Barbara Ehrenreich is the bestselling author of Nickel and Dimed, Bait and Switch, Bright-sided, This Land Is Their Land, Dancing in the Streets and Blood Rites, among others. A frequent contributor to Harper's and The Nation, she has also been a columnist at The New York Times and Time magazine. She is the winner of the L.A. Times Book Prize for Current Interest and ALA Notable Books for Nonfiction.
Ehrenreich was born in Butte, Montana, when it was still a bustling mining town. She studied physics at Reed College, and earned a Ph.D. in cell biology from Rockefeller University. Rather than going into laboratory work, she got involved in activism, and soon devoted herself to writing her innovative journalism. She lives and works in Florida.
"Deeply satisfying. . . I have waited my whole life for someone to
write a book like Bright-sided." --The New York Times Book Review"A
brilliant expose of our smiley-faced culture."
--Forbes.com"Insightful, smart, and witty. . . Ehrenreich makes
important points about what happens to those who dare to warn of
the worst." --BusinessWeek"Ehrenreich's examination of the history
of positive thinking is a tour de force of well-tempered snark,
culminating in a persuasive indictment of the bright-siders as the
culprits in our current financial mess." --The Washington
Post"Bright-sided scours away the veneer of conventional wisdom
with pointed writings and reporting. . . . Helping us face the
truth is Ehrenreich at her best." --The Miami Herald"Contrarians
rejoice! With a refreshingly caustic tone, Barbara Ehrenreich takes
on the relentlessly upbeat attitude many Americans demand of
themselves, and more damagingly, of others." --USA Today"A rousing
endorsement of skepticism, realism, and critical thinking." --San
Francisco Bay Guardian"Ehrenreich delivers her indictments of the
happiness industry with both authority and wit. . . . Bright-sided
offers both a welcome tonic and a call to action--and a blessed
relief from all those smiley faces." --The Plain Dealer"Precisely
crafted, hard-hitting. . . analysis of the national mass fantasy of
wishful thinking " --The Dallas Morning News"Relentless and
persuasive. . . In a voice urgent and passionate, Ehrenreich offers
us neither extreme [between positive thinking and being a
spoilsport] but instead balance: joy, happiness, yes; sadness,
anger, yes. She favors life with a clear head, eyes wide open."
--San Francisco Chronicle"Ehrenreich reprises her role as Dorothy
swishing back the curtain on a great and powerful given." --The
Oregonian"A message that deserves to be heard." --Jezebel"Gleefully
pops the positive-thinking bubble. . . Amazingly, she'll make you
laugh, albeit ruefully, as she presents how society's relentless
focus on being upbeat has eroded our ability to ask--and heed--the
kind of uncomfortable questions that could have fended off economic
disaster." --FastCompany.com"Ehrenreich convinced me completely. .
. I hesitate to say anything so positive as that this book will
change the way you see absolutely everything; but it just might."
--Nora Ephron, The Daily Beast"Ehrenreich delivers a trenchant look
into the burgeoning business of positive thinking." --Publishers
Weekly, starred review"Bright, incisive, provocative thinking from
a top-notch nonfiction writer." --Kirkus, starred
review"Wide-ranging and stinging look at the pervasiveness of
positive thinking. . ." --Booklist, starred review"We're always
being told that looking on the bright side is good for us, but now
we see that it's a great way to brush off poverty, disease, and
unemployment, to rationalize an order where all the rewards go to
those on top. The people who are sick or jobless--why, they just
aren't thinking positively. They have no one to blame but
themselves. Barbara Ehrenreich has put the menace of positive
thinking under the microscope. Anyone who's ever been told to
brighten up needs to read this book." --Thomas Frank, author of The
Wrecking Crew and What's the Matter with Kansas?"Oprah Winfrey,
Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil: please read this relentlessly sensible
book. It's never too late to begin thinking clearly." --Frederick
Crews, author of Follies of the Wise: Dissenting Essays"Barbara
Ehrenreich's skeptical common sense is just what we need to
penetrate the cloying fog that passes for happiness in America."
