all. He should have been able to come up with something better than, “I’ll catch you later.” Maybe, as he dematerialized for his journey back to Hell he made that wincy face we humans make when we remember an awkwardly worded sentiment. What’s really very frightening about this book is the knowledge that humans believe this mess and that it causes incalculable real suffering. This book is not worth the resources it took to make it. Hugs! — Lucifer

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: When Sullivan writes as a journalist, the narrative can be compelling. For example, I found his discussion of the Tate Rowland case quite interesting. Sullivan's survey of how philosophers, theologians, and other intellectuals coped with the concept of evil in their writings over the centuries was also adequate and easy to follow. Of course, if you are looking for a serious study of the concept of evil in history, read the work of scholars like Jeffrey Burton Russell instead. Sullivan is not a scholar, and the fact that he feels with the authority to write about Mesoamerican religion really bothered me (I do have a PhD in history). Sullivan blatantly referred to the "Aztecs as devil worshipers" (indeed, this is the last sentence in the book). He went as far as to say that Mexico is "the epicenter of the Devil's power on earth." He seems to be obsessed with Mexico, even though he barely understands its culture and history (he does not even speak Spanish). His insistence on writing about Mexico, despite his ignorance and lack of formal training in history, really undermines his book.

Reviewer: DD
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Spoiler alert…evil exists. I generally enjoy books on the history of religion but this one was not for me. You might enjoy this if you think The Exorcist was a documentary but rational thinkers should look elsewhere. There are a few stories here that strain credulity and could be taken from your favorite bad satanic horror film. The author intersperses stories of unconvincing satanic activity and serial killers with historical interpretations of evil. Some of the historical data is interesting but is limited to Christian, primarily Catholic, interpretations. A few atheists pop up but they all convert in the end, proving they were wrong all along. Islamic views get a whole paragraph but what the non-Western world thinks is omitted. The author spends a fair bit of time justifying Cortes’ conquest of Mexico because the Aztecs were evil and deserved what they got. He criticizes contemporary historians views as revisionist because they don’t declare Aztec culture completely evil. There’s one cast off line about the Spanish did some bad things too. I would argue there’s plenty of evil there to explore but the author feels the ends—the founding of the Catholic Church in the Americas—justify the means. For an alternative view I highly recommend Fifth Sun by Camilla Townsend if you’re interested in a balanced look at Aztec culture and the Spanish conquest of Mexico.