What Mama Taught Me: The Seven Core Values of Life

"This book is inspired by Mama, an angel named Elizabeth Sanford, who saved my life, raised me, and instilled in me the core values that have guided me on my journey in the world," writes Tony Brown in his inspiring and empowering new book, What Mama Taught Me.

Millions of viewers of Tony Brown's Journal, the longest-running series on PBS, know Tony Brown as an advocate for self-reliance and self-enrichment. Now, in his most personal book yet, he introduces us to the woman who brought him up and taught him the seven core values he lives by to this day. He shows that if each person can learn these principles, he or she will be able to lead a prosperous, happy, and successful life. Written with Brown's signature strength and vitality -- and enhanced by the homespun storytelling he heard as a child -- What Mama Taught Me states that only by understanding one's place in the world can one become free in mind and spirit, which is the path to true success.

Brown argues that by following other people's rules, we betray ourselves and our desires, resulting in a vicious cycle of disconnection, unhappiness, and spiritual death. A distillation of the life lessons he learned in childhood, this book represents Brown's own personal recipe for achievement, values that provide a blueprint for reaching success and happiness -- on one's own terms.

Tony Brown hosts Tony Brown's Journal, the longest-running series on PBS. He is also the host of the radio call-in show Tony Brown on WLS-ABC Chicago, and is the author of Black Lies, White Lies and Empower the People. A sought-after speaker, he lives in New York City.