Join the Latina Book Club this week as we feature books with
strong, courageous mothers.
And remember our Book of the Month,
THE CRUEL COUNTRY, another tale of the power of a mother's love.
Happy
Reading. Happy Mother's Week.
"Learn from your parents if they are still
alive. They know you best and will give
you the best advice based on the mistakes they’ve made in their own lives.
Listen to them with respect; they know what they’re talking about.” -- Judith
Valles
As
we celebrate Mothers this week, we came across this powerful tribute to a
mother. AS MY MOTHER WOULD SAY: COMO
DECIA MI MAMA is a short, funny, wise 37-page book full of "dichos"
-- sayings, phrases that former San Bernadino Mayor Judith Valles collected
from her mother and used in her personal and professional life, and which she
gladly shares with other family members, friends, colleagues, and now with us
readers.
BOOK
SUMMARY: AS MY MOTHER WOULD SAY is
about being raised in a conservative Mexican Family that valued the traditions
and sayings of Mexico. The proverbs or "dichos" were a daily dose of
teachings from Valles mother. The family
believed their mother made them up as situations arose and it was not until
they began using the dichos as adults, that other people they met from Mexico
could relate, laugh and say "my grandma used to say that." These dichos are not so common anymore among
young Mexican families, and at the request of many of her colleagues, co
workers and students over the years to write about these sayings, Valles decided
to do so. While some of these dichos may not be sophisticated, profound, and
intellectual, they are amazingly cogent. They have been invaluable to Valles in
developing my style in management and leadership.#
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR: Judith Valles, 81, has three
children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She became the first Latina president of a
university or college in the state of California in 1988 when she presided over
Valley College. She was also Mayor of
San Bernardino from 1998-2006 and the first female Hispanic mayor of any city
in the United States with a population of more than 100,000. She has retired
several times but has not been successful at it. She has been consulting and
often called upon to be a speaker at different conferences She lives in San
Bernardino, California, her hometown.
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