My Invisible World Uncovered by CNN

Morasha Winokur's new book, My Invisible World, my brother, his disability and his service dog opens up the doors of being a sibling. Written for elementary and middle schoolers - Eleven year old Morasha's book is a breath of fresh air!

Morasha's My Invisible World Wins Gold Award

A big congratulations to eleven-year-old Morasha Winokur for taking the action step to write a book, My Invisible World - Life with my brother, his disability and his service dog. Her book is for siblings and other family members of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Morasha won Gold for Outstanding Young Contributor by The Mom's Choice Awards. This is also an "excellent" book for middle school health classes. Way to go Morasha!

Congratulations Jodee Kulp

2009 4 Time Award Winner of Mom's Choice Awards

Winner Multicultual Fiction by Readers' View

The Whitest Wall by Jodee Kulp

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (1/09)

“The Whitest Wall” begins with the murder of a popular local man and the arrest of a transient. The transient obviously has some mental health issues, so we are left uncertain as to whether or not he really committed the crime. The story focuses on discovering his secrets and it also delves deeply into the lives of the people who are affected by this murder. Even if the individuals did not know the man killed, the situation opens up a lot of wounds and forces people to take looks at their own lives and events from their pasts. I found this aspect of the novel to be fascinating. So many internal issues are being brought to the present and dealt with. Some of these issues involve past childhood abuse, past and present racism, gang issues and the severely life altering affects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD).
The author Jodee Kulp does an incredible job of character development. She takes us into the minds and hearts of each of the people directly related to the story. She not only demonstrates how lives can be negatively affected by abuse and disrespect, she also demonstrates how people’s lives can be turned around with acceptance and friendship.
In the back of the book, she offers references and discussion topics regarding the story and FASD. I think that this material makes “The Whitest Wall” by Jodee Kulp an excellent choice for support groups dealing with this issue. It would also make good reading material for classes involving substance abuse. For myself, I just really enjoyed the story and look forward to the next two books that will follow in this series.

Check out the 2009 Winners
Multicultural
First The Oyster Cocktail, AuthorHouse Tomas Sancio
Second The Invincible Anita, iUniverse Lisa Lynn Ramos
Honorable Mention The Whitest Wall, Better Endings, New Beginnings Jodee Kulp

A Grand Slam of 2009 Gold for Mom's Choice Awards

Four awards seems unbelievable to me, but the emails kept coming announcing Best Fiction-Adult, Best Fiction-Young Adult, Best Non-Fiction-Adult and Best Young Author. Better Endings New Beginnings is excited to announce the following awards to build awareness of fetal alcohol spectrum dirorders (FASD).


The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) is an annual awards program that recognizes authors, inventors, companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media, products and services.

Parents, educators, librarians and retailers rely on MCA evaluations when selecting quality materials for children and families. The Mom’s Choice Awards® seal helps families and educators navigate the vast array of products and services and make informed decisions.

MCA judges are bound by a strict code of ethics which ensures expert and objective analysis free from any manufacturer association. The evaluation process uses a propriety methodology in which entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal and cost.

To be considered for an award, each entrant submits five identical samples of a product. Entries are matched to judges in the MCA database. Judges perform a thorough analysis and submit a detailed assessment. Results are compiled and submitted to the MCA Executive Committee for final approval. The end result is a list of the best in family-friendly media, products and services that parents and educators can feel confident in using.

2009 Gold Recipient: Fiction - Young Adult
2009 Gold Recipient: Fiction - Adult
The Whitest Wall:
Bootleg Brothers Trilogy - Book 1
by Jodee Kulp
Better Endings New Beginnings


2009 Gold Recipient: Outstanding Young Author
Liz Kulp
Author Of The Best I Can Be:
Living With Fetal Alcohol Syndrome And Effects
Better Endings New Beginnings





2009 Gold Recipient: Non-Fiction
The Long Way To Simple:
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
by Stephen J. Neafcy
Better Endings New Beginnings





We also continue to congratulate Ann Yurcek for her
2007 Gold Recipient: Non-Fiction
Tiny Titan
by Ann Yurcek
Better Endings New Beginnings





Congratulations to all!

