Rating: 
Summary: Truth is stranger than fiction
Review: Secrets of the Tomb was fantastic! Robbins has delivered an incredibly honest well-balanced expose. I am fascinated by the impact of groups like Skull and Bones on our society. Some readers may be disappointed not to find the fairy tale that has existed in our speculations and assumptions. I am thankful for the author's honesty and willingness to not take the low road in order to cater to the conspiracy theorists and sell more books. Secrets of the Tomb is perfect for anyone interested in an incredibly entertaining and well thought out presentation of the truth about Skull and Bones. Well done!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was really excited to read this book, especially since the author is from Yale herself. The book reads like a dry dissertation--not very entertaining. Also, it takes forever to get down to what Skull and Bones is all about, first you have to get through a few chapters that deal with secret societies in general. Ultimately disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This book is disappointing to no end. The reader should immediately become suspicious when the author, who is writing an alleged expose of a secret society, admits to being a member of one herself. No great secrets are revealed in this book, though several interesting things regarding the Bushes are discussed. The first is that Yale apparent bent the admissions regulations to allow George W. to enter despite being ranked 114 in a class of 225. Also, Prescott Bush is named as one of the suspects in the robbery of Geronimo's tomb, which resulted in Bones taking possession of the Apache leader's skull. The auther pokes fun at the society for the silly decorations it puts around its tomb. Although this is perfectly fine, it is hardly a subject for a book about "hidden paths to power." This book receives two stars because, despite its glaring shortcomings. it does provide a decent skeletal (no pun intended) outline of Skull & Bones. Also, the author's picture on the back cover of the hardcover book is worth another star.
Rating:
Summary: Damning Expose of the Undemocratic Nature of America
Review: This is one of the best books I have read all year. It proves - if ever proof was needed - that the United States is run and controlled by people who attained their status by nature of who they were born to and who they know, rather than any innate talent or ability. Alexandra Robbins herself was a member of another secret society, Scroll and Key. America a meritocracy? It's a myth peddled by those born into affluence. Before America criticises other countries and blows them to bits for being undemocratic, it needs to take a good hard look at its own elite.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing; trite; much better at the end
Review: I heard the author on a national radio show some time ago,
and she sounded well-informed, articulate, and intelligent. I
only recently got around to reading the book, which I was
interested in because, indeed, I very much buy into conspiracy
theories. Based on the interview, in which she claimed to have
been harrassed by Skull and Bones (SaB) members, a claim
repeated at the outset of the book, I expected a full expose'
of Skull and Bones. While the book does provide an expose', about 80% of the
writing that provides background about the so-called Yale
(and Harvard) "mystique," along with staggering amounts of details
about the goings on at Yale, bored me no end, and I found myself
skimming constantly. By the time I got to page 100, half-way
through, I simply could not believe that an editor didn't make
drastic cuts/changes to the contents of the book. It's easy to
understand why the author would be interested in all this "gossip,"
for she was a member of another secret society at Yale, she was
"in" as she wrote. Maybe the editors were too. I can't imagine
who else would want to read this material, except perhaps in brief
outline as background.
Here are some examples. The first 3 pages of Chapter 3, "Inside
Headquarters," is a very boring poem called "The Brown Jug." Pp. 104 -
106 is yet another soporific excerpt from a novel about "Tap Day," which
the author describes in great detail in not one, but two sections of the
book. On p. 130 we are treated to SaB's dinner menu - the chapter is
called "The Secrets of the Skull and Bones!" Further, she often cites
one reference, and then confusingly goes back in time to use another
(at times) long, questionable citation. On p. 204 she engages in many lines
of name dropping that have absolutely nothing to do with Yale or Skull and
Bones! On the bright side, Chapter 6, "The Network," is very good, well worth
reading, a bold, thorough expose' of the way the members of Skull and Bones
have helped each other out through the years, with ample details of the
Bush family and their connections with the Harrimans and others. Another
topic the book covers well is the incredible obsession that members of
these societies have with rituals (see David Icke's books, for sure!). At the end of "Secrets of the Tomb" the author clearly accepts the
info she got from "insiders," that they have "planted" most of what conspiracy researchers have written as "truth" about Skull and Bones. In
one sentence (p. 188) she refutes what I feel are very well-documented
connections between SaB members and the Nazi's (see my review of a biography
of G. Bush), and how can anyone deny that the government prosecuted these
people? I can only conclude that it's a shame that so much effort was spent
on many unimportant pages about the goings on at Yale and relatively few
pages on the more important actions of the members of these secret societies.
Rating:
Summary: An Extremely Relevant Book
Review: Alexandra Robbins' Secrets of the Tomb is brilliant. It shows the differences between normal college fraternities and the devious nature of Skull and Bones. Bush v. Kerry will be the first Bones v. Bones presidential election. It's all the more crucial for everyone to read this book and find out who has their hands on the levers of power in America.
Rating: 
Summary: Trite conspiracy theory
Review: This book is complete nonsense. A substandard author, Robbins relies on sensationalism and rumors to fool the reader into believing that she actually knows what she is talking about.
It's fun to read in the sense that it's completely outrageous in its allegations.
The Skull and Bones is just another fraternity. All frat brothers help each other out in the business and political worlds. My frat helped me get into law school. And they all have stupid little ornaments. Hell, even my frat claimed to have the skullof Clarence Darrow. It's absurd to think that they had anything to do with the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima, or the founding of the CIA, or the Kennedy assasination. She offers no proof whatsoever, just information from "sources" that happen to coincide with the events. Do not neglect all the other facts about these events.
Rating: 
Summary: Review from a high school student
Review: After many unsuccessful attempts by other journalists, Yale graduate and acclaimed journalist, Alexandra Robbins is finally able to reveal what truly happens inside one of the world's most secret societies - Skull and Bones. Her book Secrets of the Tomb uncovers everything from how it began, to the brutal details of their initiations, to descriptions from inside their headquarters, to many more intimate rituals performed by Yale's infamous organization. Simultaneously, this book is also a stimulating investigation of our fixation with conspiracy and connection as Robbins discloses the names of many men of great power and influence like President George W. Bush and his father who have been associated with the organization. Many fear that the through these connections, the United States distributes its power through a system of favoritism and that these former members are heavily influenced by the beliefs of the organization to make political decisions. The accounts taken from actual Bonesmen explain the superiority of these men, their true impact on world affairs, and how they have used their involvement to achieve prominence.
Although the process of initiation is excruciating, with all the privileges given to those accepted into the society, it is no wonder that many young men do almost anything to be one. Young people today can relate to this situation in which they do almost anything to be a part of something. In relation to me, this would be something to think about before I go off to college this fall. What I liked about the book is that it bluntly shows that if you have connections in this world, you can get almost anywhere. It is a very intriguing book full of shocking stories that keeps the reader in awe. I would definitely recommend this book to someone else, especially if they are someone who is a part of or is interested in organizations like fraternities or sororities.
Rating:
Summary: She's a Hottie
Review: Alexandra Robbins (the author) is a Hottie, buy her book!
Rating:
Summary: Long Island Review
Review: Alexandra Robbins does an incredible job of bringing a topic that has been formerly taboo to light. It's amazing to be able to take a peek into a world that the majority of us have never, and will never, be privy to. The power that these secret societies have over our society is more phenominal then I would have ever even begun to imagine. This book is a must read. It mixes light anecdotes with some rather heavy information about the politics of our government. It will definately make you think twice about who exactly IS running our government, and how did they get there?
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