Mike Potemra, National Review, May 3, 2004
Amy Welborn gives a sprightly, detailed, and highly satisfying account of the truth behind the pseudo-history.


Patrick O'Hannigan, Spectator Online, April 28, 2004
Even people who haven't already read the novel that it trounces would profit from reading De-Coding Da Vinci.


Fr. Andrew Greeley
Ms. Welborn's book...destroys the hokum and commits it to the ashcan reserved for phony attacks on the Church.


Mark Gauvreau Judge, Breakpoint, May 6, 2004
Amy Welborn’s De-Coding Da-Vinci is a strong effort.


Book Description
De-Coding Da Vinci is a handy, thorough, yet easy-to-read resource that can help readers understand the difference between fact and fiction in the best-selling novel by Dan Brown. De-Coding Da Vinci: The Facts behind the Fiction of The Da Vinci Code addresses the misrepresentation of history, religion and art in The Da Vinci Code. Did Leonardo actually build these codes into his paintings? Was the Priory of Sion a real organization? Is the Holy Grail really, as he says, Mary Magdalene's womb and now her bones, and not the Last Supper cup? Is Opus Dei really what The Da Vinci Code says it is? What was Constantine's true role in early Christianity? Was Jesus human or divine or both? Was He married to Mary Magdalene? Do secret writings not in the Bible really contain truths about Jesus, Mary Magdalene and the sacred feminine? Complete with discussion questions and suggestions for further reading in every chapter, this is the perfect book to accurately answer questions as well as inspire further conversation. It can be used either as a personal resource to expand one's knowledge of the issues raised by The Da Vinci Code or to lead a discussion for a book club, a church group or to discuss with friends who've read the book and have questions that need to be answered.


About the Author
Amy Welborn holds an MA in Church History from Vanderbilt University. She is the author of several other books, including the "Prove It" series for youth (Our Sunday Visitor) , "The Loyola Kids' Book of Saints" (Loyola Press) and the forthcoming "The Words We Pray: Discovering the Richness of Traditional Catholic Prayer." (Loyola Press, October 2004).

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The Da Vinci Code is all over the media. It's on the minds and in the conversations of many Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Now there is a new resource to answer all the questions and help readers understand the difference between fact and fiction.

De-Coding Da Vinci: The Facts behind the Fiction of The Da Vinci Code, a book by Amy Welborn, addresses the misrepresentation of history, religion and art in The Da Vinci Code. Did Leonardo actually build these codes into his paintings? Was the Priory of Sion a real organization? Is the Holy Grail really, as he says, Mary Magdalene's womb and now her bones, and not the Last Supper cup? Is Opus Dei really what The Da Vinci Code says it is? What was Constantine's true role in early Christianity? Was Jesus human or divine or both? Was He married to Mary Magdalene? Do secret writings not in the Bible really contain truths about Jesus, Mary Magdalene and the sacred feminine?