The twelve contemporary fiction writers interviewed in Passion and Craft go beyond the merely autobiographical, revealing that, despite their differences, they share passionate devotion and discipline for their craft. Included are Richard Ford, winner in 1995 of both the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award; Gina Berriault, 1997 winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award; Bobbie Ann Mason; T. Coraghessan Boyle; Rick Bass; Leonard Michaels; Christopher Tilghman; Thom Jones; Julia Alvarez; Andre Dubus; Jayne Anne Phillips; and Tobias Wolff. Their comments will interest readers devoted to their novels and stories, other writers, and aspiring writers.

There is a toxic pop culture abroad in the world that teaches children that: Sex is sport. Drugs and drunkenness are cool. Violence and Death is entertaining. We see this toxic culture in the movies, on television, in video games. We hear it praised in music and see it lived out in the lives of Hollywood Stars. We also see it in the news broadcasts as they cover massacres like Colombine and Sandy Hook. It is spread through social media websites like Facebook and Twitter. This "toxic culture" is most appealing to the very young... to our children. Young people who don't have the maturity and life experience to separate fact from fiction. We have attempted to counteract this Culture Of Evil with programs in the schools like sex education, drug education, and violence prevention. We have placed police officers (SRO"s) on many school campuses. As this goes to press, we are seriously discussing arming the administrators and teachers. A number of years ago now, Bill Oliver and his wife walked their fifteen year old daughter into the lobby of a drug treatment program. "Walked her" is really an understatement... "dragged her" is more accurate. Bill and Vicky looked around that lobby and the school was not there. The Church was not there. The Counselors were not there. It was at that moment on that day that they both realized that their family was their daughter's best hope. It had to work. Like Apollo 13, failure was not an option. Because Bill's background was training, he developed a Drug Prevention Training Program for parents. It was called "Parent To Parent" and it became the gold standard for public and private schools, neighborhood parent groups and churches literally around the world. It carried him to the White House, Governor's Mansions, and Corporations like Motorola, Texas Instruments, Burlington Northern Railroad, as well as the US Military. It took him to Canada, The Caymen Islands, Germany, Sweden. It was taught in Australia, Beleze, Bermuda, Ireland, and many other countries. This book, Raising Teens In A Toxic Culture, is the culmination of Forty Years work in helping parents counter the Toxic Culture's attack on their families. Much of it follows the basic outline and content of his Parent To Parent Program. It is direct, practical, and is an "easy read." It cuts no corners and pulls no punches. You will want to pass it on to friends and family alike. It answers such questions as What Can I Do... How Would I Know... What If They Ask... How Can I Prevent... What About The Internet... What About Video Games... How Much Should I Trust... How Do I Set Consequences... What Tools Are Available To Help... What Pitfalls Do Parents Encounter... When Do Kids... Where Do Kids... What About Single Parents... Bill believes that there are two kinds of parents: Those who raise their kids consciously. These parents plan. Those who raise their kids unconsciously. These parents react. This book is designed to produce conscious parents... those who know... and who know that they know. While it will help all parents, it is a MUST READ for Middle School Parents and younger. Schools cannot raise kids. Parents can. Conscious parents will.