This book is for all kids, parents and coaches who love to participate in sports, but sometimes wish the parents would evaporate from the sidelines. These suggestions apply to a wide range of sports, including basketball, soccer, volleyball, football, hockey, lacrosse and baseball. the author approaches this subject with years of experience in talking with and listening to many children and coaches. The information in this book offers tips and strategies for parents to reflect and self evaluate their own behavior on the sidelines, to ensure an enjoyable athletic experience for all participants.

There’s a new set of 3Rs for our kids—respect, responsibility, and resilience—to better prepare them for life in the real world. Once developed, these skills let kids take charge, and let parents step back, to the benefit of all. Casting hover mothers and helicopter parents aside, Vicki Hoefle encourages a different, counter-intuitive—yet much more effective—approach: for parents to sit on their hands, stay on the sidelines, even if duct tape is required, so that the kids step up. Duct Tape Parenting gives parents a new perspective on what it means to be effective, engaged parents and to enable kids to develop confidence through solving their own problems. This is not a book about the parenting strategy of the day—what the author calls “Post-It Note Parenting”—but rather a relationship-based guide to span all ages and stages of development. Witty, straight-shooting Hoefle addresses frustrated parents everywhere who are ready to raise confident, capable children to go out in the world.

As an eleven-year-old girl living in Iran, Zahra’s live was forever changed after her father was killed instantly in a car accident. In this firsthand account, Zahra recounts her journey of personal growth and intimate relationship with God that ultimately gave her the strength to end her abusive twenty-three-year marriage. In this tale of self-growth, Zahra describes her daily struggles as a mother and a wife, and the spiritual transformation that led her to independence. From dealing with her father’s tragic death to her rushed marriage to a man she hardly knew, Zahra shares her intimate conversations with God and how he has been there every step of the way, to help guide her through the pain, tears, dark days, and ultimately to the joy she has found today. Her faith in God allowed her to find the courage to seek justice when she thought no one was out there and enabled her to end her destructive cycle of marriage. It inspired her to follow her dreams and led her to find her passion in life. The Breakthrough demonstrates the power of God and the inspiration that can be found among those who believe in him.

Forgotten Sundays is the coming-of-age story of a father-son relationship and the value of a good name, which Gerry Sandusky knows all too well. He has had to endure having an unfortunate name in sports, but to him the Sandusky name means something entirely different: honor, integrity, endurance, and suffering and sadness. Forgotten Sundays follows the life and relationship between Gerry Sandusky and his father—former NFL tackle John Sandusky and coach for the Baltimore Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, and Miami Dolphins under the tutelage of legendary Coach Don Shula. Gerry spent his summers observing his father in NFL training camps and his Sundays with superstars, Hall of Fame players and coaches from Johnny Unitas to Dan Marino, from Don McCafferty to Tom Landry. Gerry’s relationship with his father evolved through stages of worship, disillusionment, vulnerability, tragedy, and friendship. Along the way he learned about the nature of manhood from observations, clues, and interactions—more often than not unspoken. It was when Gerry reached fatherhood himself and when John Sandusky began to tumble into the gauzy confusion of Alzheimer’s disease that he began to understand his father on a much deeper level. Heartfelt, intelligent, at times humorous, at times tragic, Forgotten Sundays explores the intricacies of a father-son relationship and the nuances of how and what a son learns from a father. It plumbs the meaning of a family name, and it is an inspiration to others to embrace their own legacy and cherish their memories.

Book Delisted

It took less than four hours for Sarah Bailey and her younger brother Curtis to lose everything they knew. She lost her school, her mudpie stations, her church, her father, and her name. Everything they own is packed in garbage bags as they are moved to a new foster home. It’s supposed to be a safe haven for them, but as Sarah—now called Anna—learns, their so-called safety comes at a horrific price, as she is groomed and abused by her new foster mother. But Sarah/Anna is resilient. She adapts to wearing dresses after only dressing as a boy. She befriends a wild and dangerous horse. And for her first Christmas ever, she receives a rag doll, one she carries with her still today. For a child with so little, the rag doll comes to mean so much. Based on a true story, author of Just Another Slice, Dr. Zaffarese-Dippold continues to share her foster care story in the series “Garbage Bag Life.” This book in the series sheds light on the grooming behavior of some sexual abusers, and the risk to children in the foster care system.