Perdita Huston's new thought-provoking book offers an informed
response to the policy makers and media pundits who have joined
forces to bemoan the "decline of the family." Huston's fresh
perspective-gained from several decades of working directly
with families around the world-leads her to conclude that
while the changes in families "may look like breakdown to
those facing backwards, it looks like renovation to those
facing the future."
Like the works of Studs Terkel, Families As We Are has at its core the words and
ideas of ordinary people. Huston spent more than four years interviewing three and
four generations of families of all socioeconomic backgrounds in eleven countries:
Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, El Salvador, Japan, Jordan, Mali, Thailand, Uganda,
and the United States. "Once again Perdita Huston has helped people speak for themselves.
This time she has brought us proof that the value of kinship bonds and the dream of
loving families are strong and enduring across continents, cultures and generations, "
declared Dr. Dorothy Height, director of the National Council of Negro Women.
|
