The Book of Virtues: 30th Anniversary Edition - by William J Bennett & Elayne Glover Bennett (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Help your children develop moral character with this updated, 30th anniversary edition of the perennial classic The Book of Virtues.

Almost 3 million copies of the Book of Virtues have been sold since it was published in 1993. It is one of the most popular moral primers ever written, an inspiring anthology that helps children understand and develop character--and helps parents teach it to them. Thirty years ago, readers thought that the times were right for a book about moral literacy. Back then, Americans worried that schools were no longer parents' allies in teaching good character. As the book's original introduction noted, "moral anchors and moorings have never been more necessary." If that was true in the 1990s, it is even more true today. The explosion of information with the Internet has left many unsure of what is valuable and what is not.

Responsibility. Courage. Compassion. Loyalty. Honesty. Friendship. Persistence. Hard work. Self-discipline. Faith. These remain the essentials of good character. The Book of Virtues contains hundreds of exemplary stories offering children examples of good and bad, right and wrong. Drawing on the Bible, American history, Greek mythology, English poetry, fairy tales, and modern fiction, William J. and Elayne Bennett show children the many virtuous paths they can follow--and the ones they ought to avoid. For the 30th anniversary edition, the Bennetts have slimmed down the book's contents, while also finding room to introduce such figures as Mother Teresa, Colin Powell, and heroes of 9/11 and the War in Afghanistan. Here is a rich mine of moral literacy to teach a new generation of children about American culture, history, and traditions--ultimately, the ideals by which we wish to live our lives. The updated edition of The Book of Virtues will continue a legacy of raising moral children far into a new century.

Review Quotes

"The Book of Virtues touches the heart--and thereby helps shape the mind. It contains many of the heroic and moral tales that over the years I have grown to love, as well as a great many more that I was delighted to discover for the first time. This is an uplifting and diverting book. Parents will buy it to read to their children and find themselves dipping into it out of pure pleasure." --Margaret Thatcher

About the Author

Dr. William J. Bennett is one of America's most influential and respected voices on cultural, political, and educational issues. Host of The Bill Bennett Show podcast, he is also the Washington Fellow of the American Strategy Group. He is the author and editor of more than twenty-five books. Dr. Bennett served as the secretary of education and chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities under President Ronald Reagan and as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President George Herbert Walker Bush.

Elayne Glover Bennett is the founder and president of the Best Friends Foundation and the author of a model curriculum that tar-gets bullying, drug abuse, and violence prevention through a model character development curriculum for elementary, middle, and high school students. She is currently in her thirty-fifth year of teaching this curriculum, which has been delivered to thousands of public school students in Washington, DC, and across the nation. She is the author of Daughters in Danger: Helping Girls Thrive in Today's Culture.