THE BOOK OF VIRTUES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

A book with a mission—its purpose, in some people's minds, could not be more timely nor more necessary. Like former Secretary of Education Bennett's Book of Virtues (1993) for adults, this is a collection of short stories, poems, fables, and excerpts organized into ten chapters: Self-Discipline, Compassion, Responsibility, Friendship, Work, Courage, Perseverance, Honesty, Loyalty, and Faith. Each begins with a brief essay; these are sharp and to the point. Most of the entries, from a wide variety of cultures and eras, have a sentence or two of nonprovincial context to make the link to the featured virtue. The selections are compelling and appropriate, by contributors ranging from the well known to the obscure. This is not a book to hand to children to read through by themselves, but for sharing in short spans with a thoughtful adult. Along with other readings, from the concurrent to the adverse, it could serve as a basis for an ongoing series of discussions among families or in classrooms. The virtues espoused, assumed to be objective categories rooted in common sense and in universal moral imperatives, are as perennial as the grass, and even if they have become buzzwords in today's political climate, the book is not just for the ethically challenged. (Anthology. 11-13)