Family Wisdom - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 023110376X ISBN 13: 9780231103763

Publisher: Columbia University Press, 1996

Synopsis

Compiles two thousand of the most perceptive, humorous, and helpful remarks on family life from around the world and across the ages, treating such subjects as when children leave home, working mothers, the relationship of mother and son, and domesticity. UP.

About this title

From the Back Cover

In this first collection of its kind, philosophers, poets, novelists, psychologists, and child development experts speak out on the role of the family in society, on life passages such as marriage and the birth of children, and on family connections: husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, children and grandparents. A wealth of authoritative voices provide needed perspective - and invaluable counsel - on coping with issues such as violence in the media, stepparenting, divorce, and balancing the demands of jobs and personal lives. Family Wisdom spans centuries and cultures, offering 2,000 perceptive, insightful, and helpful quotations and proverbs that encompass a rich spectrum of reflections on all aspects of family life.

From Booklist

This offering, compiled by the editor of the monthly newsletter "Work and Family Life," includes quotations reflecting on all aspects of the American family. Selections are arbitrarily grouped into one of four broad categories: "Everyday Living," "Family Relationships," "Ages and Stages of Life," or "The Family in Society." Each one of these main categories is then broken down into several specific topics, featuring a number of appropriate quotations on subjects such as bedtime, values, birth order, siblings, new parents, rushed children, and so on. Selections range from the familiar ("It's 10 p.m. Do you know where your children are?," U.S. Public Service Announcement), to those often found in other compilations ("I have come, Sire, to complain of one of your subjects who has been so audacious as to kick me in the belly," Marie Antoinette, as quoted in The Mother Book by Liz Smith, Doubleday, 1978), to modern observations ("The fundamental job of a toddler is to rule the universe," as quoted by Lawrence Kutner in Toddlers and Preschoolers, 1994). Contributors represent various time periods and cultures: Confucius, Kahlil Gibran, Victor Hugo, Dr. Spock, Judith Viorst, Mr. Rogers, etc. A short biographical statement follows each quotation, helping place the contributor in the proper context. Proverbs, lullabies, and slogans ("Have you hugged your child today?") are also included.

Although this book will appeal to browsers, it presents some problems as a reference tool. There is no keyword index, and the index by contributors does not provide page numbers for quotations. Instead, Roman numerals indicate one of the four main sections, then the subheading is identified, then the number of the quotation within that section. The running heads do not indicate the main section, which slows down the search process.

This collection will complement the more narrowly focused Reflections on Childhood: A Quotations Dictionary (ABC-Clio, 1991). Most public libraries will want a copy for the circulating collection.

About this edition

• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 023110376X
• ISBN 13: 9780231103763
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Ginsberg Susan