Book Review: Let me tell you 'The Secret'

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne contains the perfect ingredients to be a commercial success, which is why it has been on The New York Times Bestsellers List for more than a year. The title evokes curiosity; the cover, mystery. Its subject is perfect for the American craze with self-help, and of course, after having been endorsed on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Secret became a household name.

The book, published after a DVD of the same name and subject, is truly a quick read. The language is simple and without lengthy passages; it is more of a collection of anecdotes and quotes. Each page, glossy, short and sweet, is pleasing to the eye. Overall, the book is positive, presenting life as capable of having an abundance of happiness if only people thought more positively.

Some stories, from a variety of people, such as Winston Churchill and Jack Canfield, the mind behind the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, rely on common wisdom, emphasizing that thinking positively brings good things. The book also affirms making your own "universe" by how you think. It's an empowering book, reminding the readers that destiny is in their own hands, so long as the reader is an idealist. If the reader is a cynic, this book will be too much, especially in the realm of comedy.

After reading it, I thought it was an interesting way to view life, and I have used some of the techniques it proposes, although I'm usually a positive thinker already. But when I recommended it to my high school English teacher, she reminded me exactly why it's so wrong.

The main point of the book is a law called the "Law of Attraction." Basically, if a person thinks about something hard enough and can visualize it within reach, then it will be attainable. Although visualization is a good technique to employ, this law brings it to a new level, to the point where it begins to blame the victim, although it doesn't necessarily mention this.

My teacher's example was children in impoverished countries. "Do they bring malnourishment upon themselves because they can't visualize food?" she asked. The examples in the book are about people who wanted expensive cars and a million dollars, which they gained, according to them, because they followed the Law of Attraction.

This book puts too much emphasis on material wealth and its connection to this law, yet the book disregards a lot of issues that people all over the world face everyday.

Saturday Night Live did a spoof on the episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show that publicized The Secret. In it, the caricatures of the author and Oprah verbally abuse a man in Darfur for having a bad attitude, mocking the nature of this book. Also, many psychiatrists on TV tried to squelch The Secret's popularity because they believed that the Law of Attraction is a dangerous way to view life, due to all the pressures in today's world. People already self-deprecate because that's what we're taught, or believe that we aren't worth much because we aren't productive enough.

Whatever happened to the adage: "Bad things happen to good people"? Don't get me wrong: People have responsibilities. It is your own pursuit of happiness; happiness is not served on a platter, garnished with parsley and caviar for you. But when everything seems to be your own fault, something has gone too far.

I'm sure Byrnes visualized the success of this book. I know I did, because Oprah has put so many books onto The New York Times Bestsellers List. But I should have visualized this book changing my life, and because I didn't, I got nothing out of it, other than tips on marketing.

Just think positively and live your life, while not forgetting about the people who need your help - and this "secret" didn't cost you $23.95.