--Alan Wolfe, author of The Future of Liberalism"In this hilarious
and devastating critique, Barbara Ehrenreich applies some much
needed negativity to the zillion-dollar business of positive
thinking. This is truly a text for the times." --Katha Pollitt,
author of The Mind-Body Problem: Poems"Unless you keep on saying
that you believe in fairies, Tinker Bell will check out, and what's
more, her sad demise will be your fault! Barbara Ehrenreich scores
again for the independent-minded in resisting this drool and all
those who wallow in it." --Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is
Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything"In this hard-hitting but
honest appraisal, America's cultural skeptic Barbara Ehrenreich
turns her focus on the muddled American phenomenon of positive
thinking. She exposes the pseudoscience and pseudointellectual
foundation of the positive-thinking movement for what it is: a
house of cards. This is a mind-opening read." --Michael Shermer,
author of Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience,
Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time"Once again, Barbara
Ehrenreich has written an invaluable and timely book, offering a
brilliant analysis of the causes and dimensions of our current
cultural and economic crises. She shows how deeply positive
thinking is embedded in our history and how crippling it is as a
habit of mind." --Thomas Bender, author of A Nation Among Nations:
America's Place in World History
Deeply satisfying. . . I have waited my whole life for someone to
write a book like "Bright-sided." "The New York Times Book Review"
A brilliant expose of our smiley-faced culture. "Forbes.com"
Insightful, smart, and witty. . . Ehrenreich makes important points
about what happens to those who dare to warn of the worst.
"BusinessWeek" Ehrenreich's examination of the history of positive
thinking is a tour de force of well-tempered snark, culminating in
a persuasive indictment of the bright-siders as the culprits in our
current financial mess. "The Washington Post" "Bright-sided "scours
away the veneer of conventional wisdom with pointed writings and
reporting. . . . Helping us face the truth is Ehrenreich at her
best. "The Miami Herald" Contrarians rejoice! With a refreshingly
caustic tone, Barbara Ehrenreich takes on the relentlessly upbeat
attitude many Americans demand of themselves, and more damagingly,
of others. "USA Today" A rousing endorsement of skepticism,
realism, and critical thinking. "San Francisco Bay Guardian"
Ehrenreich delivers her indictments of the happiness industry with
both authority and wit. . . . "Bright-sided "offers both a welcome
tonic and a call to action--and a blessed relief from all those
smiley faces. "The Plain Dealer" Precisely crafted, hard-hitting. .
. analysis of the national mass fantasy of wishful thinking "The
Dallas Morning News" Relentless and persuasive. . . In a voice
urgent and passionate, Ehrenreich offers us neither extreme
[between positive thinking and being a spoilsport] but instead
balance: joy, happiness, yes; sadness, anger, yes. She favors life
with a clear head, eyes wide open. "San Francisco Chronicle"
Ehrenreich reprises her role as Dorothy swishing back the curtain
on a great and powerful given. "The Oregonian" A message that
deserves to be heard. "Jezebel" Gleefully pops the
positive-thinking bubble. . . Amazingly, she'll make you laugh,
albeit ruefully, as she presents how society's relentless focus on
being upbeat has eroded our ability to ask--and heed--the kind of
uncomfortable questions that could have fended off economic
disaster. "FastCompany.com" Ehrenreich convinced me completely. . .
I hesitate to say anything so positive as that this book will
change the way you see absolutely everything; but it just might.
"Nora Ephron, The Daily Beast" Ehrenreich delivers a trenchant look
into the burgeoning business of positive thinking. "Publishers
Weekly, starred review" Bright, incisive, provocative thinking from
a top-notch nonfiction writer. "Kirkus, starred review"
Wide-ranging and stinging look at the pervasiveness of positive
thinking. . . "Booklist, starred review" We're always being told
that looking on the bright side is good for us, but now we see that
it's a great way to brush off poverty, disease, and unemployment,
to rationalize an order where all the rewards go to those on top.
