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:



- Attention
- Reflection
- Introspection
- Self-control
- Positive thinking
- Proactive thinking
- Effective decision-making strategies
- Creative thinking
- Problem-solving strategies

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.