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<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><p><b>How do we turn off the noise of daily life, turn on our brains, and begin to engage in that fundamental human activity known as thinking again? P.M. Forni, America's civility expert has given some thought to how we can successfully think our way through a greatly distracting world and live a better life. </b> <p/>In <i>The Thinking Life</i>, he looks at the importance of thinking: how we do it, why we don't do it enough and why we need to do more of it. In twelve short chapters, he gives readers a remedy for the Age of Distraction, an age fuelled by social networking overload, compulsive texting and an omnipresent stream of cellphone calls. He shows how to put aside time each day to improve: <br>- Attention<br>- Introspection<br>- Self-control<br>- Positive thinking<br>- Proactive thinking<br>- Decision making<br>- Creative thinking<br>- Problem solving <p/>Just as Forni did with civility, he puts the importance of good thinking front and center in a book as lucid and profound as his earlier works. <p/>The most provocative and useful book I've read in years. -Robert Sutton, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>The No Asshole Rule</i></p><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><p>"Insightful meditation on how changing the way we think can improve our daily lives. ... A deft exploration that urges us to think before speaking." --<i>Kirkus, Starred Review</i> <p/>"Being highly educated and extraordinarily decorated does not necessarily translate into good thinking. But if a Nobel Prize were awarded for gracious self-control, Professor Forni would be the proper judge. As with <b><i>Choosing Civility</i></b> and <b><i>The Civility Solution</i></b><i>, <b>The Thinking Life</b> </i>serves well to refine even the most intransigent of us. Having just finished the book, I growled at my college-age daughter when she announced that her friends would visit our home late this evening. Then it immediately dawned on me that I was guilty of disobeying Professor Forni's thoughtful guidelines. Fortunately my heartfelt apology was accepted. And for penance, I promise to think first next time." --<i>Peter Agre, 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry</i> <p/>"<i>The Thinking Life</i> is as the most provocative and useful book I've read in years. As I traveled through it, Professor Forni gave me ideas about how to become more thoughtful, made me feel guilty, annoyed me with his grumpiness, and inspired me with his wit and optimism. You probably won't agree with everything in this book, but that is part of its brilliance: Forni's compels you to live <i>The Thinking Life</i> as you devour his little gem." --<i>Robert Sutton, Stanford Professor and author of New York Times bestsellers Good Boss, Bad Boss and The No Asshole Rule</i> <p/>"I am always interested in what Dr. Forni has to say about becoming more civil, and this book talks about how much harder it is when we're constantly on our cell phones, blackberries, Twitter and Facebook. And don't forget the iPad! Dr. Forni says serious thinking leads to the good life...and I am listening with both ears." --<i>Gayle King</i> <p/>"An eloquent introduction on how to lead a more conscientious, thoughtful life." --<i>Ben Casnocha, author, My Start-Up Life</i></p><br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br><b>Dr. P.M. Forni</b> (1951-2018) was an award-winning professor of Italian Literature at Johns Hopkins University. In 2000 he founded The Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins and taught courses on the theory and history of manners. He is the author of <i>Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct</i> (2002) and <i>The Civility Solution: What to Do When People Are Rude</i> (2008). Reports on his work have appeared on <i>The New York Times, The Times of London, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal</i>, and <i>The Los Angeles Times</i>. He has been a on a number of radio and television shows, including ABC's World News Tonight, CBS Sunday Morning and BBC's Outlook. He lived in Baltimore, Maryland.

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