The people who are sick or jobless--why, they just aren't thinking
positively. They have no one to blame but themselves. Barbara
Ehrenreich has put the menace of positive thinking under the
microscope. Anyone who's ever been told to brighten up needs to
read this book. "Thomas Frank, author of The Wrecking Crew and
What's the Matter with Kansas?" Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra,
Andrew Weil: please read this relentlessly sensible book. It's
never too late to begin thinking clearly. "Frederick Crews, author
of Follies of the Wise: Dissenting Essays" Barbara Ehrenreich's
skeptical common sense is just what we need to penetrate the
cloying fog that passes for happiness in America. "Alan Wolfe,
author of The Future of Liberalism" In this hilarious and
devastating critique, Barbara Ehrenreich applies some much needed
negativity to the zillion-dollar business of positive thinking.
This is truly a text for the times. "Katha Pollitt, author of The
Mind-Body Problem: Poems" Unless you keep on saying that you
believe in fairies, Tinker Bell will check out, and what's more,
her sad demise will be your fault! Barbara Ehrenreich scores again
for the independent-minded in resisting this drool and all those
who wallow in it. "Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not
Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" In this hard-hitting but
honest appraisal, America's cultural skeptic Barbara Ehrenreich
turns her focus on the muddled American phenomenon of positive
thinking. She exposes the pseudoscience and pseudointellectual
foundation of the positive-thinking movement for what it is: a
house of cards. This is a mind-opening read. "Michael Shermer,
author of Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience,
Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time" Once again, Barbara
Ehrenreich has written an invaluable and timely book, offering a
brilliant analysis of the causes and dimensions of our current
cultural and economic crises. She shows how deeply positive
thinking is embedded in our history and how crippling it is as a
habit of mind. "Thomas Bender, author of A Nation Among Nations:
America's Place in World History""
"Deeply satisfying. . . I have waited my whole life for someone to
write a book like "Bright-sided.""--"The New York Times Book
Review" "A brilliant expose of our smiley-faced
culture."--Forbes.com "Insightful, smart, and witty. . . Ehrenreich
makes important points about what happens to those who dare to warn
of the worst."--"BusinessWeek"
"Ehrenreich's examination of the history of positive thinking is a
tour de force of well-tempered snark, culminating in a persuasive
indictment of the bright-siders as the culprits in our current
financial mess."--"The Washington Post"
""Bright-sided "scours away the veneer of conventional wisdom with
pointed writings and reporting. . . . Helping us face the truth is
Ehrenreich at her best."--"The Miami Herald" "Contrarians rejoice!
With a refreshingly caustic tone, Barbara Ehrenreich takes on the
relentlessly upbeat attitude many Americans demand of themselves,
and more damagingly, of others."--"USA Today" "A rousing
endorsement of skepticism, realism, and critical thinking."--"San
Francisco Bay Guardian" "Ehrenreich delivers her indictments of the
happiness industry with both authority and wit. . . . "Bright-sided
"offers both a welcome tonic and a call to action--and a blessed
relief from all those smiley faces."--"The Plain Dealer" "Precisely
crafted, hard-hitting. . . analysis of the national mass fantasy of
wishful thinking "--"The Dallas Morning News"
"Relentless and persuasive. . . In a voice urgent and passionate,
Ehrenreich offers us neither extreme [between positive thinking and
being a spoilsport] but instead balance: joy, happiness, yes;
sadness, anger, yes. She favors life with a clear head, eyes wide
open."--"San Francisco Chronicle" "Ehrenreich reprises her role as
Dorothy swishing back the curtain on a great and powerful
given."--"The Oregonian" "A message that deserves to be
heard."--"Jezebel" "Gleefully pops the positive-thinking bubble. .
. Amazingly, she'll make you laugh, albeit ruefully, as she
presents how society's relentless focus on being upbeat has eroded
our ability to ask--and heed--the kind of uncomfortable questions
that could have fended off economic disaster."--FastCompany.com
"Ehrenreich convinced me completely. . . I hesitate to say anything
so positive as that this book will change the way you see
absolutely everything; but it just might."--Nora Ephron, "The Daily
Beast" "Ehrenreich delivers a trenchant look into the burgeoning
business of positive thinking."--"Publishers Weekly," starred
review
"Bright, incisive, provocative thinking from a top-notch nonfiction
writer."
