The Rule of Won

By Stefan Petrucha

Inspired by the ideas behind the runaway bestseller The Secret, Petrucha's new novel shines a light on the dangers of group thinking and the inner desires that can sometimes get the best of us all. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802796516
• ISBN13: 9780802796516
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Walker Childrens
• Length: 227 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.1" x 0.9" x 6.2"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Imanifest destiny

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could have anything you wanted just by wishing for it badly enough? Just imagine what a whole group could achieve by wishing, chanting, and believing - be it good or bad. You'd think a self-acclaimed slacker would go for something like this like gangbusters, but Caleb Dunne knows better. After he was wrongly blamed for the destruction of his school's new gym, all the wishing in the world didn't make any of his classmates believe his claims of innocence, much less like him any longer. Only one thing could ever make him join any school club, especially one built around the teachings of the mega-popular book The Rule of Won - and that would be a girl. He finally gives in and reads this book his girlfriend Vicky is so wildly excited about; he joins the school's new Rule of Won "Crave" just to make her happy; he even gets excited when the club's early attempts at "imanifesting" actually succeed. Heck, who wouldn't be excited to see the school basketball team actually win a game for a change? All too quickly, though, Caleb sees the dark side to this group-think mentality run amuck. Does he have the courage to stand up against it, though? It could mean losing his girlfriend and isolating himself once again from classmates who have begun to finally accept him. It might even put him - and others - in danger. The leader of the Screech Neck High Crave is Ethan Skinson, a new transfer student who Caleb immediately labels a little "too" - a little too clean-cut, a little too straight-laced, etc. (including, as far as Caleb is concerned, a little too "freaky"). After he joins the Crave, he has to add "a little too attractive to Vicky" to the list - but that isn't why he eventually turns on the group (well, it's not the only reason, anyway). There's his other friend Erica, whose desperation to pass algebra turns her into a chanting fool who stops studying altogether, putting all of her trust in Ethan and The Rule of Won. More than anything else, though, it's the consequences of the group's success. As long as they get what they want, the Cravers don't seem to care if anyone gets hurt along the way, and those who dare criticize the increasingly powerful group set themselves up for bullying or worse. The dangers of group-think litter the landscape of history, and a high school makes for a perfect microcosm in which to illustrate the dangers of one group gaining influence and refusing to tolerate any level of dissent. Perhaps the best example of this is an old after-school special called The Wave, which left a deep and lasting impression on me and, I have to believe, many others who saw it. The Rule of Won, though, takes this message to places that even The Wave did not dare to tread and, I daresay, will leave quite a lasting impression on many of its readers. The book is tailor-made for its primary audience of Young Adult readers, as Stefan Petrucha has long been a prolific writer of teen and tween fiction as

When The Secret Meets Teen Fanaticism

"Because of bad experiences, bad teaching, or just bad expectations, most of us expect the worst from life, so that's what most of us get. The universe *only* gives you what you ask for, so if you think about getting sick long enough, you'll get sick. If you imagine someone beating you up long enough, someone will beat you up. *But*...imagine getting a new car long enough and that'll happen, too. Imagine losing weight or gaining muscle, and you will." - From The Rule of Won What happens when a group of students at Screech Neck High School gets their hands on a Secret-esque teaching promising that if you can imagine it, you can manifest it? What of those who are dubious, who dare to question the concept of "imanifesting"? At first, when Duppie (downwardly mobile) Ethan Skinson begins evangelizing the teachings of Jasper Trelawney, author of the mega book The Rule of Won, students slowly, cautiously attend meetings called "Craves". Using "mesmories" to "imanifest" their "craves", students begin to focus on individual wants to bring into being. When someone suggests "imanifesting" more school funding for Screech Neck High--and it happens--group enthusiasm skyrockets. School-wide fervor ensues, with students (and even the principal) wearing "1" pins and yelling crave chants in the halls. Slacker and loner extraordinaire Caleb Dunne wants nothing to do with the group--until his girlfriend Vicky practically gives him an ultimatum: get with the craving, the "imanifesting"--or get shut out of her life. When Caleb begins to see things happening--including wishing for his bus to stop as it was driving away without him (the driver does, indeed, brake and pick him up)--he, too, becomes a believer. But what of the magical drawings that Ethan's sister produces? Are they linked--or even the source--of the amazing manifestations? And what happens when members have conflicting "craves"--or want the group to "imanifest" differing scenarios? With bold, compelling strokes, author Stefan Petrucha paints an unsettling portrait of what happens when groupthink rules--and immature teens turn on each other in the quest for the best...and in order vanquish the enemies of supposed negativity. Cleverly melding "actual" discussion board posts from Cravers--from an Xbox and an iPod to more serious requests like safety for relatives overseas in the military--with student interaction, private thoughts and euphoric Crave meetings, Petrucha offers an unflinching look at fanaticism and its bloody (and almost deadly) aftermath. For those who have reservations about The Secret and similar teachings, The Rule of Won (geared towards those ages 12 and up) will only confirm your misgivings. However, Petrucha doesn't throw the New Age baby out with the bathwater: while he does depict the dangers of wanton materialism combined with zealotry, the possibility--and actuality--of some tenants of manifestation are left intact. Rather than write with a judgmental tone, the author pr

A great story that transcends the "young adult" genre...

