Discovering Positive Thinking

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-- Milios sees positive thinking as the main factor in achieving success and personal happiness. Surely, becoming aware of and developing strengths that bolster self-esteem, stressing hopeful aspects of a situation, and adopting a constructive approach to problems are healthful, useful life options. However, this title conveys something quite different. The implication is that young people who feel neither successful nor happy have only themselves to blame. The possible need for help from professional sources does not enter into the presentation. It would appear to be further evidence of failure. And what do YAs committed to the author's system do when they go over the allotted 20 minutes per day of ``worrying time?'' An individual in a severe depression will be overwhelmed by something more about which to worry. In addition to being fraught with danger, the message here is simplistic and misleading. The rambling, repetitive, sometimes patronizing text is laced with psycho- and sociobabble. Numerous black-and-white and full-color photos are poorly keyed to adjacent text. Captions are often inane (``Can you tell which teen sends herself positive messages . . .?'') Those who wish a sensible treatment of this subject should consult Sean Paulson's Secrets of Life Every Teen Needs to Know (Joy Publishing, 1990). --Libby K. White, Schenectady County Public Library, NY