The Whitest Wall (Bootleg Brothers) (Mom's Choice Awards Recipient) (Perfect Paperback)

~ (Author), Mac MacConnell (Editor), Joe Adams (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Whitest Wall by Jodee Kulp is a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award for Young Adult Fiction and Adult Ficition. The Mom's Choice Awards honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of the Mom's Choice Awards. Parents and educators look for the Mom s Choice Awards seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book/product has been honored by this distinguished award. --Mom's Choice Awards

What you don't know won't hurt you is a lie. A big lie. Knowledge is still power, and the power found in these pages is undeniable. When Jodee Kulp began to explain to the insidiousness of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome I did not get it. I could not sympathize. It was too much like an out of control virus that was taking over the world. But when I began reading the life stories of the characters in this book I became educated vicariously, even without knowing it. The strength of story could not be better illustrated than within these pages. Full, rich, deep personalities walk through your imagination as close as your own family as this epic-like volume clings to your heart. You will want to pick up the phone and call each one to say, "I'm right here, and I understand, or watch out." The identity of these characters becomes so personal you just know you are reading their memoirs. Fiction, as C.S. Lewis would say, adds to reality, not just describes it. It enriches daily life and irrigates the deserts of our lives. I found "Whitest Wall" so compelling I wanted to jump to the end, but so glad I didn't. Life is complex and lives are intertwined to a greater degree than we think. We tend to be myopic, critical, judgmental, and basically self-absorbed, or is that just me? Jodee Kulp is so adept at casting the players in Whitest Wall and so passionate a story teller you will look at your neighbor through different eyes than ever before. I believe there are many books in the book, I trust at least there are many more books coming from Jodee. --Mac McConnell

Product Description

What if a serial killer lived in your neighborhood and no one noticed? A grizzly murder in a small Midwestern town triggers a chain of events of hidden pasts and misconceptions. A young transient is arrested for a crime obvious to some he did not commit, while those in positions of power miss the signs. Hopefully the Bootleg Brothers Trilogy will provide compassion for persons affected by FASD and support for healthy future pregnancies. The Trilogy has been designed to build FASD awareness at a general public level by placing realistic characters with lives and voices in an understandable context. The first book The Whitest Wall (September 2008) is a journey of young adult male with FASD, the second book, Tiger Butterfly (September 2009) is the journey of a young adult female with FASD and the final book Different Beat (September 2010) is the journey of a professionally skilled family (psychologist and child development specialist) struggling to raise a baby born with FASD.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Better Endings New Beginnings; 1st edition (September 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963707264
• ISBN-13: 978-0963707260
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,288,050 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling mystery of small town America, April 12, 2009

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Your next door neighbor may be a psychopathic killer and you may not even know it. "The Whitest Wall" is the first book in the Bootleg Brothers trilogy, and follows a murder that has rocked a small Midwestern town with wrongful accusations. Someone has to set all of this right before Justice is unjustly dealt to someone who doesn't deserve it. A thrilling mystery of small town America, "The Whitest Wall" is sure to keep the pages turning.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hard Wall To Hit, February 9, 2009

By	Dee Marie (New York) - See all my reviews

"The Whitest Wall" (the first book in Jodee Kulp's Bootleg Brothers series), is a well-written body of work, yet, a very "hard" read on many levels. Jodee has a very avant-garde writing style. While her writing is inimitable...on the cutting-edge...it can also take a few chapters to find "the rhythm" in her words.

The novel's true uniqueness, however, is attributed more to the story's substance than to its style. Through her Bootleg Brother's series, Jodee is dedicated to bringing an understanding of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder to the masses.

The main force driving the action stems from a murder mystery and the innocent man charged with the crime...mirroring the tragedy befalling innocent victims with FASD. Several of Jodee's main characters are afflicted with FASD. Those characters not directly affected with the disorder, are touched by the lives of those who are.

If you are looking for a quick read, with a happy-ending, this is not the book for you. "The Whitest Wall" is a story that demands your full attention, but well worth the wild ride that it takes the reader on.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Everyone, September 4, 2008

By	Glenys DiLissio (New Bloomfield, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This a must read book for everyone as it's a topic that has been in the closet for too long. Having compiled many books and other video resources on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder over the past 10 years, I added Jodee's newest fictional story focusing on FASD to the top of my list along her other educational books on the subject. This is a must read book for everyone because most of us probably know someone impacted by FASD even if we aren't really aware of the problem. Jodee's characters are real life. They made me laugh with them as well as cry, and I can relate to the many problems and situations described in the Whitest Wall as I have been employed in the drug and alcohol field for the past 25 years. FASD is an undiagnosed, underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed condition that has been ignored for too long by mental health, drug and alcohol, medical and educational fields and every other social service field. Jodee's book will open everyone's eyes that FASD is a very serious issue that we all need to become better educated about as well as develop services for those impacted by it.

Jodee, I can't wait until Book 2 comes out. Keep the faith.

Also recommended: Everyone also needs to read The Best I Can Be by Jodee and Liz Kulp as well as The Long Way to Simple by Stephen J. Neafcy.