Self-help ✦ Penny’s Take
Beyond Positive Thinking 30th Anniversary Edition
Robert Anthony · 2018
62/100
👎 Skip It
This one has real staying power, three million copies sold and a credentialed author behind it, which counts for something. But the core method leans on visualization and 'mind power' thinking rather than anything evidence-based, and some examples will feel dated in a 30th-anniversary reissue, so it lands as a mixed bag rather than a clear win.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
⚠ Parent note — our reviewers flagged: Visualization / 'mind power' framework is New Thought-adjacent (belief shapes reality) — not occult, but worth weighing against your own faith framework. We still scored it 62; these are context for your family, not an automatic skip.
📚 Buy the book ↗📱 Read on Kindle ↗🎧 Listen on Audible ↗ affiliate links · support the site, never the verdict
As an Amazon Associate and Audible affiliate, Penny earns from qualifying purchases. This never affects the verdict — see our affiliate disclosure.
Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety65
Substance / usefulness65
Craft & writing65
Originality45
Evidence & accuracy45
Hype vs delivers55
Age-fit65
Human-eye read60
Penny’s verdict62
Cross-pollinate