Throughout her lifetime, author Rena Tieser was subjected to prejudice and bias as a woman, an Italian, and a Roman Catholic. In You Have to Be Carefully Taught , she shares her experiences and discusses how these trials helped her develop an abundance of inner strength. In this memoir, Tieser narrates her story against the backdrop of the discrimination she bore firsthand. Beginning with her birth in 1927 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; to her childhood and school years; to high school and college; and to marriage and family, You Have to Be Carefully Taught describes what it was like to be judged based on her gender, religion, and heritage. Tieser tells how her life revolved around significant incidents of prejudice and how she overcame the obstacles. It shows how this shaped her life, attitude, dreams, and goals. You Have to Be Carefully Taught communicates the downfalls of judging one another and encourages a spirit of tolerance in all to be better people.