My Secret History has many ties with Theroux's travel stories, as well as the novel, The Mosquito Coast (1982). Like the travel books, My Secret History incorporates Theroux's experiences in other countries and his belief that human nature is essentially the same worldwide. As he did in The Mosquito Coast, Theroux lambastes missionaries and all forms of narrow-mindedness, from egoistic foreign attempts to transform native cultures to the censorship of books.