The Seventeen Traditions by Ralph Nader
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Book Reviews of The Seventeen Traditions
Book Review: people are starving for this - it is food for the soul
Summary: 5 Stars
Ralph Nader is a great man. That he is American is an absolute miracle. This little book, which describes how he was raised in a small mill town in Connecticut, delineates the values he learned from his family which helped to make him who he is. This idealist is endlessly optimistic,and enduring. He lives what he believes 24/7, with a major sense of humor lightening the seriousness of his task. He came to my small upstate New York town last night to speak and to answer questions after a showing of "An Unreasonable Man" - a documentary about his long and inspiring career. I was not disappointed. Ralph Nader is who he says he is. He continues to believe in the rights of each and every one of us and is willing to fight for years to assure them. See this documentary. Buy this book. Read it. Give it to a young person you know, particularly anyone starting a family. The words within will be a guide to the best sort of life and the finest ways to raise and support children. "Seventeen Traditions" is another gift from one who has generously given our country his all for his entire life. Some of his other gifts were car seat belts, air bags, more crash-proof cars, warning labels on foods and drugs, the Freedom of Information Act and pages more of important innovations and laws. Let's make this book a best-seller and send a message to those who only want Americans to be infotained into a hypnotic stupor - unquestioning and unable to think. Ralph Nader continues to believe in the power of the honest efforts of us all. Let's show him that we do so also.Book Review: What Makes Ralph Nader Tick
Summary: 5 Stars
The Seventeen Traditions may be Ralph Nader's most important book since Unsafe at Any Speed. It isn't about policy. It isn't about politics. It is an autobiographical reflection on Nader's childhood and upbringing. It is a quick read that explains how the love of committed parents and siblings, mixed with small town living, created the solid emotional foundation that allowed Ralph Nader to become Ralph Nader. The book isn't just about the Nader family. Rather, though the autobiographical process, Nader extols the timeless virtues of family, hard work, civic engagement, and the power of love.
Full disclosure: I have co-authored 4 books with Nader and consider him a close friend. My relationship with Nader, I think, gives me some insight into how good this book really is. For those who want to see what he is like when the klieg lights are off and the cameras aren't rolling, this book comes as close as anything I have seen. (My only regret is that it doesn't adequtely reflect his sharp sense of humor.)
Agree or disagree with Nader, love or hate him, The Seventeen Traditions is a must read for young and old alike. I think it is especially suitable for young people as a tool to validate the importance of idealism and selfless service.
Book Review: A Gift to Newlyweds of Decency and Traditional Values
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an absolute gem of a book, and the PERFECT GIFT for newlyweds.
I read it in an afternoon, and I confess to it's being a long afternoon of nagging dismay, as I reflected on how many of these lessons we have not taught our three cyber-era teenagers.
The seventeen lessons cover listening, family table, health, history, scarcity, equality, education, discipline, simple enjoyments, reciprocity, independent thinking, charity, work, business, patriotism, solitude, and civics.
While very heavily leavened with autobiographical reflections, this absolutely beautiful, moral, intelligent, well-written book is a gift to us all. For many of us it is too late--if I were starting over my kids would be banned from computers much of the time, and I would have refused the grandparents gifts of a personal TV to each child.
Bottom line: this is a keep-sake book with an enormous amount of common sense and tranditional values with none of the pontifical sanctimony usually found in such books. This is a first rate piece of work and reflection, ably presented in elegant language, and the absolutely perfect gift for all newlyweds you know. Buy ten copies. This kind of decency does not come available very often.
Book Review: Nader's World
Summary: 5 Stars
Before fast food, fast commuting, IM-ing and countless other electronic distractions, there was Nader's World. He grew up in a little town in northwest Connecticut, where traditions were passed down, people listened to each other, families not only ate dinner together but enjoyed one another's company afterward, the sidewalks were in greater use, hitchhiking was safe, and public service was honorable. This reflection by Ralph Nader explains the roots of his passions: independent thinking, involvement in civic affairs, and insistence on fairness and social justice. He was raised in a loving, nurturing family, where his parents taught by example and used proverbs and Socratic questioning to stimulate the intellectual curiosity of Nader and his siblings.
In contrast to his more cerebral writing, this book is quite readable. I read the whole thing in a couple of hours this Labor Day. Its format is inspirational - albeit with some Tuesday's-with-Morrie-like schmaltz along with Emersonian wisdom - touching emotional chords and revealing a side of Ralph Nader that political pundits often miss.
Book Review: Refreshing 10 star read.....
Summary: 5 Stars
Must read for anyone who is seriously interested in the man and how he became such a great man, even with all the challenges auto makers and others gave him. Having read about his Mothers cooking in the past I knew he came from a great family with ethical beliefs that were far from the me me me mentality so many Americans came and come from.
Appreciate his views on Patriotism in a time when putting a flag on the front porch or lapel passes for patriotism when in fact as he notes so eloquently it requires something called sacrifice starting at the local level.
And solitude. In an era when it seems most kids cant live without text messaging or some computer on when they aren't sleeping, it was so refreshing to read that Mr Naders family was like ours when it comes to appreciating silence and things like reading or playing outside.
And independent thinking which is what makes a leader not a follower, and the fact the being independent thinking may be hard at times, but not when one considers the big picture. Makes one wish he would run for President again......