About the Book

At the height of the tech stock boom, Matthew Spaur wanted to have it all. He began a blended family with Connye and her three sons, and together they started a new weekly newspaper. But during their second Christmas together, Connye was diagnosed with porphyria, a rare genetic blood disorder. Matthew suddenly became not only a new business owner in a cutthroat market, but also a rare-disease caregiver. As the stock market collapsed, the 9/11 attacks shoved the country towards recession and war. Two of the sons received their own dire diagnoses.

Could he really do it all, despite having never owned a business, worked on a newspaper, or been a parent?

Matthew's candid and often humorous memoir illuminates the profound struggles of modern family life, offering insights and solace to anyone wrestling with blended families, health challenges, economic dislocation, and/or burnout. Making a Small Fortune testifies to the power of love, patience, and community in facing adversity. It’s a compelling read for anyone seeking a beacon of hope when forging their own path to happiness.

This memoir’s reward is insights shared by a man honest with himself and his strengths and limitations in a way that is compelling, actually quietly fascinating. — Jay Levin, Founder of LA Weekly newspaper