The Seventeen Traditions by Ralph Nader
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Book Reviews of The Seventeen Traditions
Book Review: Ralph Nader's Bridge To A Past Not Dominated By Commerical Entertainment
Summary: 5 Stars
The author of this book succeeds here on several levels. First, Ralph Nader explains himself well: who he is, and how he got to become who he is.
Second, the author explains how growing up in a low-media, high intensity household gave him lifelong advantages, insights, and commitments--things he might not have had he been enmeshed in movies, television shows, video games, rap music, etc.
Third, the author details the family traditions from Lebanese parents that were especially useful to him during his 45 years or so of national leadership of various causes.
Fourth, the author provides a warm evocation of a Christian Arabic family that can aid in improving understanding of Arab speaking people in and outside the United States.
The seventeen traditions that the author discovers in mining his family history are the traditions of listening, the family table, health, history, scarcity, sibling equality, education and argument, discipline, simple enjoyments, reciprocity, independent thinking, charity, work, business, patriotism, solitude and civics. These are traditions, he demonstrates, that his family lived, not just ideals that they mouthed.
Had this book been published the year before the 1992 Presidential election, when the author was toying with seeking the Democratic Presidential nomination, he could well have been a serious candidate for that nomination and changed both his political future and the direction of our country. Without pretentiousness, it shows him to be a man of depth, understanding and roots in small-town America.
The author sketches memorable portraits of his restaurant-owner and politically outspoken father; his wise, loving, and community active mother; his older brother, an attorney and community college founder; his sisters, Ph.Ds with enviable records of scholarship and academic leadership; his nephew, who has a doctorate and ecology, and two nieces, a lawyer and a Ph.D. in infectious diseases. The author certainly has a family committed to education and the welfare of us all.
Elements of the author's crusading zeal are submerged but very much present here. He refers to "these times of widespread conformity and self-censorship." Speaking of his hometwon of Winsted, Connecticut, he notes that "The air and the water became clearer after the factories closed, but the toxic soils and hollowed-out remained, economic tripwires to any new development in the area."
"Today," the author notes, "children everywhere are deprived of expsoure to nature in the same way (as only big city children used to be); they grow up with their eyes, ears, tastes and other senses trained on a corporate world of sensual visual reality--removed, as no generation in human history, from the daily flow and rhythm of history."
The book jacket notes that author was recently named by the Atlantic magazine as one of the 100 most influential figures in American history. This customer reviewer does not dispute that rating and hopes that the author will continue finding ways to speak out and positively influence the American social and political debate.
Book Review: Perfect book to see what life was like when your parents were younger
Summary: 5 Stars
I've long admired Ralph Nader and have enjoyed some of his
other books . . . so when a friend recommended that I read his
latest, THE SEVENTEEN TRADITIONS, I made it a point to get a copy.
My only problem came afterwards; I couldn't put it down . . . so
some other projects had to be aside as I read about Nader's
boyhood in a small town in Connecticut, and how that existence
and the role of his parents affected the rest of his life.
As he notes:
* I am often asked what forces shaped me. Rather than trying
to give a full answer to that question-which would take
longer than a limited interview would allow-I often reply
simply, "I had a lucky choice of parents." My brother, two
sisters, and I had a remarkable father and mother, who
cared for us in both direct and subtle ways. The examples
of their lives set us on the solid paths we have explored
ever since.
As I was reading it, I kept thinking of how my parents were
similar in so many ways . . . in particular, this passage
could almost have been written about them as well:
* Mother and Father each lived to be just short of a century
old; we benefited from their seasoned perspectives and
wisdom for many, many years. They were forever young,
exemplifying my mother's strong belief in the importance
of remaining "interested and interesting." And they succeeded
in doing this throughout their lives, attracting ever-younger
friends to visit, whether we children were home or not. They
created the strong family base from which my siblings and
I sallied forth into the wider world, full of new experiences
and high expectations.
In sharing the lessons he learned from his parents, Nader
also gave this advice that should be heeded by anybody raising
children today:
* Perhaps it was my father who best captured their attitude. Once,
when I told him that I'd done my best at something, he leaned
over quietly and looked at me. "Son, never say you did your
best, because then you'll never try to do better."
As the holiday season approaches, methinks that THE SEVENTEEN
TRADITIONS would make a perfect gift for anybody wanting to
read about life back when his or her parents were younger . . . and
how much of what took place then could still be put into effect now.
