PRAISE FOR PARENTING FOR THE DIGITAL AGE:"Bill Ratner offers that rare and old-fashioned thing that no hand-held device will ever make obsolete: a good old-fashioned story...along with a valuable antidote for getting back to what matters most: human relationships. --Joyce Maynard, author of Labor Day"Author and voice actor Bill Ratner...made a career out of lending his voice to some of the most aggressive advertising powerhouses around. But Ratner is also a dad. And his lifetime of work in the industry make his perspective a useful one." --Stefanie Brown, TIME"Lucid and thought-provoking." --Jane Claire, Barnes & Noble Books"The well-rounded and vast enthusiasm and curiosity about life of Bill Ratner...lends a very warm and up flavor of this book." --Carol Smaldino, Huffington Post"Lively and warm...A fine personal narrative." --Kirkus Reviews"Filled with encouragement and options for parents." --Charlie Hall, Polygon.com "A fantastic book with tips and techniques about parenting in today's digital society but not boring and preachy as one might expect...The perfect book for any parent with a toddler to a teenager, a fun, fascinating read." --Heather Janssen, The Crafty Mommy Blog"Personal anecdotes and interviews with families that are as entertaining as they are thought provoking." --Brianne Schaer, LifeInLA.comPRAISE FOR BILL RATNER'S WRITING:"More than just the premier voiceover talent in Hollywood today, Ratner writes with the subtlety and texture worthy of a literary fiction master." --Brad Schreiber, Huffington Post"High-caliber storyteller." --L.J. Williamson, L.A. Weekly"From kindergartner entranced with disembodied voices on TV and radio...to voiceover stardom and family man...Bill Ratner's life keeps bursting the confines of the ordinary..." --Anita Frankel, Psychologist"Bill Ratner is one of the most enjoyable storytellers in Los Angeles." --Gary Buchler, Storytelling Producer, The Moth.org"The behind the scenes stories of his life as a big time announcer are lots of fun, but I found the family scenes most affecting...A fascinating life journey, told by a master storyteller..." --Beau Weaver, SpokenWord.com* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *From how to start a babysitting co-op, to the strange, true story behind Barbie and G.I. Joe, in Parenting for the Digital Age, from Familius Press, Bill Ratner has written a fascinating book--part Hollywood media memoir/part parenting guide for the digital age. Landing his first job in advertising at age fourteen, Ratner learned early that the media doesn't necessarily have children's interests at heart. His career as one of America's most heard voiceover artists and his life as an educator and a parent gives readers a first-hand look at the effects of digital media on children and what you can do about it.Bill Ratner is one of Hollywood's most popular voiceover artists, narrating movie trailers, documentaries on Discovery Channel, History Channel, Travel Channel, Smithsonian Channel, the voice of "Flint" in the G.I. Joe TV cartoon, reprising his role as "Flint" in Family Guy, Robot Chicken, and Community; "Ambassador Donnell Udina" in Mass Effect 1, 2 & 3, Grand Theft Auto, and Kings Quest. Complete list at http://www.billratner.com As a published author he reads his stories on National Public Radio's Good Food, The Business, and KCRW's Strangers. Ratner is a 9-time winner of The Moth StorySLAMS and 2-time Best of Hollywood Fringe Festival Extension Honoree for Solo Performance. Ratner is a parent, public speaker, educator, and founder of TV Cartoon Scandals--Media Awareness for Children for the Los Angeles Unified School District. He has taught and performed at the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling, Timpanogos Storytelling Conference, Northlands Storytelling Conference, and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. His book Parenting for the Digital Age is published by Familius Press. His essays and short fiction are published in The Baltimore Review, Blue Lake Review, The Amor Fati, Pleiades, Southern Anthology, Spork, NiteBlade.com, HoboPancakes, National Cheng Kung Literary, Papier Maché Press, TV Marquee, and Coast Magazine. Complete publishing credits: http://www.billratnerauthor.com and http://palmdesertmfa.ucr.edu/students-william-ratner/