Hightower Lowdown

My father taught me about progressive values. Not by sitting me down to explain them, but by living them. He never called himself progressive, and actually thought of himself as conservative, but he had a strong faith in common folks, a populist distrust of big business and autocratic government, a deep belief in economic fairness, and a commitment to the notion of the common good. He summed up his political philosophy one day when he said to me, "Everybody does better when everybody does better."

I'm floating back to memories of my upbringing because of a short book I've just read about family values. Not the heavily publicized version that the right wing has used to try to divide America, but the real thing, the uniting values we learn as children. This book is called The Seventeen Traditions, and it's by Ralph Nader.

Nader has written many powerful books, but I think this little volume of 150 pages is his biggest book. It's about Ralph's personal reminiscences and appreciation of growing up in a small Connecticut town as a son of Lebanese immigrants, Nathra and Rose Nader. He says that he's often asked what forces shaped him, and his short answer is, "I had a lucky choice of parents."

This book confirms that response, offering rich vignettes organized around 17 traditions that Ralph's family maintained, including the family table, education and argument, simple enjoyments, independent thinking, patriotism, and civics. Nader's purpose is to inspire readers to reflect on and connect with the traditions of their own families, but his book also provides an opportunity to learn more about an extraordinary American.