Book excerpt: Dr. James L. Casale, both a state and national award winning educator, has authored his second parenting guide. Family Pledge is unique in that it consists of 40 individual essays that can be read in any order. Choose a topic that interests you and read that first. Select How to Say No and Mean It, or A Holocaust Survivor’s Lesson to His Grandchild, or Empty Lots and Building Forts: Why Electronic Devices Suck, or Is it the Gorilla’s Fault the Kid Fell into the Zoo Enclosure? or Why is School Reform Mission Impossible? These and many more essays and are designed to inform, encourage and inspire parents to accept their solemn responsibility to act as their child’s first teachers and role models. Raising life-long learners and good citizens requires a loyal and devoted commitment to establish a culture of learning at home. The key components are acquiring accurate information, creating a family mission statement, and devising a plan of action that all family members adhere to. As with his first book, Wise Up and Be the Solution, readers will enjoy a jargon free, no nonsense, parent friendly journey filled with practical suggestions and important information.