Bright-Sided : How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America (Hardcover)

from pamelad

When Barbara Ehrenreich was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was appalled by the prevailing idea that her recovery depended on her ability to deny her anger and embrace the cancer as an opportunity to change her life. She gives examples of women blaming themselves when, despite meditation, exerc...

from ellynv

Bright-Sided, with its irresistibly sunny cover, is an almost perfect antidote for those of us who can no longer tolerate panoplies of pink ribbons, Prosperity Gospel preachers, motivational affirmations ...not to mention the "law of attraction." Barbara Ehrenreich shares her experience as a canc...

from sumariotter

I think this is an important book, and one I'd like many to read. I do not completely share Ehrenreich's opinions--I am very into New Age spirituality of various types. But in this book she has really nailed a problem that has been bothering me for many years--how looking only on the bright side ...

from bibleblaster

If you're interested in investigating the shadows on the sunny side of the street...an entertaining look at the history, recent manifestations, and unforeseen ramifications of the "positive thinking" movement in the United States. One of the most interesting insights was the comparison to Calvinism.

from GingerbreadMan

After being diagnosed with breast cancer, and flunking out of various support groups for failing to see it as a gift, Ehrenreich sets out to investigate the notion of positive thinking and it's effects on American society. She looks at a view of illness where the disease is primarily there to lea...