Smile Or Die: How Positive Thinking Fooled America And The World (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
Ehrenreich provides an antidote to everyone who believes that success is solely a result of attitude. From reading about people whose livelihoods were discarded during the Great Recession, it seems that many were demoralized by the popular perception that if only they had believed in themselves and worked harder, they could have avoided unemployment and financial ruin. The idea that individuals are solely responsible for the outcome of their lives atomizes us; it discourages us from working together to make broader social changes. I'm grateful that Ehrenreich can see these connections, from the obvious example of Oprah Winfrey espousing "The Secret" to Ehrenreich's own treatment for breast cancer, when she is shouted down by an online chorus after posting her honest feelings of anger and fear about her diagnosis.The one element that I felt the book was lacking was more interviews with people who promote positive thinking -- or those who once believed it and have become disenchanted. Ehrenreich attends a speaker's conference and a megachurch, and has insightful observations, but I would have loved to hear from more of the attendees. I always enjoy Ehrenreich's writing. The narrator for the audiobook perfectly captures the sarcasm and skepticism here. This was an excellent book to listen to; in print, it may have seemed too repetitive or too stretched from a magazine-length thesis to book-length. In audio format, these issues were less noticeable. The book is a critique of positive thinking, particularly the industry that promotes positive thinking as a matter of self-improvement. The first section, which deals with positive thinking promotion in the context of healthcare, and particularly cancer care, is part memoir of Ehrenreich's own diagnosis of breast cancer and part examination of the health care industry. This is the strongest part of the book, which then moves on to examine the rest of positive thinking including motivational speakers and self-help books, positive psychology, and business-based positive thinking. Highly recommended.
What do You think about Smile Or Die: How Positive Thinking Fooled America And The World (2008)?
Funny, witty, and right. Positive thinking isn't only misleading, it can be outright dangerous.
—Domenique
I'm actually sort of pissed off I read this.
—zieforever
