The Greatest Secret of All: Moving Beyond Abundance to a Life of True Fulfillment - Allen, Marc. New World Library, 2008. 121p. $18.00, hardcover. ISBN: 978-1-57731-619-0. newworldlibrary.com 158.1 Self-actualization (Psychology). New thought. Affirmations.

A bestseller in recent months has been Rhonda Byrne's The Secret, which explains how the law of attraction allows positive thinking to bring health, wealth, and happiness. In The Greatest Secret of All, Marc Allen shares his own secret, one with a refreshing emphasis on loving and serving others.

Until he was thirty years old, Allen failed at almost everything he tried. He was depressed and badly in debt. Then he took some simple steps that turned his life around. Allen realized that every problem he faced held within it opportunity and gifts. He came to know that loving and serving yourself and others is the key to happiness and peace - and that love is the greatest secret of all. In presenting his law of manifestation, Allen packs a good deal of wisdom into this small package. He quotes from teachers and writers who have inspired him: Jesus Christ, Ram Dass, Ramana Mararshi, Henry David Thoreau, Stephen Covey, and Catherine Ponder.

Allen is one of the founders of New World Library of Novato, California. His book is a quick and easy read, aided by comfortably large print. Recommended for congregational libraries, especially where there is interest in Eastern and New Age thought.

Monica Tenney, Media Review Editor
Maple Grove United Methodist Church
Columbus, Ohio