Book Review: A Book To Share With Family
Summary: 5 Stars
When was the last time that you read a book and upon finishing it, wanted to read it over again, perhaps aloud, with a family member? This timely book is for sharing. Written by Ralph Nader, former candidate for President who is best known as a crusader for everything from tax reform and clean air to the seat belts you buckle everyday, this eloquent little book candidly recounts his experiences growing up with his Lebanese parents in a small New England town. Nader describes the seventeen traditions he was nurtured and raised on. These traditions include listening, the family table, sibling equality, independent thinking, patriotism and the enjoyment of simple things.
The landscape maybe New England, but the sensibility is all Old World warmth. Nader's parents strove for a relationship with their children that was mutually rewarding, and where communication was definitely a two way street. From the political banter at the dinner table and at his uncle's restaurant, to his mother's civic activities and forthright observations, to the devastation and resurrection of their town in the aftermath of Hurricane Diane, the Naders built strong connections with their children and with their community. Nader writes, "At school we learned facts. At home my parents taught us "character" which the ancient philosopher Heracletus called "destiny". For us they gave new meaning to the word "homework."
Nader urges the reader to "revisit the lessons passed on in your own family" and offers examples from his own family experience through the ancient and timeless traditions that his parents imparted to their children. "Such family traditions challenge the notion that the fads, technologies, how-to-manuals and addictions of modern life have somehow taken the place of the time tested wisdom fashioned in the crucibles of earlier generations."
If you ever wondered what catalyzed Ralph Nader to follow the path he has, this book contains the answers. Even better, if you'd like to reconnect with your own traditions, this work is sure to be a catalyst for reflection. Articulate, warm and even humorous, Seventeen Traditions is a surprising modern day parable that's worth sharing with your kids.
Book Review: The Seventeen Traditions by Ralph Nader
Summary: 5 Stars
Ralph writes about my home town, and his, Winsted, Connecticut, and about people we knew and loved, like his Mom and Dad who, like many parents and people, dedicated their lives to their family, their community and their friends.
While it seems improbable that many modern families, preoccupied with 2 or more jobs, commuting to work, relying on others to help raise and feed their children, could once again undertake to offer themselves and their children hometown opportunities found in Ralph's book, and life, there are lessons to be learned about listening to one's parents, about debating news of the day, and retreating from the pc's and videogames and tv's to, perhaps, library books and getting to know one's own community. To going for hikes and taking the road less traveled, to being proud of where you come from and where you are going, to appreciating people for what they are, not for what Madison Avenue or Hollywood say the they should be. To taking on City Hall, and winning. Or lobbying Congress, a State Legislature, or a Governor or President, "in the public interest."
Ralph has proven that one man can, did, and will continue to make, a difference, for the better. He has also proven the words of the great poet that " It is in the darkest hours of man that the spirit of man burns most bright," and that, finally, we can know what we've always known: anyone can make a difference. You just need a little courage, some important knowledge and a bit of passion for justice, to begin to do what is right. And good parents, good role models, do help.
This book, The Seventeen Traditions, by Ralph, and many others he has written, together with his life of dedication, caring and hard work, show us that doing good is a matter of personal choice, a choice we can all make. Read it and get going!
Book Review: a surprisingly smart autobiography
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the first book I have ever read by Ralph Nader. I never expected to buy and read this book, but I heard a very short interview with Nader on TV in which he mentioned something about his book that caught my attention. On a whim I bought it and I was quite impressed by the simple intelligence that went into writing it. Nader's writing is smart without being in any way pretentious.
We all know (or think we know) who Ralph Nader is, and might be inclined to expect a "cause" book from him. But there is much at work here. This is a smart autobiography written by a private man who is looking back on his childhood. But rather than construct a temporal narrative ("I was born in ..."), Nader tries to recall 17 memorable traditions, values, or ethical practices that were a part of his childhood (family meals, learning to listen, education, discipline, etc) and describes how he learned each one and how it contributed to his moral formation.
While this is not a political book, Nader has a strongly hinted view about where we have come from, who we are, and where we appear to be headed. Nader observes, with a lifetime of experience and insight, that, in the moral, inner life of American society, we have not only not succeeded entirely in defeating the evils of Nader's childhood, but we are also in danger of abandoning or losing so much of what was good. This short reflection on a life lived is a significant contribution in the conversation that leads to stopping and reversing that trend. Anyone who is concerned about our moral substance as citizens in communities and as a society would enjoy this book.