Comments

"Families around the world are adapting to different contexts and pressures: the growing awareness by women of their individual rights and the powerful contribution they can make in their communities, the erosion of traditional supports and economic pressures such as urbanization and migration. The changing pattern of family life which emerges is a topic which has profound human rights implications for all, especially women and children. Ms Huston's examination of the issues involved has been supported by member agencies of the United Nations family, reflecting the importance the UN attaches to research into the ever evolving patterns of human behaviour. Her book will help us to respond positively to changes in family life. It makes the case for strengthening universal human rights all the more compelling."

Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

"Perdita Huston is renowned for giving voice to the voiceless; in Third World Women Speak Out and Motherhood by Choice, she sensitively elicited the words, realities, and insights of diverse women and contextualized them with a rare balance of empathy and superb scholarship. Now she does the same groundbreaking work with family members, in a book that should be read by everyone who cares how people live today, with whom, and why. Since the family is a microcosm of the state, it's impossible to exaggerate the importance of this work and the major impact it will have, on individual opinions and on public policy. But this is also a fascinating book that will make you laugh and cry in recognition, a story of your relativity and mine, the true story of the human family."

Robin Morgan, Poet and author

"If we are to understand the multiple forces that shape and influence family life in the coming decades, Families As We Are, is an essential text. In the words of countless individuals in a range of cultural and economic settings, Perdita Huston has captured the transformations that shape the social environment in this era of globalization, mobility and democratization.

The diversity of family forms herein demonstrates that instead of speaking of the family in the singular, it is more appropriate to speak of 'families', once again illustrating that family forms have varied within regions and throughout history in accordance with changes in social, political and economic considerations. The families with which Huston speaks demonstrate the strength of family bonds that, coupled with caring and support, are shaping our future."

Henryck J. Sokalski, former United Nations Coordinator for
the International Year of the Family (1994)

"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."

Dr. Dorothy Height, Chair, National Council of Negro Women

"The world view of many North Americans is distorted by the preeminence of Europe. But in FAMILIES AS WE ARE, Perdita Huston rounds out our appreciation of multicultural contrasts as she brings the realities of globalization close to home. Her straightforward profiles of families facing change are grounded in Huston's years of frontline work in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Her interviews, while necessarily selective, show the honesty of real people confronting global forces which reach into the heart of their families and traditions. The journalist in Huston merges with the global insider to draw important insights from ordinary people we would never have the chance to meet. Through them she helps us to comprehend the multiplicity of family, its generational fault lines, its adaptations under duress, and its solidarity as a 21st Century institution. This book offers both activists and academics human entree into major questions imposed by globalization upon our common future."

Sarah Harder, President, National Peace Institute Foundation
former Vice President, International Association of University Women

"The words and voices of women in Families as We Are, are testimony to the transformation in women's lives over the past three generations. It is also makes visible the daily challenges with which women struggle, be it against violence or for the right to be heard. From the diversity of voices and experiences, come lessons of tolerance - our experiences are unique, but our aspirations are often shared. Perdita Huston reminds us of the power of speaking out, for others as well as ourselves."

Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director,
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)