This is a book review of Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America by Barbara Ehrenreich. I’ll refer to the book as BS by BE throughout the post.
I’ll start out by saying that I should have returned BS by BE to the library after a few pages, but I couldn’t put it down. I was waiting for the book to turn positive or offer an even-sided view of the positive thinking industry and the authors and speakers involved in the industry, but it never came.
Reading the book was like being bludgeoned over the head with one negative rant after another. If you like that kind of thing, then this book is for you.
When BE was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000 she was appalled by the “cult of positivity” she encountered. The “pink ribbon culture” offended her and that set her off on a quest to find out more about the positive thinking movement in the United States.
Her annoyance with the cult of positivity led to her question not only the purpose of all the positiveness in the face of reality, but how the positive thinking movement got started. It’s the later that drew me into the book. I was interested in learning how the positive thinking movement got started.
I’ve read hundreds of books that BE might classify as positive thinking garbage in her BS book. I have learned a lot from them and I haven’t become some deranged lunatic thinking that I can literally think and grow rich, as if you can just dream of being a millionaire and not do the HARD WORK required to become wealthy.
I agree that you can’t always be upbeat and positive. You don’t want to fall into the self-delusional trap that some folks fall into. BE traces the origins of this “cult of optimism” as she calls it, from as far back as the 19th century to the current super churches of Joel Olsteen and others.
If you’re against the super churches, then this book is for you because BE rails against them in the BS book.
It was pretty cool to learn about how the whole industry of positive thinking evolved out of the oppression of Calvinism to become what it is today, a billion dollar industry tied to motivational coaches, inspirational paraphernalia and super churches.
If you’re a remotely positive person, one who likes to look at the bright side of things and believe in your own ability to be positive and overcome any obstacle in your life, then Ehrenreich isn’t for you.
If you’re a Negative Nelly who’s sick of your cube mate who’s always cheery and spouting off about being the master of your own destiny, then this book is perfect for you.
In fact, you can read it and enjoy it with the rest of the people who get nauseous when people talk about Think and Grow Rich or Tony Robbins or The Power of Positive Thinking or gasp…The Secret.
I’m not a big proponent or believe in The Law of Attraction, but I do believe that your outlook on life can and will affect your future. It just has to. When given the choice would you rather be around a Debbie Downer or an upbeat person? Hands down it’s the positive person, unless you’re in love with The Cure or someone who is.
Buy/Borrow/Skip it: SKIP IT
Ehrenreich never offers a solution or counter to the positive thinking option. She just rants and rants against the positive thinking set. So where does that leave you? Out about $23 or so. Invest it in a book that will change your life instead. There are plenty of good ones out there, but don’t expect them to be endorsed in BS by BE.
Fabio Marciano is an accomplished author and runs the popular blog Cubicle Millionaire. He is dedicated to radically changing people's lives first through their finances and their work. He frequently writes about a variety of topics, namely getting ahead at your full-time job, doing great work, losing weight and getting in shape, creating a second income, how to plan for the future and how to be more productive (to name a few topics). 
