Book Notes: "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale

The Power Of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This is essentially a work for Christians. But here is what I gleaned from it:
- "Prayerise, picturise, actualise" (pp. 63-5).
- "Do you ever 'fume' or 'fret'?" (p. 96).
                              - "Self-knowledge is the beginning of self-correction" (p. 241).
                              - "easy power" and "correlated power" (p. 243).

Peale mentions dozens of famous people, including Marcus Aurelius and Edison, and endless examples of faith and positive thinking based on his own experience. His argument is that faith is scientific, and will be proven so. The work reflects many of the conversations I have had with Christian psychologists. It is difficult to be pessimistic when surrounded by such optimism. In the words of my late great-grandmother, "Think positive. Always think positive".

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Book Notes: "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft" by Stephen King

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


On Writing is a page-turner. Once I was in to it, I couldn't put it down. I recall a few Stephen King stories, but I have only ever seen the movie versions. Many of these I have not liked, especially the B-grade versions. Yet most of his stories are familiar, and many of the movies I have enjoyed were Stephen King stories - but I didn't know. The book ends quite abruptly, but King's personal story hasn't ended so why should his book? King shares some of his writing and his edits. This is something readers are rarely privy to, unless it is by accident. Fitzgerald's The Last Tycoon was my first glimpse into the mind of a genius. King is less the myth and more the real thing. Writing is a job, writing is hard work, writing is a story unto itself. The process is vivid: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft - 10%; kill your adverbs verily. Booze and drugs are bullshit. These were the key lessons for me. The first two I learnt from Hemingway; the third exposes Hemingway's ability to portray the false and make it believable. Here, King delivers Fitzgerald's On Booze, and Hemingway would not be impressed. Yet it is the lived experience and King's work deserves the jacket-spiel "a one-of-a-kind classic".



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Book Notes: "Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No, to Take Control of Your Life" by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No, to Take Control of Your Life by Henry Cloud

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I first read this book in the 1990s, at about the same time I read The Joshua Factor. Cloud and Townsend integrate their psychological and theological understandings in a refreshing manner. It is unashamedly Christian in focus, but that need not deter the non-Christian from taking note of the lessons, and adapting the spiritual aspects to their own faith or spirituality. What I like about the book is the applicability of boundary lessons, especially to areas of one's life that are deeply familial and personal. This is the book's strength, and when combined with the psychological foundations and research, the messages are powerful. I am pleased to have re-read this book, and the timing was perfect. The quote I wrote down over and over again while reading this was "Own the problem" (p. 207). And Proverbs 19:3 kept coming back to me: "The foolishness of man twists his way, and his heart frets against the Lord" (NKJV). If the non-Christian reader can identify with the philosophical and spiritual bases drawn upon in the book, there is much wisdom to be gained. A work well worth reading as part of one's end-of-year reflection.

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