A Deadly Wandering: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention

From Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Matt Richtel, a brilliant, narrative-driven exploration of technology’s vast influence on the human mind and society, a compelling work of narrative nonfiction dramatically-told through the lens of a tragic "texting-while-driving" car crash that claimed the lives of two rocket scientists in 2006.

In this ambitious, compelling, and beautifully written book, Matt Richtel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the New York Times, examines the impact of technology on our lives through the true story of Utah college student Reggie Shaw, who killed two scientists while texting and driving. Richtel follows Reggie through the tragedy, the police investigation, his prosecution, and ultimately, his redemption.

In the wake of his experience, Reggie has become a leading advocate against "distracted driving." Richtel interweaves Reggie’s story with cutting-edge findings from attention science regarding the impact of technology on our brains, proposing solid, practical, and actionable solutions to help manage this crisis individually and as a society.

A propulsive read filled with fascinating, accessible detail from the world of neuroscience, riveting narrative tension, and emotional depth, A Deadly Wandering explores one of the biggest questions of our time―what is all of our technology doing to us?―and provides unsettling and important answers and information we all need.

• A Landmark Case on Distracted Driving: Follow the full story of Reggie Shaw, from the tragic accident on a Utah highway to the groundbreaking prosecution that set a new legal precedent for texting-while-driving cases.
• The Science of Technology and the Brain: Richtel weaves in fascinating, accessible findings from leading neuroscientists to explain why our devices are so irresistible and how they fundamentally impact our attention.
• The Myth of Multitasking: Explore the compelling research that dismantles the idea of multitasking, revealing the cognitive costs of switching our focus, both on the road and in our daily lives.
• A Powerful Story of Redemption: Witness an unforgettable journey from a moment of devastating error to Reggie Shaw’s emergence as a leading, and unlikely, advocate for driver safety.

MATT RICHTEL is a health and science reporter at the New York Times. He spent nearly two years reporting on the teenage mental-health crisis for the paper’s acclaimed multipart series Inner Pandemic, which won first place in public-health reporting from the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism and inspired his book How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence. He received the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for a series of articles about distracted driving, which he expanded into his first nonfiction book, A Deadly Wandering, a New York Times bestseller. His second nonfiction book, An Elegant Defense, on the human immune system, was a national bestseller and chosen by Bill Gates for his annual Summer Reading List.