The Power of Forgetting (38 page)

When you have been practicing your craft and trying to better yourself and your abilities for more than four decades, a great many people come into your life who help you in various sorts of ways. This book reflects the culmination of not just my lifetime work in teaching the skills of learning and working with numbers, but also my collaboration with a small army of bright, talented people who surround me every day. An entire book could be filled with the names of those who have shaped who I am today, for I owe everyone I’ve ever worked with through the years a heartfelt thank-you. The unwavering support of family members, friends, and colleagues has also paved the path to this book. Your guidance, insights, and feedback have been indispensable;
The Power of Forgetting
is as much yours as it is mine.

First, I give a resounding thanks to my family. You cannot pick your family, but I am really lucky to have been blessed with an amazing group. I would like to thank my parents, Gloria and Dave; my wife, Robin; and son, Josh; my sister, Beth; her husband, John; my sister-in-law, Liz; and my in-laws, Harriet and Gil. I am greatly indebted to cousins Norm and Jackie and my uncle Shelly, who was the first to showcase my abilities, albeit to his potential girlfriends at the time. And a special shout-out to our golden retrievers Winnie
and Wrigley (Cub fans, now you can sympathize with some of my trials and tribulations), who kept my blood pressure low no matter what the situation.

I am eternally grateful to my friends whom I have known for decades and who have always believed in me even when I did not believe in myself so much. Thank you for always saying the right thing at the right time: Lee Grossman, Dave Charman, Pat DeLacey, Howard Gartzman, Steve Kost, Rick Drucker, Neal Golden, Brett Keeshin, Kim Scott, Michelle Barger, Beth Weis, Don Lanphere, and the Dirty Dozen from the University of Illinois.

There have been many teachers, principals, and administrators who always kept the doors to their classrooms or their schools open so I could try out new theories or games that I had come up with. A special thanks to Jennifer Atterman, Linda Kahn, Barbara Wolke, Sue Chaplik, Jamie Hindin, Joanne Fuller, Jennifer Greene, Ellen Gaffney, Kerry DiFusco, Sharon Phares, Judy Wheatley, Mark Klaisner, Edna Bazik, Ann Butcher, Arne Benson, and Frances McTague.

I would like to thank some members of the television and radio industry who made my times working with them all the more interesting as they engaged me in lively conversation while also trying to stump me with difficult problems in front of live audiences. Thanks to JuJu Chang, Alison Lynn, Bob Sirott, Harry Porterfield, Gayle King, and Jay Levine.

I am very fortunate to have a great group of people at Brainetics. When you are your own boss for more than twenty years and then you become part of a team overnight, sometimes that is a tough transition. But these people made it happen seamlessly, and they are an absolute joy to work with every day. Thanks especially to Joel Appel, Angela Mooney,
Rhonda Fabian, Jerry Baber, Tim O’Brien, Luke Sword, Kristin MacLaughlin, John Grover, Adam May, Derrill Rodgers, Frank Kvietok, Allison Sauve, and Willard Cowan.

When Bonnie Solow first called me to ask about doing a book, I wasn’t so sure about that. I didn’t know if I’d have enough to say, and I was, frankly, intimidated by the process of putting a book together. But she kept encouraging me to share my knowledge in a way that my DVD program couldn’t. I eventually surrendered, realizing it was finally time to reach more than just kids, teachers, and parents. I also realized that I had a lot to say. Thank you, Bonnie, for paving the way for this book to reach everyone; your leadership, guidance, and enthusiastic support of this project have been invaluable. Your creative stewardship, intrepid attention to details, and commitment to overseeing every step are appreciated more than you know. I can’t thank you enough.

Thank you, Kristin Loberg, my collaborator, who spent countless hours listening to my disorganized ramblings and coming to (organized) live shows—transforming it all into a smooth-flowing, simple piece of writing like only you could.

And a special thanks to the wonderful people at Random House, especially Tina Constable, Mauro DiPreta, Julia Pastore, Annie Chagnot, Jennifer Reyes, Tammy Blake, Ellen Folan, Catherine Cullen, Meredith McGinnis, and everyone at Crown Archetype who made this book possible. I suggest everyone write a book so you can experience the warmth and tremendous professionalism that I have experienced working with the Random House team. Thank you.