It Takes a Village

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It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us is a book by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, and her ghostwriter Barbara Feinman, in which she presents her vision for the children of America. She focuses on the impact individuals and groups outside the family have, for better or worse, on a child's well-being, and advocates for a society which meets all a child's needs.

The book's title was taken from an old African proverb that "it takes a village to raise a child." The book became a New York Times best-seller in 1996. And, in 1997, she received a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for her audio recording of the book.

The book is made fun of in Tim Wilson's song "It Takes a Village to Raise a Nut".

In 2005, Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) wrote a rebuke to the book, It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good.

[edit] Excerpt

“CHILDREN are not rugged individualists. They depend on adults they know and on thousands more who make decisions every day that affect their well-being. All of us, whether we acknowledge it or not, are responsible for deciding whether our children are raised in a nation that doesn't just espouse family values but values families and children.”