Two romantically involved, but broke teenagers are caught up trying to catch a possible pervert in their town for the reward money. Their reasons for helping change drastically when a local youngster is actually missing. Madison wants to start 4-H in the fall with a calf. She needs to earn the money to buy it. How the teens share their discoveries and keep on the pervert's trail is lively entertainment. Living on the edge of the Ozark Mountains in a small town, things like this kid napping just didn't happen, until now. The story is warm within the bounds of families then kicks into fast action for young readers.

Praise for Prodigal Sons & Material Girls

"Nathan Dungan’s book is for every parent, regardless of wealth or status–it will be the go-to book for a good long time. Its messages about money and values are timeless, and right on time."
–Harvey MacKay
Bestselling author of Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive
and Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty, among other titles

"For harassed parents and manipulated children, Nathan Dungan’s book provides a powerful protective shield. I especially appreciated his ‘Share-Save-Spend’ approach, with its emphasis on teaching children the importance of sharing with those less fortunate. It’s a lesson that can help all of us, not only our children, live within our means and make the world a better place."
–John de Graaf
coauthor, Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic
coproducer of the PBS Affluenza series

"Nathan Dungan has written a gem. He explains in a clear and engaging way how Madison Avenue has our kids in their cross hairs. What’s even better though is that he gives sound and practical advice about what we can do about it. I urge everyone who cares about kids to read this book."
–David Walsh, PhD
President, National Institute on Media and the Family

"Nathan Dungan exposes the culture of spending that victimizes our children and young people. Nathan helps us learn to lead the young people we care about toward more satisfying values and behaviors. Parents, grandparents, and mentors to the next generation will find this book a must."
–Rev. Loren B. Mead
Founding President, The Alban Institute

"Prodigal Sons and Material Girls is a wake-up call to one of the biggest problems facing kids today: the inability to deal responsibly with money. Mr. Dungan’s practical advice is to reorder our financial priorities . . . to share first, save next, and spend later . . . and then to pass these values on to our children. Only by doing so will we successfully defeat the three-headed monster of consumer products companies, media conglomerates, and advertising agencies."
–Bruce Nicholson
President and CEO, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

A portion of the author’s proceeds will be donated to charitable causes.

In the tradition of "Blow" and "Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, The Last Pirate" is a vivid, haunting and often hilarious memoir recounting the life of Big Tony, a family man who joined the biggest pot ring of the Reagan era and exploded his life in the process. Three decades later, his son came back to put together the pieces.
As he relates his father's rise from hey-man hippie dealer to multi-ton smuggler extraordinaire, Tony Dokoupil tells the larger history of marijuana and untangles the controversies still stirring furious debate today. He blends superb reportage with searing personal memories, presenting a probing chronicle of pot-smoking, drug-taking America from the perspective of the generation that grew up in the aftermath of the Great Stoned Age. Back then, everyone knew a drug dealer. "The Last Pirate" is the story of what happened to one of them, to his family, and in a pharmacological sense, to us all.
"The Last Pirate" is a cultural portrait of marijuana's endless allure set against the Technicolor backdrop of South Florida in the era of "Miami Vice." It's a public saga complete with a real pirate's booty: more than a million dollars lost, buried, or stolen--but it's also a deeply personal pursuit, the product of a son's determination to replant the family tree in richer soil.

"From the Hardcover edition."

As women continue to bear children, all parents should ask the following question: How can a woman fulfill her unique responsibility as mother to her child when prevailing parenting practices deny the importance of breastfeeding and maternal care?

Maternal care is now thought to be impractical and a luxury for those who can afford it. Thus, many women need to defend their right and responsibility to care for even the youngest of babies.

Dr. Kawasaki, a pediatrician and stay-at-home mother of two, asserts in "Mothering with Breastfeeding and Maternal Care" that current attitudes toward mothering have not evolved naturally. Over the course of a century, child-rearing experts, sociologists, and feminists have made systematic efforts to undermine the importance of a woman's role in the home.

Dr. Kawasaki offers compelling reasons for parents to think seriously about the unique role women play in their children's lives, particularly in early childhood. She argues that the priceless benefits of breastfeeding and hands-on maternal care help to ensure the optimal growth and development of young babies and children.

The most important thing you can do is become a better dad.

Hey, dad.
(Or soon-to-be dad.)
We get it.
You’re busy. You’re distracted. You’re under pressure.
But you do love your kids more than anything.
You want them to have really good lives.
You’re doing the best you can.
But you know what, you can do better.
The ideas in this book can help.
Try two or three or five and you’ll be a better dad.
Maybe a whole lot better.
So turn the page, dad.
You’re in.
You just made a big commitment.
1 hour.

When we found out we were pregnant, we were ecstatic. After what seemed to be progressing as a normal pregnancy, crisis ensued. Being new parents to a micro-preemie, we searched libraries and had difficulty finding personal stories we could look to for inspiration. After fielding multiple calls from the hospital and our doctors' offices, we decided to share our NICU journey and experiences with families who find themselves in a similar situation.