“Sound Spiritual (Interfaith!) Practice that Stands the Test of Time”: A Review of The Power of Positive Thinking (Interfaith 21st Century Edition) by Norman Vincent Peale, with Hasan Abdullah Ismaik
(Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA: Waterside Productions, 2022). ISBN: 978-1-958848-19-7 Originally published in 1952, The Power of Positive Thinking became not only a New York Times bestseller, but the acorn from which has grown a strong, tall oak we all know as the Spiritual Self-Help genre. Having first read Rev. Dr. Peale’s life-changing masterpiece in 1997, during a time of profound upheaval and transition in my life (while listening to tens of hours of his recorded presentations), my second reading—after twenty-five years of voracious study of similar books and principles—illuminated just how many pillars of the Spiritual Self-Help community he has inspired. From Wayne Dyer to Gay Hendricks, from Caroline Myss to Joe Dispenza, the foundational principles presented by Rev. Dr. Peale are all readily apparent in each of their programs. He was certainly an excellent role model. Peale authored 46 books, was a pastor for more than 50 years, and cofounded the first school for pastoral psych