It Takes a Family

Book excerpt: Rick Santorum made his name in the 2012 presidential race with his principled conservatism. To understand Santorum’s worldview and vision for America, there is no better source than his New York Times bestselling book, It Takes a Family. It Takes a Family is one of the most profound and comprehensive books of political thought ever written by a politician. Santorum offers a penetrating look at the social, political, and economic shifts that have hurt American families—and a principled, genuinely conservative plan for reversing this slide. Here Santorum explains his core beliefs, laying out a humane vision that he believes must inform public policy if it is to be effective and just. Politicians of both parties, he shows, fail to address the way Americans truly live their lives: in families, neighborhoods, churches, and communities. It Takes a Family is animated by an appreciation for the civic bonds that unite a community—an appreciation that lies at the heart of genuine conservatism.