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  <title><![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]></description>
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    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[I'm tempted to say that there is a lot to learn from this book. However, it is marred by a procession of errors and mistakes so bad that the editor should be fired and the authors should be embarrassed. <br/><br/>And, I'm not talking about any of the controversial stuff. Before I even get to the J...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23363210">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
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  <read_at>Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Dec 20 07:44:02 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Dec 20 08:06:54 -0800 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Forget Dan Brown and the fictional &quot;Davinci Code&quot;.  This is a description of Michelangelo's hidden messages in the frescos of the Sistine Chapel.  Authors Ray Doliner and Rabbi Benjamin Blech contend that the entire theme of the Sistine paintings is anti-clerical, with insults aimed at the...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/40519019">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[The premise of this book is two fold: first, Leonardo was a closet Jew … or a Jew wannabe. Second, since he painted under duress, he had four years to come up with all kinds of hidden symbols in the frescos. And why not?  The Pope and his minions where corrupt politicians and the Catholic Church w...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70177894">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
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    <rating>2</rating>
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    <body><![CDATA[I love reading about art, and the codes in art, but this book took a wee bit of Cabbala and turned it into an entire book.  They were not the first to notice no Christian characters are on the ceiling, nor were they the first to notice that the Last Judgment was shaped at the top rather like two sto...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71308787">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
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  <read_at>Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Aug 30 06:58:39 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Aug 30 07:01:36 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Although interesting at many points, the author(s) take too much liberty allowing conspiracy theories and their own imaginations override the facts. <br/><br/>If you want an actual book on the mind of Michelangelo during the creation of his famous frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, read: Michelangelo...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69425994">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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  <isbn>0061469041</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780061469046</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">33</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
  </title>
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  <small_image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>68</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Sep 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jun 18 19:13:33 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Sep 17 21:23:50 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[When I started this book, I thought of Michelangelo as this submissive painter who dutifully spent most of his life doing what other people told him.<br/>Nothing could be farther from the truth. He was a great rebel. He used his incredible mind to outwit his opponents, and history has shown how he ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60243953">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60243953]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60243953]]></link>
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      <review>
  <id>37979491</id>
    <user>
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    <name><![CDATA[Eric]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Lutz, FL]]></location>
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  <isbn>0061469041</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780061469046</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">33</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2199318.The_Sistine_Secrets_Michelangelo_s_Hidden_Messages_and_How_He_Defied_the_Pope</link>
  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>68</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Any history fan]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Nov 17 15:03:22 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Nov 17 15:23:00 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book was really good.  I always wondered why all the women in Michaelangelo's works were such &quot;handsome&quot; women....interesting take on the Sistine Chapel and Michaelangelo's hidden digs at the Catholic Church, the Pope at the time, etc.  It points out various facets of the Sistine Chap...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37979491">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37979491]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37979491]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>23381660</id>
    <user>
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    <name><![CDATA[Rodney]]></name>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">33</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>68</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Art history majors.]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[Saw it in a bookstore.]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Jun 22 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat May 31 11:00:21 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Jun 22 21:44:46 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is a great book for those who want to learn more about the Sistine Chapel. The history at the beginning is a bit slow, but the research is well done. It is very interesting. I can't say that I agree with all the conclusions of authors, but the authors made a good case for their work.<br/><br/>...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23381660">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23381660]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23381660]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>44229600</id>
    <user>
    <id>1951695</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Christina]]></name>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">33</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>68</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

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  <read_at>Mon Feb 16 08:51:58 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jan 24 18:28:17 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Feb 16 08:51:58 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Through this book, I have been learning one of the many interpretations of Michelangelo's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The book is part biography of the life of the artist and part hidden messages in Michelangelo hidden within the painting. The main message is of religious toleranc...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44229600">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44229600]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44229600]]></link>
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      <review>
  <id>58976132</id>
    <user>
    <id>1734943</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Wayne]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Clearwater Beach, FL]]></location>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">33</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>68</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun May 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jun 09 06:48:12 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jun 09 06:51:39 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Having seen the Sistine Chapel in person, it was interesting to understand the meaning of the scenes. As the authors state, the art is so overwhelming as you stand on the floor and look up, it's impossible to pick up the subtle messages that Michelangelo left. I'd like to go back and re-visit the Ch...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/58976132">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/58976132]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>69344179</id>
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    <id>2414285</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Katherine]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
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  <isbn>0061469041</isbn>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">33</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>68</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
</book>

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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jul 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Aug 29 11:48:44 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Aug 29 11:49:49 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I read this over the summer - what a treat! If you liked the DaVinci Code and are a history or art buff, you'll enjoy this. Absolutely fascinating!]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69344179]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69344179]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>69182139</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
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  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
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  <ratings_count>68</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Fri Aug 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Aug 27 22:42:34 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Aug 27 22:43:30 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[fascinating insight into the sistine chapel design, execution, and interpretation]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69182139]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69182139]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>66935473</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
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  <read_at>Tue Aug 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Tue Aug 11 06:00:02 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[This was a fascinating book.  It seems well researched and rings true.  I enjoyed it.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66935473]]></url>
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
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  <published>2008</published>
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    <rating>2</rating>
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  <date_added>Tue Apr 28 17:34:13 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Apr 28 17:35:21 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I loved the subject matter but the prose just didn't grab me... so... bleh.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/54296762]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>66220176</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <date_added>Tue Aug 04 17:26:02 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Aug 04 17:26:30 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Very interesting perspective on the messages of the Sistine Chapel.<br/>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66220176]]></url>
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
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  <published>2008</published>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Oct 09 16:12:49 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Oct 09 16:13:32 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This was an eye opening book. I absolutely loved it. ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74014166]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>48483336</id>
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    <id>2064802</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Deborah]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Altadena, CA]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
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  <published>2008</published>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Fri Mar 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Mar 06 21:55:14 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Mar 06 21:55:56 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Totally fascinating. ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48483336]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48483336]]></link>
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      <review>
  <id>56405254</id>
    <user>
    <id>2010073</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Timothy]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
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    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <date_added>Sun May 17 15:37:12 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun May 17 15:37:33 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[very interesting. recommend.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56405254]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56405254]]></link>
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      <review>
  <id>31632200</id>
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    <id>1216051</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Doug]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Portland, OR]]></location>
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    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
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  <published>2008</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Sep 30 15:40:46 -0700 2008</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Tue Sep 30 15:40:46 -0700 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[A very good book - somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me - so I gave it the benefit of the higher rating. It's a captivating in-depth study of Michelangelo's work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I find all of the hidden meanings and stories fascinating - and it gave me a much greater understa...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31632200">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <id type="integer">2199318</id>
  <isbn>0061469041</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780061469046</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">33</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Hidden Messages and How He Defied the Pope]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>68</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world&#8212;the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. </p> <p> <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage &quot;fellow travelers&quot; to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time. </p> <blockquote> <p> <em>&quot;Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.&quot;</em>&#8212;from the Preface </p> </blockquote> <p> Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. <em>The Sistine Secrets</em> unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2008</published>
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  <read_at>Mon Oct 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Oct 22 19:47:23 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Oct 22 19:55:55 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This was a fascinating look at the artist that created the Sistine frescoes. The book places Michaelangelo in the context  of his times both politically and spiritually. I would recommend carrying a larger book containing close-up phontos of the cleaned ceiling. The photos in the book are a bit smal...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35992509">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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