--"Kirkus," starred review
"Wide-ranging and stinging look at the pervasiveness of positive
thinking. . ."
--"Booklist," starred review
"We're always being told that looking on the bright side is good
for us, but now we see that it's a great way to brush off poverty,
disease, and unemployment, to rationalize an order where all the
rewards go to those on top. The people who are sick or
jobless--why, they just aren't thinking positively. They have no
one to blame but themselves. Barbara Ehrenreich has put the menace
of positive thinking under the microscope. Anyone who's ever been
told to brighten up needs to read this book."--Thomas Frank, author
of "The Wrecking Crew "and "What's the Matter with Kansas?"
"Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil: please read this
relentlessly sensible book. It's never too late to begin thinking
clearly."--Frederick Crews, author of "Follies of the Wise:
Dissenting Essays "
"Barbara Ehrenreich's skeptical common sense is just what we need
to penetrate the cloying fog that passes for happiness in
America."--Alan Wolfe, author of "The Future of Liberalism "
"In this hilarious and devastating critique, Barbara Ehrenreich
applies some much needed negativity to the zillion-dollar business
of positive thinking. This is truly a text for the times."--Katha
Pollitt, author of "The Mind-Body Problem: Poems "
"Unless you keep on saying that you believe in fairies, Tinker Bell
will check out, and what's more, her sad demise will be your fault!
Barbara Ehrenreich scores again for the independent-minded in
resisting this drool and all those who wallow in it."--Christopher
Hitchens, author of "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons
Everything"
"In this hard-hitting but honest appraisal, America's cultural
skeptic Barbara Ehrenreich turns her focus on the muddled American
phenomenon of positive thinking. She exposes the pseudoscience and
pseudointellectual foundation of the positive-thinking movement for
what it is: a house of cards. This is a mind-opening
read."--Michael Shermer, author of "Why People Believe Weird
Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our
Time"
"Once again, Barbara Ehrenreich has written an invaluable and
timely book, offering a brilliant analysis of the causes and
dimensions of our current cultural and economic crises. She shows
how deeply positive thinking is embedded in our history and how
crippling it is as a habit of mind."--Thomas Bender, author of "A
Nation Among Nations: America's Place in World History"
“Deeply satisfying. . . I have waited my whole life for someone to
write a book like "Bright-sided."”—"The New York Times Book
Review" “A brilliant exposé of our smiley-faced
culture.”—Forbes.com “Insightful, smart, and witty. . .
Ehrenreich makes important points about what happens to those who
dare to warn of the worst.”—"BusinessWeek"
"Ehrenreich's examination of the history of positive thinking is a
tour de force of well-tempered snark, culminating in a persuasive
indictment of the bright-siders as the culprits in our current
financial mess."—"The Washington Post"
""Bright-sided "scours away the veneer of conventional wisdom with
pointed writings and reporting. . . . Helping us face the truth is
Ehrenreich at her best."—"The Miami Herald" “Contrarians
rejoice! With a refreshingly caustic tone, Barbara Ehrenreich takes
on the relentlessly upbeat attitude many Americans demand of thems
"Deeply satisfying. . . I have waited my whole life for someone
to write a book like Bright-sided." --The New York Times
Book Review"A brilliant expose of our smiley-faced culture."
--Forbes.com"Insightful, smart, and witty. . . Ehrenreich makes
important points about what happens to those who dare to warn of
the worst." --BusinessWeek"Ehrenreich's examination of the
history of positive thinking is a tour de force of well-tempered
snark, culminating in a persuasive indictment of the bright-siders
as the culprits in our current financial mess." --The
Washington Post"Bright-sided scours away the veneer of
conventional wisdom with pointed writings and reporting. . . .
Helping us face the truth is Ehrenreich at her best." --The
Miami Herald"Contrarians rejoice! With a refreshingly caustic tone,
Barbara Ehrenreich takes on the relentlessly upbeat attitude many
Americans demand of themselves, and more damagingly, of others."
