Karen Kelly - The Secret of The Secret: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Runaway Bestseller

The Secret Is Out

The Secret began as a documentary made by Australian TV producer Rhonda Byrne, which she then followed with a book of the same name. First, Ill let the Secret out of the bag if you havent already heard what it is, and chances are you have: Its the law of attraction, an idea that has been around for a long time, which posits the concept that you can reach any goal, acquire anything you want, and attain perfect health by thinking positive thoughts about whatever your heart desires. Like attracts likeby thinking negatively, you attract the negativity to you. Think positively about a desire, and you attract that. Its actually not quite that simple, as well learn. But for the moment, lets stick with the 101 definition.

On March 2, 2007, the publisher of The Secret (Atria Books/Beyond Words Publishing) announced that it had ordered another print run of the booknothing new for books that sit on national bestseller lists for several weeks. What astonished the industry was the number of books being printed: 2 million. This was reported to be the largest single reprint in the history of Simon & Schuster, the books distributor and owner of the Atria imprint. It was certainly unheard of for Beyond Words, the small press that acquired the book. The new print run brought the official number in print in the United States to 3.75 million. In addition, the audio version of the book and the DVD version of the film also sit on top of the bestseller lists. Extending the reach of The Secret even more, publishers in twenty countries have bought rights to the book.

Google The Secret and 264 million entries come up. Among them are Web sites of hundreds of life coaches, spiritual gurus, and alternative medicine practitioners who advertise Secret seminars, sessions, and advice, often using the same typeface and logo that adorns the book and movie packaging. Bloggers dissect the messages in the film and book. Scores of supporters and detractors from all over the country, if not the world, post online testimonials to The Secret s power as well as criticisms of what some say is its problematic focus on materialism. Established newspapers, magazines, and television shows ranging from The Wall Street Journal to Newsweek, Oprah, Larry King Live, Fox & Friends, and even the serious newsoriented Nightline have done pieces on the book. A search of LexisNexis, the online archive of newspaper and magazine content, shows that more than 150 articles (both pro and con) have been written about The Secret in newspapers and magazines since its publication in November 2006. Blogger Russell Portwood wrote an online expos of The Secret as a way of marketing his own success products ( www.zwebber.com/thesecret/exposed.pdf ). Several book publishers are putting out their own law of attraction manuals. And thats just the tip of the iceberg. All this attention adds up to a worldwide phenomenon. So whats all the fuss about?

Thats the question I set out to answer, and the result is this book.

When something stirs the masses, its not trivialit means something. During my undergraduate days as an anthropology student in the late 1970s, and as a film studies student in graduate school in the early 1980s, studying pop culture in an academic setting was de rigueur. I learned to appreciate the comings and goings of trends without feeling above them (Im not, and neither are you). Take a closer look at a singular event such as the ballyhoo surrounding The Secret, and you get a better understanding of the world you live in, and of yourself, for that matter. That has certainly been my experience working on this book, and I hope it is yours in reading it.

For example, I recited the mantra The pencil skirt will zip up twenty to thirty times before heading to my closet. Is this the real reason my ridiculously narrow Jil Sander skirt fits me or is it because I have been literally working my butt off on the elliptical machine at the Y? Regardless, I will never put that skirt on without first going through my positive thinking paces, lest my thighs bust the delicate seams.

My skirt experiment is one reason why my intention is not to debunk The Secret or put it down in any waynor is it to sing its praises and encourage everyone to drop what theyre doing and start visualizing the riches we all doubtless deserve. There are some very smart, decent people on both sides of The Secret s argument, and I will let several share fascinating, useful insights here. Ive approached my inquiry in a sober-minded, respectful fashion, but lets face itno line of questioning that walks the fine line between reality and the paranormal can be approached without some humor.

The result of the journey I went on is my well-researched explanation for how The Secret gained such momentum, what its flaws and features are, where it comes from, and whether or not the people Byrne claims lived by the Secret really did. To make my argument easily digestible, The Secret of The Secret is organized into three sections.

Part I defines and examines the Secret Phenomenon. Publishing experts, culture watchers, and journalists weigh in on why the movie, the book, and the idea struck a chord with the public and how it relates to the current social and political climate in the country. Heres a clue: It might be Bushs fault, but then again, it might not be.

Part II takes a stab at unearthing the historical, scientific, and theological evidence, which the author says supports and even proves that the law of attraction works. I talked to several sincere, reasonable people featured in The Secret, as well as open-minded theologians, quantum physicists, brain scientists, psychologists, and other academics who were not featured in the book or the movie but were brave enough to return my phone calls and e-mails and consent to an interview. I got the brush-off from some; others never responded to my polite requests for a little time (I took silence as a no). Its amazing to me how many professors of popular culture, American studies, and film studies turned me down because they had never heard of The Secret . Shouldnt even a dim awareness of whats going on be part of their job description?

Part III checks out thirteen historical figures who are mentioned in The Secret as using the law of attractionfrom Ludwig van Beethoven and William Shakespeare to Thomas Edison and Andrew Carnegieeven if they didnt really know it, as Rhonda Byrne asserts. (People who have drawn wealth into their lives used The Secret, whether consciously or unconsciously, she writes.) I look at what is known about these individuals in terms of their philosophies, beliefs, and religious convictions in order to reveal how the law of attraction may or may not have played a role in their work and lives. Its actually surprisingBeethoven had books on his shelves that could be defined as metaphysical. Whether or not these books had anything to do with his success is another matter. Self-consciously short, pockmarked, and envious of the royals, Beethoven certainly was not given to pure optimism. Plus, he had talent.