The last few years have been really tough, causing many of us to ponder who we are and what our life priorities should be. On a personal level, we have been forced to weigh balancing work and family. On a national level, we are subjected to increasingly acerbic debate about who we are as Americans, and what our national priorities should be.
Since co-authoring American Ways: An Introduction to American Culture, I have given a lot of thought to American values. First published in 1984 as an English as a Second Language reading textbook, and now in its 4th edition, American Ways are designed to help non-natives understand what makes Americans tick.
My dear husband George has been after me for over 30 years to write a non-textbook version specifically for Americans, and this is it: Making Sausage: Our Unique American Values at Work.
The purpose of this book is to remind us of what makes us “Americans”—our unique cultural values—where they came from, how they developed, and what has been their impact on our lives.