{"id":54034,"date":"2021-11-02T10:22:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-02T14:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=54034"},"modified":"2021-11-15T11:49:18","modified_gmt":"2021-11-15T15:49:18","slug":"the-power-of-positive-thinking-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-power-of-positive-thinking-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Positive Thinking: Review &#038; Context"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Is Norman Vincent Peale&#8217;s <em>The Power of Positive Thinking<\/em> worth reading? What is the key premise of Peale&#8217;s message? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Power of Positive Thinking<\/em> by Norman Vincent Peale is a classic in the self-help genre. In it, Peale asserts that we can overcome any hardship and achieve any goal through optimism and faith in God.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following <em>The Power of Positive Thinking <\/em>review covers the book&#8217;s context, background, and critical reception by the readers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About the Author<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Norman Vincent Peale was a Reformed minister who served as the pastor of Marble Collegiate Church in New York City from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.encyclopedia.com\/humanities\/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps\/peale-norman-vincent-0\">1932-1984<\/a>. He was also an influential author and public speaker, largely because of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1993\/12\/26\/obituaries\/norman-vincent-peale-preacher-of-gospel-optimism-dies-at-95.html\"><em>The Power of Positive Thinking<\/em>&#8216;s success<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Peale was a close friend and advisor of former president Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan awarded him the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Presidential-Medal-of-Freedom\">Presidential Medal of Freedom<\/a> in 1984.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Peale held a Master of Arts degree in Social Ethics from Boston University, and a Doctor of Divinity degree from Syracuse University.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Explore Peale\u2019s Ideas:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Norman Vincent Peale passed away in 1993. However, the Peale Foundation\u2014a self-help group founded by Dr. Peale and his wife Ruth Peale\u2014is still active.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pealefoundation.org\/\">Website<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PealeFoundation\/\">Facebook<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thepealefoundation\/\">Instagram<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCDI0mlx9GyoVxoT0dFGJueA\/featured\">YouTube<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Book\u2019s Publication<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Power of Positive Thinking <\/em>was originally published in 1952 by Prentice Hall. The book was on the <em>New York Times\u2019s <\/em>bestseller list for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1994\/05\/31\/nyregion\/chronicle-254657.html\">three and a half years<\/a> and was the<em> Times\u2019s <\/em>#1 nonfiction bestseller for almost a full year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since then, <em>The Power of Positive Thinking<\/em> has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1993-12-26-mn-5771-story.html#:~:text=Peale%20wrote%20more%20than%2040,best%2Dselling%20books%20of%20nonfiction.\">reprinted numerous times<\/a> and translated into dozens of languages. We wrote this guide using the 2003 Touchstone edition (ebook).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Publisher: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.com\/books\/The-Power-of-Positive-Thinking\/Dr-Norman-Vincent-Peale\/9780743254304\">Simon &amp; Schuster<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Imprint: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simonandschusterpublishing.com\/touchstone\/\">Touchstone (defunct)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Historical Context<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Power of Positive Thinking <\/em>came out in 1952, a time when the U.S. population\u2014and its interest in Christianity\u2014was <a href=\"https:\/\/news.usc.edu\/25835\/The-1950s-Powerful-Years-for-Religion\/\">growing quickly.<\/a> The surging church attendance was due at least in part to the Cold War: The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/threat-of-nuclear-war\/\">threat of nuclear war<\/a> drove many to seek comfort in religion. Also, as the U.S. was still recovering from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/great-depression-and-the-new-deal\/\">Great Depression<\/a> and World War II, struggling people flocked to Peale\u2019s promises that faith and positive thinking would bring them prosperity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Intellectual Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Several notable self-help books related to positive thinking and confidence came out in the early 20th century. James Allen\u2019s 1902 book <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/as-a-man-thinketh\"><em>As a Man Thinketh<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>argued that we quite literally become what we think about\u2014that a person is defined by his or her thoughts\u2014and therefore <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-have-a-positive-mindset\/\">positive thoughts<\/a> will lead to a positive life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Napoleon Hill\u2019s 1937 bestseller <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/think-and-grow-rich\"><em>Think and Grow Rich<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>took the concept a step further, drawing on the ideas of the 19th century <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-is-the-new-thought-movement\/\">New Thought Movement<\/a>: Hill believed that thoughts not only shape a person\u2019s character, but that person\u2019s entire life experience. In other words, if you know what you want and pursue it with single-minded focus, you can <em>imagine <\/em>your perfect life into reality.