Acknowledgments

I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to the following people:

My coauthor, Andrew Friedman, who unselfishly used his writing skills to capture my voice and help organize my story;

Nick Trautwein, our editor, for his smart notes, honesty, and patience, and for having his heart in the right place at all times;

Karen Rinaldi, for buying the book and first believing in it. I miss you;

Kim Witherspoon, for selling the project and especially for her feedback and guidance down the homestretch; and Sabrina Farber in Bloomsbury USA’s marketing department, for getting the word out.

—Pino Luongo

In addition to the people named above, my thanks to . . .

Pino Luongo, for his early belief and many pasta-filled nights;

David Black, for his always treasured counsel along the way;

Peter Bodo, for some crucial advice on Sunday, May 4, 2008;

Caitlin Friedman, for her unwavering support, both emotional (“You can do it!”) and practical (“Sure I can take the kids for ice cream while you write for another hour.”), and for keeping things in perspective for the two of us; and

Declan and Taylor Friedman, who went from babies to “real people” during the year this book was written; keep up the good work!

—Andrew Friedman