Rhonda Byrne's `The Secret' spreads

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March 1, 2007 - 7:43PM

The Associated Press

NEW YORK - "The Secret" keeps on spreading. Two million additional copies have been ordered for Rhonda Byrne's self-help phenomenon, yet another beneficiary of Oprah Winfrey, who devoted two shows to the book in early February.

Released last fall by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, "The Secret" now has 3.75 million copies in print and for days has displaced the final Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," from the top of Amazon.com, where "The Secret" is currently out of stock.

"It is a testament to the powerful attraction of `The Secret' that it has been selling out faster than we can supply it to our customers," Judith Curr, Atria's executive vice president and publisher, said Thursday in a statement.

The audio book, a four-CD set, is also selling fast, with 400,000 copies in print, according to Atria, which describes "The Secret" as containing "wisdom from modern-day teachers - men and women - who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness."

Created by Australian producer Byrne, "The Secret" began as a DVD film, released last March and, thanks to aggressive Internet marketing, became enough of a hit to be spun off into a book, which Byrne finished in less than a month.

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Buscar A Dios

The peddlers of "The Secret" stop at nothing to hawk their wares. This includes false claims and junk science. On the Ellen DeGeneres show, one of "The Secret" teachers was praising, Werner Von Braun, a major Nazi War Criminal. In my opinion, this whole "Secret" thing is a waste of time and money. Suggest removal of this comment

March 2, 2007

debrajeanne

my brotherin law tried to get me to sign up with amway the secret sound very much the same put a picture of what you want on yur referigerator and you would eventually get it Comment has been reviewed

March 9, 2007

Tom H.

The Secret is that there are enough desperate dimwits out there that you can sell the anything if you first tell them it will make them rich or skinny or both! Also if it's in print and all these books and DVDs and CDs are out there is it REALLY a secret? Suggest removal of this comment

March 9, 2007

Jan I.

The info on the CD's was nothing I hadn't heard before...the power of postitve thinking; speaking something into existence...; but what was odd about it was the fanatacism that bordered on brain washing. As a reasonable person, I felt like I had been had. It was cult-like. The fact that I had invested so much time into listeneing to the book, with all the "broo-ha-ha", I was compelled to finish it. I felt foolish. It was almost ridiculous at times to be believe that anyone would put alot of faith into the authors simplistic views and and moronic assumption that ones entire life would change if we followed the suggestions. Perhaps, if I had no previous exposure to any kind of knowledge or philosophy or faith and belief, and really was gulible and desperate, I would by. Overall, off the wall. I couldn't bring myself to finish it.The most amazing thing is that she is one heck of a marketer. To sell this stuff to the masses...what does that say about our society? I'll tell you what the "secret" is, don't let anyone know you read it! Suggest removal of this comment

March 9, 2007

Endora

As You think. So You are.
-Endora Suggest removal of this comment

March 9, 2007

Eric

My mother pushed this stuff on me when I visited her last month. Out of good manners I listened to the first two CDs of the audiobook durring my morning commute.

To put it as bluntly as possible, if you take this stuff seriously you have to believe that Jews were responsible for the Holocaust because they were all attracting Nazism.
All victims are responsible for what happens to them because they attracted it to them.
Seriously it's that insane/evil/dumb.
And Oprah should be ashamed of herself for peddling this filth. Suggest removal of this comment

March 10, 2007

JD

I've had not read the book (only excerpts&small video clip) I thought it was okay but I've heard similar by Deepak Chopra,Wayne Dyer,Neal Donald Walsh, these are people that think highly of. I look foward to reading it and see for myself. I believe that if it truly helps others succeed and achive their goal than why not. I'm sure this book is not for everyone. Suggest removal of this comment

March 10, 2007

jason

Why does the secret get so much negative attention? Oh, I see, if its teachings taught people that dinosaurs did not exist, and a man lived in a whale, and one should be stoned for wearing mixed fabrics, than it would be alright!? The truth of the matter is simply this, "the secret" puts the individual in control of their lives and does not have the indivdual beleive that happiness is at the end of life in a place called heaven, or at the end of the rainbow. Happiness and contentment is in the present not a reward you get for judging people because of what you read in a book. Comment has been reviewed

March 10, 2007

Tommie27

Gee,I,m poor!!! Can I still get the happiness part? Suggest removal of this comment

March 11, 2007

Tom's Mom

I have visualized th happy removal of the bush regime and the ensuing conviction of cheney, rove awolfowitz,rumsfeld and w himself for six lllloooonnnggg years. What did I get a libby! So much for that visualization. Now, Tom call you mother! Comment has been reviewed