FOR THE PAST several years, I have been part of a small writers’ group, which has made everything I write much better than it would be otherwise. Mike Land has a storyteller’s ear, which helps me see more clearly how to provide engaging descriptions of both scholarly research and classroom experiences. Sarah Cavanagh provides feedback on everything from single word choices to large conceptual matters, and is almost always right. Thanks to her disciplinary expertise, she also pointed me to dozens of studies, experiments, and resources on attention and distraction that I might have overlooked, for which I am incredibly grateful.
Thanks to my agent, John Wright, for connecting me with Basic Books. Special thanks to my editor, Eric Henney, for providing generous and helpful feedback on the manuscript. What you hold in your hands is a much better book as a result of his careful and supportive reading.
During the two years I spent thinking about and drafting this book, I was teaching literature or writing classes every semester. I learned much from my students about when and how humans pay attention in school and when they are distracted. I had my moments of frustration with them, as surely they had with me. But in the end, I am grateful for the privilege of being in a room with them two or three days a week, thinking and talking about literature and writing. I can’t imagine a better life than that. Thanks to all of the students who have made that life possible.
Assumption College has always been supportive of my work, and I am grateful to Provost Greg Weiner and all of the administrators and colleagues who have cheered on my writing, said a kind word about it, and been supportive and helpful friends and conversation partners.
My children—Katie, Madeleine, Jillian, Lucie, and Jack—amiably tolerated a father distracted by book writing. They also helped me think more clearly about the challenges faced by young people today, especially with respect to this grand human experiment we are undertaking of putting screens everywhere in our lives. If my children are any indication, we’ll be fine.
Readers will see in this book how much of my thinking about anything related to education is informed by my wife, Anne. Her dedication to her students and their families is a source of constant inspiration. We are all lucky to have her in our lives.