Today a low-profile, mostly Asian and Latino suburb of more than 87,000 people, Alhambra, along with nearby San Gabriel, provided a home -- though not always a happy one -- for Dorothy Howell from the ages of 8 to 18. The stories she would tell her daughter about those difficult times in Depression-era Los Angeles County would help inspire Clinton's interest in public service.
"Learning about my mother's childhood sparked my strong conviction that every child deserves a chance to live up to her God-given potential and that we should never quit on any child," Clinton wrote in the 2006 edition of her book "It Takes a Village."
Cynics will point to Hillary mining her mother for more political storylines perfect for these sorts of stories, but I think, and maybe I've had too much Easter candy to think clearly, that we all have stories that sound American. Because we are, aren't we. We all have our character building crap that, if told well, can inspire others and if not told at all, inspires only us. Or should. Because the alternative is defeat.
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