Atkinson J Patrick Patrick John Atkinson was raised in North Dakota and attended Minnesota State University-Moorhead. After graduating, Patrick turned down lucrative corporate job offers to work with runaways, prostitutes, and gang members in New York. Two years later Patrick moved to Central America where he began an international career in war-zone reconciliation and post-war reconstruction. He has been knighted, is the recipient of human rights awards (including the Guatemalan Congressional Medal) and is the subject of The Dream Maker, by Monica Hannan. Patrick is most proud of having been named Father of the Year by his son, Ernesto, this book's illustrator. He is the founder of the Institute for Trafficked, Exploited & Missing Persons (ITEMP). He is the author of six books and is still writing. When not advocating on behalf of abused or human-trafficking victims, Patrick resides in North Dakota, in Guatemala, and at Hippo Wallow Pond in Minnesota. Read More Read Less