European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 15, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Scene stars and stripes sunday apfil152007 4 the secret everyone onto bestseller continues to attract followers sceptics rocketing sales d o c 0 Claudia Morales has sold self help and spiritual guides at East West books for years but she has never seen anything like the secret for the past few months staffers have regularly restocked the shelves with the secret dds books and cd t has become the stores biggest seller Ever its huge almost every person who walks in the door now is asking about it says Morales the stores co owner Treyve heard about it and want to see for themselves the Bookstore has received so Many inquiries that the staff Hung a Banner outside that tells potential buyers what they want to know it reads weve got the secret chances Are you do too or at least youve heard about it the secret has been plugged on two episodes of the Oprah Winfrey show has climbed to the second spot on the bestseller list at Amazon com and is being discussed at the secret classes at churches and spiritual new thought centers earlier this month the publisher announced that another 2 million copies soon will be available dont know what the fuss is about heres a simple explanation these Cret is based on a centuries old concept called the Law of attraction which says our emotions and thoughts control what happens to us in the real world in other words if you visualize and really believe youre going to get that new 52inch plasma to then youll soon have it hanging on your family room Wall think about it and it will As the self help experts on the did say Manifest from Norman Vincent Peale to Wayne Dyer the self help message has Long been a popular one the secret has tapped into this Market and May become the biggest seller of them All Rhonda Byrne an australian to pro Ducer came up with the idea a few years ago on Oprah she said she was going through some Rocky times in her life when she discovered a 1910 Book called the science of getting Rich which explained the Law of attraction Byrne became hooked after Reading various teachings she came up with the idea of a movie based on the concept and gave it a new name that was sure to draw interest it worked the secret did initially sold on the internet was an instant hit the film which opens with scenes of monks writing on Parchment and quickly hiding their scrolls before soldiers arrive evokes a a Vinci code conspiracy mood the message they political Lead ers business executives dont want you to know something because they want to keep the Power and wealth to them selves what is it the secret the film then goes to a panel of self help experts who spend the next 90 minutes explaining the Law of attraction Over and Over they deliver the same message think about what you want and youll get it a boy is shown Yean ing for a new red Bax Bike soon an elderly Man presumably the boys Grandfather shows up on the Back porch with a Bike a woman who wants a new Diamond necklace finds it being placed around her neck a Man who visualizes a Bow is soon driving one if that seems shallow Well a lot of critics agree on an ethical level the secret appears deplorable writes Newsweek on Salon com its called a bottle of mint fresh Snake Oil currently Topping the bestseller lists Why such a negative reaction partly because of the secrets emphasis on materialism and wealth and partly because the secret implies that peo ple Are also responsible for the negative things that happen in their lives if youre sick or a victim the thinking goes its your fault in the movie a woman says she recovered from cancer through visualization and by watching funny movies a claim that alarms medi Cal experts there is no credible scientific Evi Dence that positive thinking can cure cancer or that negative thinking can cause cancer such claims Are irresponsible says Ted s Gansler of the Ameri can cancer society in a statement responding to the secret still the secret clearly has struck a chord supporters Point to other messages in the Book such As the Power of visualization arid the importance of gratitude Usa today bestsellers key fiction a nonfiction hardcover paperback 1 the secret by Rhonda Byrne nah 2 the Road by Cornac Mccarthy up 3 the measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier nip 4 two Little girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark up 5 Mckettrick heart by Linda Lael Miller up 6 gone  7 eldest inheritance Book ii by Christopher Paolini up 8 the memory keepers daughter by Kim Edwards up 9 obsession by Jonathan Keller Man 10 Nineteen minutes by Jodi Picoult Foj 11 second sight by Amanda Quick up 1 2 judge jury by James Patterson Andrew Gross up 1 3 you on a diet the own ers manual for Waist manage ment by Michael f Roizen Meh 14 the hard Way by Lee child up 1 5 Promise me by Harlan Coben Orion up 16 the Macgregor Daniel 3aian by Nora Roberts 17 the Glass Castle a Memoir by Jea Neffe Walls nip 1 8 its not easy being mean a clique novel by Lisi Harrison 19 the Alibi Man by Tami Hoag Fth 20 prior bad acts by Tami Hoag up 21 eat Pray love one Wom ans search for everything across Italy India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert nip 22 fear no evilly Allison 23 women Money owning the Power to control your destiny by suze orman nah 24 Junie b first grader dumb Bunny by Barbara Park Art by Denise Brunkus Fth 25 shiver by Lisa Jackson up 26 a wicked gentleman by Jane Feather up 27 maximum ride Book schools out forever by James Patterson up 28 a Long Way gone memoirs of a boy Soldier by Ishmael 29 dragon of the red Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne Art by Sal Murdocca up 30 absolute fear by Lisa Jack son Fth 31 Bridge to Ter Bithia by Katherine Paterson Art by Donna Diamond up 32 Septimus Heap Book three physio by Angle Sage Art by Mark Zug Fth 33 True believer by Nicholas Sparks up 34 the year of magical think ing by Joan Didion nip 35 forever in Blue the fourth summer of the sisterhood by Ann Brashares Fth 36 the namesake by Humpa 37 Eragon by Christopher Paolini up 38 dangerous games by Keri Arthur up 39 step on a crack by James Paf Jerson Michael Ledwidge Fth 40 the alchemist by Paulo got a question ask Send your questions to com debuts april 1 with your weekly scene stars stripes