--USA Today"A rousing endorsement of skepticism, realism, and
critical thinking." --San Francisco Bay Guardian"Ehrenreich
delivers her indictments of the happiness industry with both
authority and wit. . . . Bright-sided offers both a welcome tonic
and a call to action--and a blessed relief from all those smiley
faces." --The Plain Dealer"Precisely crafted, hard-hitting. . .
analysis of the national mass fantasy of wishful thinking " --The
Dallas Morning News"Relentless and persuasive. . . In a voice
urgent and passionate, Ehrenreich offers us neither extreme
[between positive thinking and being a spoilsport] but instead
balance: joy, happiness, yes; sadness, anger, yes. She favors life
with a clear head, eyes wide open." --San Francisco
Chronicle"Ehrenreich reprises her role as Dorothy swishing back the
curtain on a great and powerful given." --The Oregonian"A message
that deserves to be heard." --Jezebel"Gleefully pops the
positive-thinking bubble. . . Amazingly, she'll make you laugh,
albeit ruefully, as she presents how society's relentless focus on
being upbeat has eroded our ability to ask--and heed--the kind of
uncomfortable questions that could have fended off economic
disaster." --FastCompany.com"Ehrenreich convinced me completely. .
. I hesitate to say anything so positive as that this book will
change the way you see absolutely everything; but it just might."
--Nora Ephron, The Daily Beast"Ehrenreich delivers a trenchant look
into the burgeoning business of positive thinking." --Publishers
Weekly, starred review"Bright, incisive, provocative thinking from
a top-notch nonfiction writer." --Kirkus, starred
review"Wide-ranging and stinging look at the pervasiveness of
positive thinking. . ." --Booklist, starred review"We're always
being told that looking on the bright side is good for us, but now
we see that it's a great way to brush off poverty, disease, and
unemployment, to rationalize an order where all the rewards go to
those on top. The people who are sick or jobless--why, they just
aren't thinking positively. They have no one to blame but
themselves. Barbara Ehrenreich has put the menace of positive
thinking under the microscope. Anyone who's ever been told to
brighten up needs to read this book." --Thomas Frank, author of The
Wrecking Crew and What's the Matter with Kansas?"Oprah Winfrey,
Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil: please read this relentlessly sensible
book. It's never too late to begin thinking clearly." --Frederick
Crews, author of Follies of the Wise: Dissenting Essays"Barbara
Ehrenreich's skeptical common sense is just what we need to
penetrate the cloying fog that passes for happiness in America."
--Alan Wolfe, author of The Future of Liberalism"In this hilarious
and devastating critique, Barbara Ehrenreich applies some much
needed negativity to the zillion-dollar business of positive
thinking. This is truly a text for the times." --Katha Pollitt,
author of The Mind-Body Problem: Poems"Unless you keep on saying
that you believe in fairies, Tinker Bell will check out, and what's
more, her sad demise will be your fault! Barbara Ehrenreich scores
again for the independent-minded in resisting this drool and all
those who wallow in it." --Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is
Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything"In this hard-hitting but
honest appraisal, America's cultural skeptic Barbara Ehrenreich
turns her focus on the muddled American phenomenon of positive
thinking. She exposes the pseudoscience and pseudointellectual
foundation of the positive-thinking movement for what it is: a
house of cards. This is a mind-opening read." --Michael Shermer,
author of Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience,
Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time"Once again, Barbara
Ehrenreich has written an invaluable and timely book, offering a
brilliant analysis of the causes and dimensions of our current
cultural and economic crises. She shows how deeply positive
thinking is embedded in our history and how crippling it is as a
habit of mind." --Thomas Bender, author of A Nation Among Nations:
America's Place in World History
