I'm not sure if the RR board is appropriate for me to be posting this because the Chicken Soup books aren't exactly cultish. However, the more I read about Jack Canfield (one of the founders of the series) and his "specialities" (Law of Attraction/The Secret, self-help, prosperity consciousness, etc.) and who he keeps company with (Bob Proctor, Michael Beckwith, etc.), the more I wonder about these books.

I took a look at the Chicken Soup site and they have new titles coming out all the time, targeting just about every market you could ever think of: Moms, Dads, veterans, golfers, scrapbookers, chocolate lovers, grandmothers, teachers, pet lovers, Latinos, dieters, Christians, Jews, African Americans and teenagers, too (let's get them hooked young!). And if you're dealing with menopause, stress, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, breast cancer or back pain, there's a book just for you. And this is just a partial list!

The problem with self-help, motivational and diet books is that once you become hooked, you're likely to keep coming back for more. If the first self-help or LOA book had worked, you wouldn't need to buy another book or DVD and you wouldn't be signing up for yet another expensive seminar.

They're also taking advantage of the vulnerable. If you're grieving, they've got a book for you. If your life is challenging, they have a book called Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tough Times, Tough People. I'm all for emphasizing the positive, but when I'm going through a difficult time I don't want syrupy anecdotes. That's not going to fix anything.

Here's a link to an article that appeared in Scientific American which asks some of the same questions I've been considering about SH in general and about the CS books:

I noticed there's a CS book about the LOA, so they're making no attempt to hide where they're coming from; they're cashing in on fans of The Secret. The book is called Chicken Soup for the Soul: Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction. Jack Canfield was one of the "experts" featured on The Secret. If it really was "the secret" to health, wealth and love, then there would be no need for a CS book on this same subject.

Canfield is a wealthy man and yet he is relentless in his efforts to continue to fatten his bank account at the expense of others. The contributors to these books are offered a measly $200 American for up to 1,200 words, along with ten free copies of the book their story or poem appears in. I realize for some people just getting published is enough, but if it's worth publishing, it's worth paying the going rates. There's a real hypocrisy at work here: Jack and his buddies pump up followers to believe they're great and deserve the best and yet they're offering contributors low pay for their work.

Something else to consider, writers are contributing work on spec and are contacted only if the CS people are interested. (Writing on spec is never a good idea because you're investing your time and yet there is no commitment to publish and pay.) The CS people included well known experts in the self-help biz for their LOA book, people like Sonia Choquette, Carol Tuttle and Joe Vitale (another Secret "expert"). I wonder how much they were paid and if they were expected to write on spec.

I recently read Oran Canfield's book Long past stopping: a memoir. His take on the self-help movement is so true. Here's a passage from a conversation he had with his father Jack:

Quote
He just nodded his head, so I went on and explained how the self-help industry was like a drug, and that he was essentially a drug dealer peddling temporary relief from a permanent problem.

Oran is a recovering heroin addict, so he knows a thing or two about the effects of drugs.

He was apparently at one of his father's self-help seminars when dear old dad told the participants about the new chicken soup book idea he had:

Quote
The final event at the seminar had to do with a book Jack was selling. It hadn't yet been written, and they hadn't found a publisher, but it had a title. It was going to be called [i]Chicken Soup for the Soul[/i] and would cost about twelve dollars in the store, but as a seminar special, you could pre-order one now for ten. It blew my mind when people started lining up to hand over money for an unwritten, unpublished book that, as far as I could tell, wasn't even about anything.

I don't see a problem with the "Chicken Soup" posting since the originator is clearly mentally challenged by supporting "The Secret"...which I understand was originally to be titled "The Clueless".

I ran a search of this message board. Always remember to hit the 'all dates' option because this forum has been going for nine years.

(Thanks to Mr Ross and the excellent attorneys who have represented him and the website pro bono)

[forum.culteducation.com]

Hi Sparky,

I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding. I never supported The Secret or The Law of Attraction. I clearly remember an acquaintance handing me her copy of The Secret with great enthusiasm. I didn't know anything about it and figured I'd give it a look. To put it bluntly I was less than impressed and when it took off as it did I was amazed that so many people bought the hype.

Hi Corboy,

Thank you for the link. I'm still figuring out how to navigate my way around the site.

The search button is a bit hard to find. Its not visually salient.

But once you learn to use the 'all dates' option within the search function and whatever key words govern your quest, the entire nine years of the message board are available. But that gives just the nine years of the message board.

However, there's more.

If you are at the first page of the Ross Institute homepage,

[www.culteducation.com]

look at the bottom of the left hand sidebar. If my memory serves, there should be a search slot. The entire contents of the RI site can be searched from that option, and it will include the archives and the news selections, and the message board too.

Tell your pals. Its the one of the most interesting search options available to an anglophone computer user.