My boyhood in a small town in Connecticut was shaped by my family, my friends, our neighbors, my chores and hobbies, the town's culture and environment, its schools, libraries, factories, and businesses, their workers, and by storms that came from nowhere to disrupt everything... Yet childhood in any family is a mysterious experience. . . . What shapes the mind, the personality, the character?
So begins this unexpected and extraordinary book by Ralph Nader. Known for his lifetime of selfless activism, Nader now looks back to the earliest days of his own life, to his serene and enriching childhood in bucolic Winsted, Connecticut. From listening to learning, from patriotism to argument, from work to simple enjoyment, Nader revisits seventeen key traditions he absorbed from his parents, his siblings, and the people in his community, and draws from them inspiring lessons for today's society. Warmly human, rich with sensory memories and lasting wisdom, it offers a kind of modern-day parable of how we grow from children into adults responsiblea reminder of a time when nature and community were central to the way we all learned and lived.
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Prominent activist and two-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader gives us a surprisingly personal and unfailingly poignant look at his small-town family and the traditions that shaped his childhood THE SEVENTEEN TRADITIONS By Ralph Nader Known for his lifetime of progressive activism and fearless critique of corruption in American "politics and society"and most recently named one of the "Top 100 Most Influential Figures in American History" by the Atlantic Monthly"Ralph Nader's fascinating legal and political career has made him one of the nation's most controversial public figures. But what about his private life? In THE SEVENTEEN TRADITIONS, on sale this February, the best-selling author of Crashing the Party and The Good Fight reflects on his serene and enriching childhood in rural Winsted, Connecticut, and on the life-sustaining principles he learned from his family and his community at large. For those who have followed Ralph Nader's fascinating career, The Seventeen Traditions offers long-awaited insight into this unforgettable public figure's past and the impact it has had on the person he is today. In his warmest and most personal writing to date, Nader fondly describes his father's restaurant business and how it taught him about work, community and how to share in the spirits of others; the value of his mother's ethnic cooking and its relationship with his heritage, and the hours he spent as a child wondering through the undeveloped forests of Connecticut where he learned the value of solitude. Blending memoir and thoughtful inspiration, and drawing from them inspiring lessons for today's society, Nader offers readers a chance to look back on a time in American history when the family and the natural world were central to a child's understanding of how to become a conscientious adult. From listening to learning, patriotism to argument; from work to simple enjoyment, Nader's Seventeen Traditions reawakens our own memories of the blessings of a simpler time"and of the enduring values of family, community, and love. About the author: Ralph Nader, the son of immigrants from Lebanon, was raised in a small town in Connecticut. In his career he has launched two major presidential campaigns and founded or organized more than 100 civic organizations His groups have made an impact on tax reform, atomic power regulation, the tobacco industry, renewable energy, clean air and water, food safety, auto safety, safety in the workplace, access to healthcare, civil rights, civil justice, Congressional ethics, corporate reform, and much more. The Seventeen Traditions By Ralph Nader HC, An Imprint of Harpercollins Publishers ISBN: 0061238279 |
