Values from the Front Porch: Remembering the Wisdom of Our Grandmothers

We live in a time when violence erupts regularly at sporting venues, when “attitude” is considered cooler than politeness, when people don’t even wave at their neighbors. People today lack the manners and values that make families and relationships strong. We know it’s true. We see it at the malls, at restaurants, in business and on the dating scene.

Despite this bad news, a recent nationwide survey of college students revealed that 66 percent credit their values and problem-solving abilities to the teachings, modeling and support of their grandparents.

In her new book, Jane Middelton-Moz, a renowned community interventionist, explores 23 important and fundamental values through the central role that grandmothers have played in many cultures, that of handing down tradition and cultural values to the younger generations. Uplifting and hopeful, with moving anecdotes from people revealing what their grandmothers have taught them, Values From the Front Porch gives readers lessons they can incorporate in their own lives to create stronger and more joyful families and communities.

Key Features
Each chapter focuses on a particular value: a definition of that value, an anecdote from a grandmother relating to that teaching, and short exercises for strengthening that value in our daily lives. A brief epilogue will show how, through nurturing these values in our daily lives, we can become better, more fruitful members of our communities and the world at large.