A beautiful gift edition of the number one New York Times bestseller—from the founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund.
"I recommend The Measure of Our Success to everyone concerned about the future of our children." —Bill Cosby
"In this provocative, slim volume, Edelman shares with us her strong beliefs on child rearing and moral values, which grew out of her rural South Carolina childhood and her years of public service. She includes a personal letter to her three sons, who were born into a family with a shared African American and Jewish heritage, and offers 25 lessons, or 'road maps,' for life. Citing statistics on the tragic state of this nation's poor and neglected children, Edelman admonishes all of us to become aware of the mounting crisis facing our children, families, and nation. So what is the measure of our success? According to Edelman, it is 'hard work, initiative, and persistence' and being 'decent and fair.' This is a profound and moving book. Highly recommended for all collections." —Library Journal
"A celebration of the family, a benediction to the young, and an invocation to the nation's conscience." —Jonathan Kozol
"Every parent and every child should read this book to each other." —T. Berry Brazleton, M.D.A
"To help parents chart a course for their children based on traditional values—self-reliance, family, hard work, justice, the pursuit of knowledge and of brotherhood—Edelman, founder and president of the Childrens Defense Fund, effectively recounts her experience and vision in essays variously addressed to her own children, to all children and to parents. Edelman, who grew up in the segregated South and was the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi bar, recalls the community of her childhood where one child's accomplishments gave joy to all, where neighbors took care of each other and where parents instilled a sense of responsibility in their offspring. In the introduction the author's son Jonah examines the value and pressure of being raised by an African American mother and a Jewish father." —Publishers Weekly