"A DEADLY WANDERING: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention," by Matt Richtel, William Morrow, $28.99, 416 pages (nf)
"A Deadly Wandering: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention" covers the devastating story of Reggie Shaw, an ambitious young man in Utah. His life dramatically changes when he is involved in a car accident that results in two deaths — and all because of a text.
Author Matt Richtel calls this story "A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention" — "the Age of Attention" due to the abundance of technology (texting, calling, surfing the Web, etc.) and humans' seemingly limited neurological capacity to devote to daily living, let alone technological advancements.
Although the car crash itself is a key part of the story, the book centers more on “the devastating effects of technology” as it weaves together the pressures and expectations of Reggie’s life and local culture, the impending weight of the law, and the ever-present question of the proper role of technology in our lives.
Issues are also raised about the human mind and its capability of digesting so much technology and if people are the masters or the servants of these technological creations.
Set in Utah, the players of this story are Reggie, the driver and central character; Teryl Danielson, who becomes involved in the legal case; and a neuroscientist, Dr. Adam Gazzaley.
Richtel does well in charting the backstory of each character and carefully weaving those stories together, as well as presenting the Wasatch Front and its religious and cultural underpinnings in an amiable way. Reggie went to a local high school, served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and worked in Utah. The wreck occurred in 2006 off of Interstate 15.
Later in the book, Gazzaley takes Richtel to a party to illustrate how the cognitive functions of focus and attention pertain to his research. He explains that the brain not only can place attention on a multiplicity of conversations and sounds that are ever-present at a party but also can allow humans to communicate needs and desires.
Richtel, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2010 for a series on distracted driving, includes that researchers say that one-third of the information we consume is interactive. Tweets are up to 400 million per day, and Facebook has 2.5 billion pieces of content, including posts, pictures and videos, posted each day.
"A Deadly Wandering" does not rest on a particular conclusion. It does, however, pose pertinent ethical questions for readers to consider. It is no secret that the brain is powerful and that technology is booming. Can society and people live healthily with the advancements of technology?
Matters of neurology and theory presented in the book are very readable. Richtel does an excellent job keeping the subject matter compelling, moving and understandable to a general audience.
There are a handful of swear words and a few mild sexual references.
If you go ...
What: Matt Richtel book signing
When: Saturday, Sept. 27, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Where: Salt Lake City Main Library, 4th Floor Conference Room, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City
Note: Part of the Utah Humanities Book Festival; see utahhumanities.org/BookFestival.htm
Web: kingsenglish.com, mattrichtel.wordpress.com, adeadlywandering.com
Brandon Schembri is a graduate of the University of Utah and lives in Salt Lake City. His email is b.schembri1@gmail.com.