One of the review titles that I opted to accept for a recreational read was the young adult novel The Rule of Won by Stefan Petrucha. I'm often hesitant to venture into the YA genre, as 1) I'm definitely not a "young adult" any more (at least based on the calendar... "immature adult" may still apply), and 2) any lessons that are trying to be taught are often no longer applicable. But the premise tweaked my interest, and the tweak was accurate in this case... The Rule of Won is an entertaining read, with solid writing and a message that a few more adults should pay attention to... The main character, Caleb Dunne, is a high school student who has turned slacking into an art form. Anything worth doing is worth doing as easily as possible, and there's not much worth doing in the first place. The flip side is his girlfriend, Vicky Bainbridge, who is a classic overachiever... running for school office, involved in everything, and is pushing Dunne to clean up his act. This motivation comes to a head when a fellow classmate, Ethan Skinson, starts a club to discuss and live life by the principles in the book The Rule of Won. Basically, if you want something, you can use mesmories to imanifest your crave. The group starts out small, and sets a crave to get money to rebuild the school's gym (which Dunne is accused of ruining the first time it was being rebuilt). When this event actually comes to pass, the group picks up momentum, and sets a crave to have their high school win a basketball game (which they haven't done all year) against the state champions. Strangely, this too happens. Vicky is smitten with Ethan, Dunne is on the fence as to whether this is all for real, and in short order nearly the whole school has gotten on the bandwagon. This "groupthink" bothers Dunne to no end, and he sees how it's quickly becoming a case of "you're either for us or against us". When a teacher is seriously injured in a car accident due to the crave of everyone needing to pass an algebra test (that he's no longer able to give due to the wreck), Dunne confronts Ethan with some facts, and that leads to a physical showdown between the two, with nearly the entire school body imanifesting Dunne getting the snot beat out of him... Petrucha based the story off of the best-selling book The Secret, which proposes that you can have anything in the universe you want just by imagining it as already belonging to you. He pokes plenty of holes in the concept, as well as showing what happens when greed, ego, and groupthink start to drive what you crave. I really enjoyed the wisecracking dialogue of Caleb Dunne, as well as his emotional turmoil over Vicky's infatuation with Ethan, and his own growing attraction to a goth girl he's never really gotten to know that well. Great characters, and perfect pacing. The moral of learning to think for oneself really does transcend the YA audience, and I can think of a number of adults who would enjoy this (and a number who sho

Cult fad and teen angst combine to make a riveting read!

I am always keen on exploring different themes in the YA genre and "The Rule of Won' has proven to be a unique offering that makes for an interesting read. The setting is the town of Screech Neck [ yes,that's the name, I kid you not] and centers around slacker Caleb Dunne who really finds no motivation in life except to coast through it, until his girlfriend Vicky Bainbridge prods him into joining the latest club in school led by a mysteriously charismatic boy, Ethan Skinson. Ethan and his fellow Cravers follow the teachings of a book titled The Rule of Won, where each member of the club is encouraged to believe that as you think, so you are [i.e. believe in something strongly enough and it will materialise]. Each member then posts his/her crave on a message board and soon, the members are ecstatic to find their common craves materialising, almost miraculously. Even Caleb, the ever-skeptic finds his doubts dissipating, but then nasty things start to happen - illnesses, accidents and many students and even faculty begin to get consumed by The Rule of Won. Will Caleb save the day, and if so, how is he going to do it? Author Stefan Petrucha's narrative skills are quite impressive as he convincingly uses teen jargon and credibly portrays the challenges faced by teens in high school - peer pressure, the need to do well academically etc. Teen angst is so well-portrayed that readers can genuinely empathise with the plight of some of the characters such as Caleb and Erica, Caleb's algebra-challenged friend. All in all, I found The Rule of Won to be a well-written YA novel with current themes and issues that will appeal to its target audience. The parody of The Secret [upon which The Rule of Won is inspired] is done with wit and humor. Highly recommended for those looking for a thought-provoking YA novel.

The Power of Won

"There's talk on the street; it sounds so familiar Great expectations, everybody's watching you People you meet, they all seem to know you Even your old friends treat you like you're something new" (Eagles) There's a new book in town, and the secret is out. Even a dedicated underachiever like Caleb Dunne submits to peer pressure (or rather, girlfriend pressure) and reluctantly finds himself a part of a rapidly expanding school club based on the new book "The Rule of Won". The thing is, the club members seem pretty obsessed by the teachings of the book, the latest big thing to hit Screech Neck High School in recent memory, and the self proclaimed leader Ethan Skinson is pulling out all the stops. And then there's Ethan's sister Alyssa, who has a secret of her own, and the guys from the Newspaper Club who are ready to write an expose against all odds. Caleb is happy to go with the flow and ride the tide if it will make Vicky happy, but when things start getting out of control in a big way, he has to decide whether it's time to take a stand against the group, and Ethan. A high school tale about peer pressure and the difficulties to be expected when one dares to be different; the story also has a nice little touch of the supernatural to spice it up, and is recommended for readers from age 12 and up. Rated: 4.5 stars Amanda Richards, September 2, 2008