The Whitest Wall Review from Diane Chamberlain

It was a good morning surprise on a hard day in the world of fetal alcohol parenting to wake up to a review from award winning novelist Diane Chamberlain author of Before the Storm. I truly appreciate her reading The Whitest Wall and her work in writing Before The Storm to promote public awareness on FASD.

Ms Chamberlain's Review:

With an adopted daughter who suffers from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Jodee Kulp knows firsthand the causes and consequences of this devastating and wholly preventable condition. Spurred on by the needs of her daughter and her foster children, she became an expert in the field, a spokesperson determined to educate the public about the dangers of drinking while pregnant, and she has written several nonfiction books on the subject. Often, a writer skilled in nonfiction can become heavy-handed when trying to make her case in fiction. Fortunately, Kulp's transition from nonfiction to fiction is seamless. She understands how to tell a complex story in a way that builds suspense, and her characters are at once sympathetic and so well rounded they feel very much alive. She doesn't club readers over the head with the woes of FASD, but rather draws them into the world of a young man who can barely understand the charges against him as he's accused of murder. Kulp surrounds him with a vibrant community of characters, and she doesn't shy away from addressing the impact of poverty, racism and addiction on these people she lovingly portrays. She writes without judgment about women who drank during their pregnancies and the trials of the children they carried—not an easy task when you're as intimately involved with the problem as Kulp is.
In The Whitest Wall, the first in the Bootleg Brothers trilogy, Kulp manages the impossible: she both entertains and educates. I look forward to the next installment.

Check out her Sympathy for the Devil blog at http://dianechamberlain.com/blog/2008/08/sympathy-for-the-devil.html#comments

THERE IS SOMETHING YOU NEED TO KNOW . . . .

. . . and it's not just "Who killed Doc Johnson?", the well-liked chiropractor in Riverdale, Minnesota. We will get to that "something" later, but first the novel, "The Whitest Wall." I can say with both urgency and sincerity, this book is a "must read." Jodee Kulp has not written an ordinary "who dunnit?" She has done something extra-ordinary. With her ever-discerning pen that neglects no detail or nuance, she not only introduces her characters, she invites readers into their lives and allows them to experience their history and bahavior, their thoughts and emotions. When they laugh, you will laugh. When they grow angry, so will you. When they cry, your heartstrings will resonate and the tears may well flow. Her details include the red, white and deep purple flowers that patriotically dress the bridge into Riverdale and the agricultural green of Gunner's 1935 John Deere, "Betsy." Not only is this a rare and desirable talent, but it makes for a compelling page-turner that is next to impossible to put down.

To be sure, the search for the identity of the killer fills the pages with all the intrigue and suspense one would expect from this skilled author. But there is so much more. Ms. Kulp's vivid description of life in the city "gangsta" world, the insidious results of poverty and limited education, the cruelty and insensitivity of racism that rears its ugly head even in this small Midwestern community are so palpable that the reader is forced to search his/her own soul. And anybody looking for a compelling (and indicting) rendition of how we (should) treat each other will have more than enough sobering data to contemplate long after the last lines are digested.

Now for the "something" you should know. There is another "killer" on the loose. Kulp has an agenda: to inculcate in every reader a growing awareness of the condition called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). But "The Whitest Wall" is not a textbook on FASD. It is a story, an engaging, gripping story of suspense and human interaction. Certainly, FASD has a role, a critical one. But never does this agenda distract from or diminish the story of the human drama played out of the pages of "The Whitest Wall." But the FASD agenda is essential. After completing the novel and recovering from the intensity of the drama, I went to the Internet. I discovered that I was a total illiterate concerning this serious condition. Jodee Kulp has opened my eyes to the gigantic challenge of FASD education and condition. For this I am grateful. I will forever view my fellow travelers with augmented sight.

The negative. "The Whitest Wall" is Volume 1 of a trilogy. I have to wait until September 2009 for Volume II. In the meantime, it's "pins and needles" in anticipation.

Skip Vogel, Spring Valley, Minnesota -- Author "Constant Bearing-Decreasing Range"