Richard Lavoie, M.A., M.Ed., has worked as a teacher and headmaster at residential special education facilities for the past thirty years. He holds three degrees in special education and serves as a consultant to several agencies and organizations. The father of three adult children, he lives with his wife in Barnstable, Massachusetts. He welcomes visitors to his website at
www.ricklavoie.comRob Reiner, a two-time Emmy-winning actor for his role in the landmark television series,
All in the Family, was also the acclaimed director of
This Is Spinal Tap,
Stand By Me,
The Princess Bride,
When Harry Met Sally,
Misery,
A Few Good Men,
The American President,
Ghosts of Mississippi, and
The Bucket List. He most recently directed the Emmy-nominated documentary
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, and the sequel to
This Is Spinal Tap. As a dedicated political activist, he spearheaded a tobacco tax initiative in California to fund early childhood development and chaired the state commission to oversee its implementation. In 2008, he cofounded The American Foundation For Equal Rights, which paved the way for marriage equality nationwide. He was also the coauthor of
A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever, the behind-the-scenes story of the making of
This Is Spinal Tap.
Mel Levine, M.D., is professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School and director of its Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning. He is the founder and cochairman of All Kinds of Minds, a nonprofit institute for the understanding of differences in learning, and the author of two previous national best-selling books,
A Mind at a Time and
The Myth of Laziness. He and his wife, Bambi, live on Sanctuary Farm in North Carolina.