Deeply satisfying. . . I have waited my whole life for someone to write a book like "Bright-sided." "The New York Times Book Review" A brilliant expose of our smiley-faced culture. "Forbes.com" Insightful, smart, and witty. . . Ehrenreich makes important points about what happens to those who dare to warn of the worst. "BusinessWeek" Ehrenreich's examination of the history of positive thinking is a tour de force of well-tempered snark, culminating in a persuasive indictment of the bright-siders as the culprits in our current financial mess. "The Washington Post" "Bright-sided "scours away the veneer of conventional wisdom with pointed writings and reporting. . . . Helping us face the truth is Ehrenreich at her best. "The Miami Herald" Contrarians rejoice! With a refreshingly caustic tone, Barbara Ehrenreich takes on the relentlessly upbeat attitude many Americans demand of themselves, and more damagingly, of others. "USA Today" A rousing endorsement of skepticism, realism, and critical thinking. "San Francisco Bay Guardian" Ehrenreich delivers her indictments of the happiness industry with both authority and wit. . . . "Bright-sided "offers both a welcome tonic and a call to action--and a blessed relief from all those smiley faces. "The Plain Dealer" Precisely crafted, hard-hitting. . . analysis of the national mass fantasy of wishful thinking "The Dallas Morning News" Relentless and persuasive. . . In a voice urgent and passionate, Ehrenreich offers us neither extreme [between positive thinking and being a spoilsport] but instead balance: joy, happiness, yes; sadness, anger, yes. She favors life with a clear head, eyes wide open. "San Francisco Chronicle" Ehrenreich reprises her role as Dorothy swishing back the curtain on a great and powerful given. "The Oregonian" A message that deserves to be heard. "Jezebel" Gleefully pops the positive-thinking bubble. . . Amazingly, she'll make you laugh, albeit ruefully, as she presents how society's relentless focus on being upbeat has eroded our ability to ask--and heed--the kind of uncomfortable questions that could have fended off economic disaster. "FastCompany.com" Ehrenreich convinced me completely. . . I hesitate to say anything so positive as that this book will change the way you see absolutely everything; but it just might. "Nora Ephron, The Daily Beast" Ehrenreich delivers a trenchant look into the burgeoning business of positive thinking. "Publishers Weekly, starred review" Bright, incisive, provocative thinking from a top-notch nonfiction writer. "Kirkus, starred review" Wide-ranging and stinging look at the pervasiveness of positive thinking. . . "Booklist, starred review" We're always being told that looking on the bright side is good for us, but now we see that it's a great way to brush off poverty, disease, and unemployment, to rationalize an order where all the rewards go to those on top. The people who are sick or jobless--why, they just aren't thinking positively. They have no one to blame but themselves. Barbara Ehrenreich has put the menace of positive thinking under the microscope. Anyone who's ever been told to brighten up needs to read this book. "Thomas Frank, author of The Wrecking Crew and What's the Matter with Kansas?" Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil: please read this relentlessly sensible book. It's never too late to begin thinking clearly. "Frederick Crews, author of Follies of the Wise: Dissenting Essays" Barbara Ehrenreich's skeptical common sense is just what we need to penetrate the cloying fog that passes for happiness in America. "Alan Wolfe, author of The Future of Liberalism" In this hilarious and devastating critique, Barbara Ehrenreich applies some much needed negativity to the zillion-dollar business of positive thinking. This is truly a text for the times. "Katha Pollitt, author of The Mind-Body Problem: Poems" Unless you keep on saying that you believe in fairies, Tinker Bell will check out, and what's more, her sad demise will be your fault! Barbara Ehrenreich scores again for the independent-minded in resisting this drool and all those who wallow in it. "Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" In this hard-hitting but honest appraisal, America's cultural skeptic Barbara Ehrenreich turns her focus on the muddled American phenomenon of positive thinking. She exposes the pseudoscience and pseudointellectual foundation of the positive-thinking movement for what it is: a house of cards. This is a mind-opening read. "Michael Shermer, author of Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time" Once again, Barbara Ehrenreich has written an invaluable and timely book, offering a brilliant analysis of the causes and dimensions of our current cultural and economic crises. She shows how deeply positive thinking is embedded in our history and how crippling it is as a habit of mind. "Thomas Bender, author of A Nation Among Nations: America's Place in World History""
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