I read “Financial Peace” last year, as well as several other similar books. I’m regularly amused by the fact that there are so many books of financial advice, because they’re just like diet books. Physical fitness comes only when you balance your food intake with your exercise; financial stability comes when you balance expenditures against your income. There’s really nothing new that anyone can tell you about either of those.
Still, I agree with you that many people in our generation are financially ignorant, as evidenced by the rising average of credit card debt per household (currently around $9000). People justify buying bigger homes with huge mortgages because interest on the loan is tax-deductible. You wanna save money? I say, buy a smaller home and pay it off.
I know that I’m financially conservative (read: “stingy”) in many ways, but I worry a lot less about money than many of my peers. If you have financial issues, I heartily recommend Dave Ramsey’s book. It’s simplistic in its approach but effective. Larry Burkett also has several books of solid financial advice.