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Power of Positive Thinking <\/em>adds what Peale calls \u201cfaith power\u201d to the equation. For Peale, it wasn\u2019t enough to simply imagine what you wanted; you had to ask God (or your \u201cHigher Power\u201d of choice) to help you create <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-ideal-life\/\">your ideal life<\/a>. According to Peale, deep <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/eckhart-tolle-meditation-mindfulness\/\">meditation<\/a> and earnest prayer are the keys to taking control of your mind and your life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More recently \u201cNew Age Philosophy\u201d has taken these ideas to the extreme with books like Rhonda Byrne\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-secret\"><em>The Secret<\/em><\/a>, which puts total faith in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-power-of-belief\/\">the power of belief<\/a> to create desired outcomes and shape reality\u2014for good or ill.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Book\u2019s Impact<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Power of Positive Thinking <\/em>is one of the best-selling non-fiction books ever written, having sold some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1993-12-26-mn-5771-story.html\">15 million copies<\/a> at the time of Peale\u2019s death. Readers all over the world say that Peale\u2019s message changed their lives for the better. For example, former U.S. President Donald Trump\u2014whose family attended Peale\u2019s NYC church\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2015\/10\/donald-trump-2016-norman-vincent-peale-213220\/.\">credits <em>The Power of Positive Thinking<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>for much of his personal and business philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Critical Reception<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Power of Positive Thinking <\/em>reviews praise the book<em> <\/em>for its depth and practicality. For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/citywire.co.uk\/new-model-adviser\/news\/book-review-the-power-of-positive-thinking\/a513686\">this review from Citywire<\/a> compares the book to a bag of reliable and often-used tools for clearing away pessimism and despair.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Others, however, find Peale\u2019s heavy reliance on God and the Bible to be off-putting. Some argue that the book\u2019s methods are shallow and outdated; that they boil down to, \u201cJust pray enough and everything will be fine.\u201d Readers also criticize Peale\u2019s reliance on anecdotes instead of scientific evidence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even other preachers criticized Peale\u2019s work, saying that it wasn\u2019t in line with the church\u2019s teachings\u2014they argued that God decides what happens to us; we don\u2019t ask Him for what we want. Others said that the teachings weren\u2019t wasn\u2019t framed in proper clerical language; Peale <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1993\/12\/26\/obituaries\/norman-vincent-peale-preacher-of-gospel-optimism-dies-at-95.html\">acknowledged that they were right<\/a>, but countered that he\u2019d written <em>The Power of Positive Thinking <\/em>in simple, secular language because he meant it for everyday people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Commentary on the Book\u2019s Approach<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Peale wrote <em>The Power of Positive Thinking <\/em>in the hopes that everyday people would use the lessons it taught. Therefore, the book uses simple language and approachable concepts, and it includes a large number of anecdotes to illustrate Peale\u2019s points.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While <em>The Power of Positive Thinking <\/em>does succeed in presenting lessons that laypeople can understand and follow, the heavy emphasis on religion (specifically Christianity) may deter some modern readers from embracing them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Commentary on the Book\u2019s Organization<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Individual chapters read somewhat like sermons: Peale teaches a lesson and illustrates it with stories about people who have benefited from that lesson. Some chapters end with lists of suggestions about how to put the lesson into practice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the book as a whole is scattered, and later chapters tend to circle back to topics that Peale covered earlier. For example, the book\u2019s final chapter is about <em>how <\/em>to draw upon your \u201cHigher Power\u201d (that is, God) to help you through hard times\u2014something that Peale encourages you to do from the beginning of the book.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is Norman Vincent Peale&#8217;s The Power of Positive Thinking worth reading? What is the key premise of Peale&#8217;s message? The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale is a classic in the self-help genre. In it, Peale asserts that we can overcome any hardship and achieve any goal through optimism and faith in God.\u00a0 The following The Power of Positive Thinking review covers the book&#8217;s context, background, and critical reception by the readers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":20771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[458,43,6],"tags":[463],"class_list":["post-54034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-review","category-self-improvement","category-spiritual","tag-the-power-of-positive-thinking","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Power of Positive Thinking: Review &amp; Context - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is Norman Vincent Peale&#039;s The Power of Positive Thinking worth reading? 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