Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
The bestselling blockbuster The Secret by Rhonda Byrnes has taken America by storm. The Secret of "The Secret" explores the explosive success of The Secret as well as the intriguing people and ideas behind it.

The Secret has already become a runaway sensation. All across America, people are clamoring to embrace it. Karen Kelly delves into this extraordinary phenomenon -- What IS the secret? Where did it come from and does it really work?

The Secret of "The Secret" also investigates why this little book, particularly in America, has struck such a chord--does hope always spring eternal in the U.S.? What is it about our culture that has historically drawn us to seek answers and change our destiny using the power of the mind and the universe? Scholars and popular culture experts provide perspective on what makes the idea so appealing. Several participants from The Secret share their behind-the-scenes stories and insights. Renowned psychologists, scientists, and theologians, weigh in on the power and limits of positive thinking and The Law of Attraction (the basis behind The Secret). Uncover the scientific and religious roots that form the building blocks of The Secret, as experts evaluate the author's claims about the various connections between these principles and "the secret." Finally, the answers to the burning questions behind one of the biggest success stories of our time have arrived. Discover The Secret of "The Secret"

Rating : - A Good General Sociocultural Approach, But Lacking Depth
Kelly's book approaches The Secret from a sociocultural perspective, attempting to find a middle way between the secular and religious critics while also being sensitive to the supporters of Byrne and company. Naturally, this approach may seem too neutral for some critics, but will find favor with some supporters.

Given that Kelly researched and wrote the book in six weeks, and provides historical and biographical details from original research that are not found in other books, it is a welcome effort. However, there are some notable omissions due, perhaps, to her lack of deeper familiarity with the New Age Movement (including esotericism/occultism) in general and the New Thought Movement in particular, especially as they relate to the Self-Help tradition in American culture. The following books would have helped fill in the gaps: New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought (1998) by Wouter J. Hanegraaff, The Roads to Truth: In Search of New Thought's Roots (2005) by Sherry Evans, and Self-Help and Popular Religion in Early American Culture: An Interpretive Guide (1999) along with its companion Self-Help and Popular Religion in Modern American Culture (1999) by Roy M. Anker.

Although Kelly admits on page 34 that a "history of the self-help movement is beyond the scope" of her book, her statement that after Benjamin Franklin "the most influential person in terms of the happiness and self-help movement may be William James" is seriously questionable, although both individuals are important. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882) and Phineas P. Quimby (1802 - 1866) should also be mentioned as the fountainheads of Transcendentalism and New Thought, respectively. Regarding the latter as it relates to the law of attraction, the influence of Ralph Waldo Trine (1866 - 1958), especially his popular classic In Tune with the Infinite (1897) should be mentioned. For what it's worth (which may not be much), Sherry Evans in her above-mentioned book stated that "Henry Ford credits his success in the automobile manufacturing business to Trine's book" (page 142). This is not addressed by Kelly in her section on Ford in chapter 9, although some websites say the same thing. Trine's book mentions and expounds on the law of attraction. Also, Roy Anker in his first book referenced above shows the impact of the revivalism of The Second Great Awakening at the beginning of the 19th century on individualism and self-help in America. For more details regarding the conservative influence in 19th and early 20th century America, see not only Anker's books but also The Holiness Revival of the Nineteenth Century by Melvin Dieter and Faith Cure: Divine Healing in the Holiness and Pentecostal Movements by Nancy Hardesty. For a broader perspective, see Healing in the History of Christianity by Amanda Porterfield who makes an insightful comparison between Benjamin Franklin and John Wesley in terms of health related to self-help and doesn't leave out the impact of New Thought and Christian Science.

Although it is acknowledged that Kelly begins Part II (The Ideas Behind the Secret) by stating that her "look at the philosophical, scientific, and theological ideas behind the law of attraction is far from exhaustive" (page 79), she still overlooks the role of 19th century Spiritualism in the history of the law of attraction as well as the impact the ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688 - 1772) had in America. J. Stillson Judah in his book The History and Philosophy of the Metaphysical Movements in America (1967), ties the law of attraction to Andrew Jackson Davis (1826 - 1910), the primary theologian of 19th century American Spiritualism. He states: "The law of attraction, so important to Spiritualism and to other metaphysical groups, also had its basis in Swedenborg's doctrine of correspondences. This was the name which Davis gave to his theory that effects correspond to and represent the essentials of their causes. Like attracts like. In Davis' application it meant that after death a person would be attracted to the spirit plane corresponding to his development and progression in this world. Conversely, Davis maintained that thoughts of love and kindness would attract spirits of the higher planes to the seance... The metaphysical healing groups add a further interpretation to this law: each person's conditions, e.g., health, sickness, prosperity, poverty, etc. are attracted to him according to his thinking" (pages 39 - 40). In Spiritualism in America (1861) by Benjamin Coleman, there is a quote from a Mr. Newton which states: "We were taught that the great law of attraction or affinity holds as universally in the spiritual as in the physical world; that we draw around us spirits like ourselves, those whose motives, feelings, aspirations, are most in affinity with our own, and that if we would attract only the good, the pure, the exalted, we must ourselves be pure-minded, sincere, devout; and the channel of communication must also be pure and elevated" (page 80). 19th century Spiritualism is a precursor to contemporary channeling such as that of Esther Hicks.

Other areas not covered by Kelly include the historical relationship between the law of attraction and mesmerism, spiritual evolution, and the law of karma. Regarding the last two, there are several New Thought authors, including William Walker Atkinson (1862 - 1932) and James Allen (1864 - 1912) that relate these concepts to attraction. However, like Kelly's book, Rhonda Byrne's The Secret doesn't cover these topics either. Just like Kelly's research may have merely introduced her to the New Thought Movement, I believe the same applies to Byrne. Byrne's enthusiasm behind the production of The Secret film and book is that of a new convert, not a seasoned New Thought practitioner with an in-depth knowledge of esoteric ideas. Keep this in mind when reading either Byrne's or Kelly's book. Taking the above into consideration, I still recommend The Secret of "The Secret" and enjoyed reading it.