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Here are some brief comments on three books that I have read recently.

Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America
Barbara Ehrenreich
Metropolitan Books, 2009
My Rating: *** 1/2

Americans need to recover from the mass delusion that is positive thinking. So says Barbara Ehrenreich in an interesting little book that shows how positive thinking has caused us harm in many respects.

The best chapter in this book is “Smile or Die: The Bright Side of Cancer,” in which Ehrenreich exposes the “scientific argument” that claims positive thinking helps heal cancer. She quotes one lady who says, “I am angry. All the money that is raised, all the smiling faces of survivors make it sound like it is okay to have breast cancer. IT IS NOT OKAY!” In the world of positive thinking, those who succumb to the disease can only blame themselves.

Ehrenreich also exposes the harmfulness of perpetual positivity in the workplace, the marketplace, and yes, even the church. Despite her flawed caricatures of Calvinism (she sees the extreme side of Calvinist introspection as leading to the rise of positive thinking), Ehrenreich offers a number of good insights into how “positive” does not necessarily mean “good.”

Leading With Confidence

Leading With Confidence
Bobb Biehl
Broadman & Holman, 2005
My Rating: ***

I don’t read or recommend many leadership books. This one is easy to read, and it contains helpful advice (though not necessarily Christian). Business people and church leaders alike can benefit from the insights found here. Biehl writes about service to others, communicating well, dealing with failure, depression, fatigue, etc.

The chapters are brief. The sentences are short. The style of writing includes quotes and graphs. There are summaries at the end of each chapter, making the book easy to dip into.

Amazon.com: Fool Moon Rising (9781433506826): Fluharty, Kristi and ...

Fool Moon Rising
Kristi Fluharty
Crossway, 2009
My rating: ****

My wife and I are always happy to find good bedtime stories for our kids. Good night-time books must have good artwork, crisp writing, and tell a memorable story. Fool Moon Rising has all three.

 

The book is about the moon. The moon thinks he is terrific because of the light he gives. Eventually, the moon discovers that he is merely a reflection of the sun. In the end, he discovers that the greatest joy comes from reflecting light back to the sun.

The moral of the story is that the greatest joy for human beings comes not from receiving glory for ourselves but in reflecting praise back to the God who has made us.

Our kids enjoyed the book. We’ve read it multiple times already. I think your kids will like it too.

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