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Matt Richtel, A Deadly Wandering

Wednesday, November 5, 2014 - 7:00pm

Why do almost one-hundred-percent of people agree that texting while driving is dangerous, but almost half of us admit that we still do it?

Why will we disengage from a conversation right in front of us to check the ding! of our messaging devices?

Technology is helping all of us stay connected--but when does the need to stay connected, stay in touch, and stay online become dangerous, even fatal?

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Matt Richtel examines the impact of technology on our minds through the frame of a horrific accident in 2006, when 19-year-old Reggie Shaw killed two scientists while texting and driving in Utah. Richtel interweaves Reggie’s story with cutting-edge scientific findings about neuroscience, human attention, and the impact of technology on our brains, even our vision and motor function. The result is a stunning and beautifully written book that will leave you transformed; Richtel’s informative, comprehensive reporting comes to life with a novelist’s sense of character and narrative.

Richtel won the Pulitzer for his New York Times reporting on this same subject, and this story contributed to Werner Herzog’s acclaimed short documentary From One Second to the Next. A Deadly Wandering weaves a riveting nonfiction narrative, science reporting, and journalism--full of vivid, heartbreaking real-life characters--to expose and objectively question our modern glorification of multitasking and tech-connectedness.

Richtel follows Reggie through the tragedy, the unprecedented police investigation and prosecution, and ultimately, his redemption--along with the stories of the families of the victims, the social worker who fought for their voices, and the lawyers and law enforcement officers who wondered how to approach the unprecedented case. In the wake of his experience, Reggie struggled to forgive himself and became a leading advocate against distracted driving. Utah became the first state to approach legislation that would prevent and prosecute distracted driving.

Richtel lives in San Francisco with his wife, Meredith Barad, a neurologist, and their two children. In 2010 he won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for a series of articles that exposed the pervasive risks of distracted driving and its root causes, prompting widespread reform. He is also the author of three novels.

Bookshop Santa Cruz is thrilled to welcome the author of one of our favorite non-fiction books of the year for a reading, discussion, and signing.

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A Deadly Wandering: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention By Matt Richtel Cover Image
$28.99
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ISBN: 9780062284068
Published: Mariner Books - September 23rd, 2014