Bombarded by pink ribbons and platitudes following a breast cancer diagnosis, Ehrenreich was shocked to find that her anger was seen as unhealthy and dangerous by health professionals and other professionals. From health to academia, the economy to Iraq, Ehrenreich exposes a trail of denial, delusion, and bad faith, and reveals the often disastrous consequences of putting on 'a happy face'. Rigorous, insightful and also incredibly funny, Smile or Die is a sharp-witted knockdown of America's love affair with positive thinking.