National Nurses United

politicians and even presidential administrations in fighting for the public interest. But as the movements faded, both Republicans and Democrats stopped feeling pressure to respond to the needs of citizens. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, neither major party was representing the public interest well. In one clip, we see Democratic politicians holding a conference to convince business leaders that they are the party of profits and productivity—and just as entitled to corporate donations as their Republican colleagues. As he watched one after another of the civic and consumer protections he had fought for be stripped away, Nader came to the conclusion that "partnering" with politicians meant "partnering" with their donors—corporate sponsors that were fighting an all-out war against unions, consumer rights, and the public sector. It is this realization—that we cannot depend on corporate-sponsored politicians to defend us—that led Nader, and should lead all of us, to one conclusion: We need to stand together to fight a system that has failed us. Nurses in California and around the country have been doing this for years. It was not a partnership that won staffing ratios in California; it was a full-fledged battle against the interests of market-based healthcare. And like Nader, nurses have made more than a few enemies along the way. As elected officials and their corporate sponsors attack nurses and patients in California, in Cook County, Ill., in Texas, and all around the nation, we can learn a lot from the man who has fought alongside RNs for decades to improve conditions and access to care. Nader, as this film demonstrates, could not have succeeded in legislating change without a movement leading the way. That fact has never stopped him from fighting to protect patients and citizens. We need people like Ralph Nader, and Ralph Nader needs people like nurses to make the world a better place. —adrienne pine Nader Family Values everal decades ago, Nathra Nader turned to his youngest child and said, "Imagine what a bargain books are for readers. . .the author spends months or years writing a book. You reap the benefit of all that effort in just a few hours." Lessons and reflections such as this left deep impressions on Nathra Nader's son, who would later grow up and make a name for himself as Ralph Nader. In his latest book offering, The Seventeen Traditions, Nader shares with readers the benefits of not just months or years, but rather lifetimes and generations of thought, wisdom, and tradition. The lessons learned by the young Nader, and in turn by his readers, are a series of cultural and moral values from both his parents' native Lebanon and their adopted homeland of America, filtered through the lens of Nader's idyllic childhood. This is a great book for a rainy day on the couch, or a leisurely picnic on a sunny day. In S APRIL 2007 contrast to the dense work we have come to expect from Nader, The Seventeen Traditions is flowing, engaging, and quick to read. Yet each chapter, or "tradition," provides much to be pondered long after the book has been set down. At once a nostalgic memoir, a paean to his parents, and a lamentation of the electronic appropriation of cultural and personal exchanges, The Seventeen Traditions lays out a loose set of principles upon which Nader felt his parents molded his character and that of his siblings. For example, in the chapter titled "The Tradition of Listening," Nader describes how his parents equated listening with learning. By nurturing his ability to listen to his family, his peers, and others around him, Nader developed the skills that would later make him such an effective public figure. He describes hours spent listening to strangers describing their lives and their work, and how it helped him paint a more complete W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G picture of America and the many different people who are its citizens. Far from being preachy, boastful, or overly didactic, Nader's traditions show a deep respect for his parents Rose and Nathra. More than anything, this is a love letter from a thankful son to his hard-working family for the spiritual and intellectual gifts they bestowed upon him as a child. Readers gain insight into how a unique public figure was forged, and are in turn encouraged to reflect on how their own lives were shaped by the influence of their families and those families' traditions. More than that, however, The Seventeen Traditions prompts the reader to find family among friends, and to create new traditions based on respect, trust, and the common good. In this sense, Nader has written a book that not only serves as a memoir but brings the reader into the rich folds of his own traditions, simultaneously memorializing his family and expanding it. Make no mistake—The Seventeen Traditions may be light and concise at a mere 150 pages, but it packs some powerful thoughts. As far as books being bargains, this is about as good a bargain as can be had. —erika larson REGISTERED NURSE 9

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