Guest Review: Bright-Sided by Barbara Ehrenreich, reviewed by Steve

Ms. Ehrenreich strikes a decisive blow to the “positive thinking” phenomenon that seems to have supplanted rational thought in our culture. She exposes the pseudo-science that the many motivational speakers and writers present to prove that visualization and positive thinking will get you whatever you want. From positive thinking promoters like the founding fathers, Dale Carnegie (How to Win Friends and Influence People) and Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich), to the breast cancer support groups, the push is on to erase negativity from our lives. Her research exposes a primary use for the motivational positive thinking model as a distraction to the real world problems of job loss and poverty. Ms. Ehrenreich presents a convincing argument for returning to a reasoning, rational approach to improving one’s life and the world, and exposes the intolerance that many of these motivational speakers seem to promote.