Praise for the book

You Are Your Own Best Teacher!, Claire Nader’s guide for the young and their families, deserves an honored place in every household. Her voice is one of compassion and experience, her words serve as a knowledgeable antidote for the conflicting swirl of our troubled times.

PATTI SMITH

Claire Nader addresses her book to ‘tweens and argues that they should see themselves as change agents. But Nader is too modest: You Are Your Own Best Teacher is for a family sit-down. Across the generations, we must be more curious about who controls our media, climate, food, and politics. What is keeping us back from confidence in our ability to act? We are at a break-the-glass moment. This is a necessary conversation..

Sherry Turkle, Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology, MIT

Claire Nader has written an engaging book about the need for children to allow themselves the freedom to see the world with fresh,wide-open eyes and to ask the candid and irreverent questions that journalists too seldom dare to ask in their interviews with potentates and powers. It lovingly reminds them of their right to speak without self-censorship and to ‘open their own doors and windows’ to see beyond the narrow range of official verities too frequently promoted and rigidified within the nation’s schools.

JONATHAN KOZOL, author of Death At An Early Age and Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools

Should we be surprised that young people, such as Greta Thunberg, Leah Namugerwa, and Jamie Margolin sparked the largest climate demonstrations in history? No, says Claire Nader, who in this engaging, surprising, and wise book, explains why young people are so often moral beacons and effective social actors. Highly recommended to help tweens develop their natural leadership abilities, and for we adults too, to remember who we were at that age.

JULIET SCHOR, Professor of Sociology at Boston College, author of Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child
and the New Consumer Culture

In this unique volume, Claire Nader speaks to the next generation, the leaders who will be. In Indigenous thinking there is a clear mandate to raise leaders, and not coddle the next generation, understanding that we must consider the impact of our decisions on the seven generations ahead—intergenerational responsibility. In times of chaos, Nader illuminates the power of youth, and their creative minds to challenge practices that most adults have accepted as a pre-ordained reality. She reminds her readers that the strongest skill in the face of these times lies with our youth change makers; and their access to imagination and creativity. Great changes are made when these innate gifts are combined with critical thinking and courage. Miigwech.

WINONA LADUKE, Executive Director, Honor the Earth

Claire Nader has issued a clarion call to our society’s youth to harness their imagination and follow their own path forward. You Are Your Own Best Teacher! is a bold, inspiring invitation to children to embrace inner strengths and forge the positive future the world so desperately needs.

AMY GOODMAN, Democracy Now!

If you are a tween or a family member seeking empowering ideas and inspiration in these tough times, Claire Nader’s book is for you. She reminds us of the power of tweens—those who develop questioning minds, character, courage and idealism— to change our world. Think Greta!

KATRINA VANDEN HEUVEL, Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

Claire Nader’s book will surprise and excite ‘tweens’ about
the power they have to make a difference in our corporate-
dominated world. But adult readers will also be awakened and
empowered by this beautifully crafted book. Her wisdom brings
a smile to your face and essential insight for these grim times.
You Are Your Own Best Teacher! is truly a book for all ages.

CHARLES DERBER, Professor of Sociology at Boston College and author of Corporation Nation and Welcome to the Revolution.

Claire Nader’s, You Are Your Own Best Teacher!, is a sage, inspiring, and illuminating book. Written in a conversational style and directed to tweens, the book is an especially valuable tool for parents and teachers who want to help children make smart choices that will equip them to lead satisfying, meaningful lives while growing up and as adult members of their communities.

NANCY NEWMAN, author, Raising Passionate Readers

The book highlights the importance of self-education on how to achieve ‘a life well-lived’ to arguably the most important generation of our times. The narrative style of the work has many sections, each of which provides important lessons. The book is exciting to read and I will recommend it to my ten- year-old grandson to stimulate his own critical thinking and self-education through concentration, imagination, curiosity, and empathy.

NICHOLAS A. ASHFORD, Professor of Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Claire Nader has written an inspirational book for young people that empowers this special age group to call on their creativity and moral sensibility to see—and change—the world around them. It is a welcome, loving antidote to the corporate and social-media forces that ‘sell’ young people as a product.

JANE HALL, Associate Professor, School of Communication, American University, Washington, DC

Tweens like to be included in the conversation, spoken to like adults. Nader does not talk down to them. She speaks to them as equals and reminds them of all the great things they can do now and in the future. She inspires them with amazing deeds that have been performed by kids their own age and goes on to open doors for them to be great themselves. This is not just a ‘How to’ book, it leads by example of others who have gone before and covers lots of territory: health, personal hygiene, history— ancestors, becoming an ancestor yourself, laws, justice, nature, animals, to mention a few. I was inspired to look up the famous quote from Margaret Mead which I will now misquote: ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed kids can change the world; it’s among the only things that ever have.

HELENE Z. HILL, PH.D., Professor Emerita, Radiation Biology, Rutgers University and Author

This work by Claire Nader is extraordinary. She comments on a myriad of issues in a way that children can understand. More importantly, she illuminates the misleading practices of adults and renders sage advice. She integrates contemporary and historical examples to make her points come alive. All in all, this book is full of wisdom—more than any other I have read in my 76 years on this earth. And it is written with subtle humor and the clever use of examples. I wish I could have read it to my two sons. None of us would fall asleep and all of us would grow wiser.

PROF. ROBERT C. FELLMETH, Price Professor of Public Interest Law, University of San Diego Law School, Executive Director of the Children’s Advocacy Institute

An important book that will stimulate today’s social media- saturated kids to put down their phones and realize that they can change the world now by harnessing their natural curiosity and imagination, and opening their minds to knowledge that cannot be learned in the classroom

RICHARD PANCHYK, author of 47 books, including Power to the People.