P. M. Forni, founder of the Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins, is America's civility expert. In his first two books, Choosing Civility and The Civility Solution, he taught people the rules of civil behavior and ways of responding to rudeness. Now, in The Thinking Life, he looks at the importance of thinking in our lives: how we do it, why we don't do enough of it, and why we need to do more of it.
In twelve short chapters, he
gives listeners a remedy for the Age of Distraction, an age fueled by
the internet, Blackberries, and cellphones, all of which make constant
demands on our attention, diverting it from one
thing to another. After suggesting ways we can find time to think
more, Forni shows us how we can improve our abilities of:
Just as he did with civility, he puts the importance of good thinking front and center in a book as simple and as profound as his earlier works.
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"I read this book nice and slow, to absorb the lessons and do some of the exercises at the end of the chapters. I would recommend it to almost anyone. I do think most people live our lives pretty randomly, and this book gives very practical advice on living more thoughtfully."
— Kathy (4 out of 5 stars)
A deft exploration that urges us to think before speaking.
— Kirkus Starred Review" A self-help book disguised. I got the impression at times it was aimed at the author's college students. "
— Susan, 1/7/2014" We live in a world that is overflowing with distraction... it's a nice reminder to stop and actually think! "
— Jeni, 10/18/2013" good "
— mike, 5/16/2013" pompous, conceited, arrogant, and privileged are all perfect descriptors of this author. This book points out the obvious as if the reader is an idiot; it is not worth anyone's time. "
— Octavia, 5/9/2013" This book started off alright and then it went off track. About half-way through, I couldn't help wondering what the text I was reading had to do with the concept of thriving in an the age of distraction. "
— Joana, 8/29/2012" This book was pretty uneven for me. There were parts of this book that I really liked and other parts that I didn't care for at all. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I did particularly like the sections on finding time to think, nurturing outstanding thinking and choosing to be thoughtful. "
— Becky, 6/30/2012" Excellent read. Learned a great deal about how and why thinking is important. "
— David, 4/6/2012" Great points to ponder . . . And I do fully appreciate the irony of posting this review here. "
— Kathryn, 3/28/2012P. M. Forni is an award-winning professor of Italian Literature at Johns Hopkins University and the author of The Civility Solution and other books. In 2000 he founded the Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins and over the years has continued to teach courses on the theory and history of manners. Reports on his work have appeared in the New York Times, the Times of London, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times. He lives in Baltimore.
David Drummond has made his living as an actor for over twenty-five years, appearing on stages large and small throughout the country and in Seattle, Washington, his hometown. He has narrated over thirty audiobooks, in genres ranging from current political commentary to historical nonfiction, fantasy, military, thrillers, and humor. He received an AudioFile Earphones Award for his first audiobook, Love ’Em or Lose ’Em: Getting Good People to Stay. When not narrating, he keeps busy writing plays and stories for children.