Families As We Are a book by Perdita Huston

Press Advisory

Event to Celebrate Publication of Families As We Are New Book Documents the Changing Face of Families Worldwide

WHAT:

A Reception to Celebrate the Publishing of Families As We Are, Conversations from Around the World, by Perdita Huston, with a foreword by Richard C. Holbrooke

WHEN:

5:00 - 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 12, 2001

WHERE:

Sewall-Belmont House
144 Constitution Avenue, NE, Washington, DC

WHO:

Perdita Huston will be speaking about her new book at a reception presented by the Sewall-Belmont House and sponsored by Timothy Wirth (The UN Foundation), Vicki Sant (Summit Foundation), Peggy Curlin (Centre for Development and Population Activities), Amy Coen (Population Action International), Catherine Cameron (Wallace Global Fund), Henryck Sokalski (Former UN Coordinator, International Year of the Family - 1994), and Jean Casella (The Feminist Press).

About the book:

The changes underway in families around the world are far from a "breakdown" of traditional values, but a "renovation" of an institution that constantly adapts to varying social and economic conditions, according to Perdita Huston, author of Families As We Are, Conversations from Around the World, being published on June 10 by the Feminist Press at CUNY.

Noting the influence of democratic and egalitarian ideals on families from vastly different cultures and countries, Ms. Huston says, "The lament over lost family values is essentially a desire to return to a different time, when family and societal structures were rigid and clear. This is neither possible nor desirable."

At the heart of Ms. Huston's book are conversations with dozens of families, spanning three and four generations, from 11 countries, including Bangladesh, Brazil, Japan, Uganda and the United States. Together, their narratives illustrate the confusion and the resilience of families of various forms confronted by the electronic age and an increasingly integrated, global economy.

For information or to RSVP, contact:

Anna Ekindjian - 202-463-0180
Lisa London (Feminist Press) - 212-817-7916
Sally Ethelston - 202-557-3418
Patricia Sears - 202-939-2674

"This time [Perdita Huston] has brought us proof that the value of kinship bonds and the dram of loving families are strong and enduring across continents, cultures, and generations."

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