Now you can enjoy Norman Vincent Peale’s international bestseller in a whole new way. Originally published in 1952, The Power of Positive Thinking has sold more than five million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 40 languages. Now, Simon & Schuster Audio is offering the first unabridged audiobook of the Christian classic. Narrated by actor John Bedford Lloyd, this new edition includes extra sermons and stories by Peale. In addition, Simon & Schuster Audio is now releasing even more titles by Peale – some of them for the very first time as audiobooks – like You Can If You Think You Can, Guide to Confident Living, and more!
To celebrate the new releases Guideposts.org talked with Peale’s grandson, Cliff Peale, about why his grandfather’s message of hope and positivity is still vital today.
Cliff Peale, 56, who lives in Covington, Kentucky, wrote the foreword for the new audiobook. He currently works with the Peale Foundation to continue his grandfather’s mission of making the world a better place through positive thinking and positive actions. Just like his grandfather, Cliff started his career as a newspaper reporter. “Something I’ve done for most of my career, and what my grandfather spent his lifetime doing, is talking to people,” said Cliff. “Hearing and telling their stories and looking for the good in people.”
Since his early years as a pastor at Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, Norman Vincent Peale understood the importance of telling people’s stories of faith and the power they had to change other people’s lives. He told these stories through multiple channels, from newspapers to the pulpit to radio to books, like The Power of Positive Thinking. Now this message can reach even more people as an unabridged audiobook.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of Peale’s seminal work, but the message remains relevant today. Cliff says that people still come up to him and tell him how his grandfather’s book changed their lives for the better. “Today everything can seem polarized and competitive,” said Cliff. “It’s important to see the best in people. We should live with a robust kind of joy and enjoy this life that we’ve been blessed with.”
The simple, universal message of hope in The Power of Positive Thinking and Peale’s other works is something anyone can relate to. It meets people where they are on their faith journeys and gives them practical steps they can easily bring into their own lives. “One of the things that I love about my grandfather’s message,” said Cliff, “is how it helps people get joy out of their lives in their own way.”
