The birth of this book was assisted by many doulas, and I am deeply indebted to all of them. I am grateful for the sunny optimism and tireless work of my publisher, Mark Pearson. And for the instructive, incisive, and caring comments of my editor, Tracy Cutchlow. I still owe you a beer.
I am also indebted to Jessica Sommerville, for supplying the essential oxygen of peer review. And to Carolyn Webster-Stratton, for kind words and encouragement. To Dan Leach, for his curiosity, enthusiasm, and countless inspiring conversations. To Bruce Hosford, for deep friendship, hard work, and endless support. To Earl Palmer, for inspiration, and to John Ratey, for the same. To Rick Stevenson, for visual possibilities and love of narrative. To Alice and Chris Canlis, for creating one of the closest-knit families I know—truly a role model for the world to follow. And to Alden Jones, without whose never-ending concern and unceasing devotion to detail this book and its many moving parts would not be possible.
Lastly, I am indebted to my family. To our two dear children, Josh and Noah, for showing me that true love can exist between fathers and sons, even when you were smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. And to my wife, Kari, simply the most amazing person I have ever met.