It All Starts at Home

I am always inspired and motivated to achieve more when I hear success stories of people (especially minorities) who come from impoverished backgrounds. The following article is about one such family who didn't use their situation as a crutch or excuse to become delinquents or take on roles society would expect them to have. I just might go out and buy the book to show my appreciation for this family overcoming the struggle. None of us should have excuses not to excel in every and any way we can, no matter our positions in life. We must fight to get what we feel/think/know we deserve!

(*Grammatical errors in the following article are not my own. You know I'm a stickler for grammar, but I do not want to touch another person's work without his/her permission.)

"It All Starts At Home: 15 Reasons to Put Families First"

Fayetteville, NC - "“It All Starts at Home: 15 Reasons to Put Family First" (Revell/Baker Publishing) a classic family and parenting book by Larry C. Harris, M.D. written with best-selling author Cecil Murphey, is just what the doctor ordered.


A tribute to Harris'’ parents, with help from his siblings, "“It All Starts at Home" tells the inspirational story of Fred and Ruth Harris, uneducated African-American's who had ten children born in the south before the Civil Rights movement took hold. Remarkably, instead of the children becoming a product of their society, school dropouts to become lifelong welfare recipients, they all became well-educated and successful citizens with values and life principles that shaped their lives and made them productive members of society.

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Resting on the simple concept the family comes first, "“It All Starts at Home"” incorporates 15 lessons the Harris'’ taught their children. These lessons were common sense child-rearing attributes empowered with great wisdom, much love, and strong discipline influenced their children for a lifetime. Lessons included: honor your name; because mom and dad lived what they taught, we had no trouble following; each child is responsible for the next younger child; always be willing to give to those who are less fortunate than you are, any honest job is good, no matter what it is; and we'’re as good as anybody else, no one is inferior.

"”My parents may have been uneducated, but that didn'’t stop them,"” states Larry Harris, M.D. "“Dad earned his GED while he was in the army. He also received his bachelor'’s degree in business, but only after all of us had gone through college. Mom, who had quit school in the eleventh grade, went back and graduated from high school. Later she completed a college course in business machines at a community college . . . none of us have ever been on drugs or alcohol, been arrested, or involved in any kind of behavior to bring reproach on the family. Whatever we'’ve amounted to in this life it'’s because our family wisely and lovingly taught us the right way to go."

The testimonies the family endured of prejudices and racism through the Civil Rights movement, the endless sacrifices Fred and Ruth Harris made for their children, the life lessons forever earned is forthcoming in "“It All Starts at Home." It impacted this family and is sure to impact others for years to come.

Foreword by Dr. Ben Carson, author of "“Gifted Hands"” and college roommate of Dr. Larry Harris.

ISBN#: 0-8007-5908-7
Publisher: Revell/Baker Books
Price: $12.99, paper
Pages: 224

www.itallstartsathome.com