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1. This is an important and enlightening book, a “must-read”
   I just finished A Deadly Wandering last night and was very moved by it for a number of reasons that I am still contemplating. This is a very well written, absorbing, enlightening and factually well supported non-fiction novel. I found it hard to put down, but even more importantly, found it extremely relevant to my life and my work.
   I have not been an in-car texter for a decade now, having realized very early how dangerous it is, but was thrilled last year when my new car came with hands-free (“legal” in CA) phone capabilities, which I have used on occasion. After reading the book and internalizing the sobering science of attention, I turned off the Bluetooth on my new iPhone 6 before getting into the car this morning.
   I have a super long commute to and from work each day and, like many, consider those hours “productive time” when able to take a work call or catch up with a relative or friend while commuting. However, I will now not be using my phone in the car while in motion ever again.
   People’s lives and safety are unquestionably more important than any of the multi-tasking conveniences these increasingly capable devices can bring us in our busy lives and I do not want to end up like the book’s protagonist, Reggie Shaw. So, through Matt Richtel, that young man with a tragic past has touched one more life.
   For folks like myself who have worked in the internet technology industry, and particularly the mobile industry, since its early days, it is really moving to read a true story about how these technologies are distracting people even to the point of death either in traffic causing horrendous and preventable accidents or in their personal lives, with children tuning-out, relationships being eroded and very real and unnecessary stress being added to our lives with the gadgets and services demanding or even addictively sucking away your attention.
   Having spent most of my career working for the biggest names in mobile evangelizing mobile technologies like texting, mobile internet, mobile navigation, and mobile apps, I feel a tremendous amount of responsibility for increasing awareness for this important new scientific evidence for technology’s impact on attention, awareness, brain function and brain health. There are positives and negative implications and possibilities and as a society should make raise awareness of both and take action. Awareness is an opportunity to find solutions.
   As a yogi, a meditator and a stepmother, I also see the impact of technology on our selves, our relationships and on our children. We must think about how our children use these technologies and monitor whether we feel they are helping or harming our or their personal physical, spiritual and emotional wellbeing.
   I believe this is an important book and I hope that others will take the time to read it and to examine their own relationship to technology, that of their families and, if relevant, in their work.

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2. This book is one that should be a mandatory read …
   This book is one that should be a mandatory read in Drivers Education courses. It is spellbinding as Richtel takes us through the story of a fatal accident caused by a texting driver, and illustrates how much pain and grief one distracted driver can cause. Citing recent research in neurology, he also breaks down the brain and its behavior in various circumstances. The cast of characters is large and Richtel made each one distinct and memorable. He also follows the families that were affected; some have moved forward and some individuals have even been able to forgive the texting driver, but some have not and continue to suffer deeply. The driver at fault still continues his work as an advocate for safe driving and his message has resonated with many people.
   I live in the area where the accident took place and I noticed several inaccuracies (i.e.Valley View Drive is called a road in some sections of the book and a highway in others) within the storytelling. A little fact-checking was in order. However, many readers aren’t familiar with Cache County and might not catch the inaccuracies. I was puzzled with that, as Richtel is a well-respected and honored writer, and an editor at a big publishing house should have done some fact-checking.
   However, the storytelling in A Deadly Wandering is really the point. And it is a well-told cautionary tale. Now to get it into the hands of the Millennials, who regard multitasking as an efficient habit. This event also spurred the Utah State Legislators into passing landmark legislation, some of the earliest and strongest in the country. Richtel cites the refrain of an old song: “Keep your mind on the driving, your hands on the wheel / Keep your snooping eyes on the road ahead.” Who knew those words written in 1959 would resonate so clearly today?

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3. A real “heads up” read. Awareness re major hazards of distracted driving.
   Real people stories make it very impressive indeed.

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4. 運転しながらのメールやスマホ操作（いわゆるtexting while driving）を罰することができるかという問題の嚆矢のようなケースを扱った本です。真面目で信心深い好青年が引き起こした事故で、2006年に２人が亡くなりました。この事件について、捜査や裁判、そして人間模様のドラマと、心理学や神経科学といった科学とが絶妙に織りなされて語られています。
   ドラマの方はさておき、科学の方は、注意（attention）についての心理学的な研究の歴史や、スマホやメールのような科学技術製品が常習性を持つもの（addictive）なのかということについての脳神経学の研究です。このような科学的な問題を扱っていますが、素人にはついて行けないような細部にまでは立ち入らずに、事件に必要な部分を上手に取捨選択しています。ドラマの要素ともうまく噛み合って、読みやすい語り口です。
   私の持っている版には宣伝文として “Deserves a spot next to Fast Food Nation and To Kill a Mockingbird” という New York Times Book Review の書評の一節が引用されていますが、決して誇大宣伝ではないと思います。
   邦訳マット・リヒテル『神経ハイジャック：もしも「注意力」が奪われたら』（小塚一宏・三木俊哉訳, 英治出版, 2016）

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5. Ouvrage bien documenté. L’impossibilité, pour le cerveau, de se concentrer sur deux tâches en même temps – conduire et téléphoner ou envoyer des mail – est bien démontrée. Il y a encore peu de prise de conscience, notamment en France, de la dangerosité d’un tel comportement, qui est à mettre au même niveau que la conduite en état d’ébriété ou le non respect de code de la route (vitesse par exemple). Ce livre veut montrer que l’utilisation compulsive et forcenée d’outils médiatiques (téléphone portable notamment) crée une dépendance, au même titre que la cigarette, l’alcool ou les drogues, et peut provoquer des situations dangereuses pour soi-même et pour les autres.
   A méditer, car tout le monde est concerné. Un moment d’inattention sur la route peut faire de nous des criminels.
   CGK

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6. Poorly written book and even more poorly edited! Paragraphs repeated and there were plenty of errors. Tones/stories/characters all jumped around and there was no cohesive narrative.

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