Author Barbara Ehrenreich on "Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America"

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 :In her new book, author Barbara Ehrenreich documents what she says is the destructive power of the positive thinking movement in the United States, from breast cancer to the workplace, to the economy, to politics as a whole. Ehrenreich opens the book by writing about her own experience with breast cancer culture after being diagnosed with the disease in 2000. She says in the prevailing positive thinking culture of America, breast cancer patients are urged to avoid feeling angry and instead find meaning and even uplift in the disease. She writes, "In the most extreme characterization, breast cancer is not a problem at all, not even an annoyance -- it is a ‘gift,’ deserving of the most heartfelt gratitude."