Isaacson, Karen L. J.: - Karen Isaacson spent her growing-up years with a large family of quirky, gifted people. She now has five children of her own, who have carried on the fine tradition of being slightly eccentric individuals who show their creativity in their own peculiar ways. With all of this material to work with, Karen couldn't help but write a book, which she titled Raisin' Brains: Surviving My Smart Family. This book won the 2002 ForeWord Magazine Book-of-the-Year Gold Award for Humor. Other award-winning books include Life in the Fast Brain: Keeping Up with Gifted Minds and Intelligent Life in the Classroom: Smart Kids and Their Teachers, which she co-authored with Tamara Fisher. Each humorous chapter gently informs the reader about the traits of giftedness and creativity while emphasizing the value of the individual. Karen firmly believes that people are valuable precisely because of their uniqueness. She enjoys speaking on this topic and, as always, makes liberal use of humor to get her point across. In spite of the busyness of life, she dedicates every spare moment to the creative process, whether it is writing, painting, or remodeling her home. She lives in Idaho with her husband, who has supported her in all of her creative endeavors.