Matt Richtel (born October 2, 1966 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

) is an American writer and journalist for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. He was awarded the 2010

Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting This Pulitzer Prize has been awarded since 1942 for a distinguished example of reporting on national affairs in the United States. In its first six years (1942–1947), it was called the Pulitzer Prize for Telegraphic Reporting – National. Li ...

for a series on

distracted driving Distracted driving is the act of driving while engaging in other activities which distract the driver's attention away from the road. Distractions are shown to compromise the safety of the driver, passengers, pedestrians, and people in other vehic ...

Education

Richtel obtained a bachelor's degree from the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of Californi ...

and an MS from the Columbia School of Journalism.

Career

He is the author of '' A Deadly Wandering'', a ''New York Times''-bestselling nonfiction narrative that intertwines the story of a car crash caused by a texting driver with a study of the science of attention. It was named one of the best books of 2014 by ''

The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles in electronic format as well as a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper ...

'', ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pa ...

'', and Amazon, among others. Richtel also writes fiction and has authored several mystery/thrillers, including ''Dead on Arrival'' (William Morrow, 2017), called by the New York Times Book Review "An intellectual thrill ride that tucks searing social critique into the Trojan horse of a save-the-world page-turner." He also wrote ''Doomsday Equation'' (2015), ''The Cloud'', and ''Devil's Plaything''. His first book, called ''Hooked'', is about a reporter whose life is turned upside down when he escapes a cafe explosion after a stranger hands him a note in his dead fiancée's handwriting warning him to leave. He co-created and formerly wrote the syndicated comic ''

Rudy Park ''Rudy Park'' is a syndicated comic strip created by Theron Heir and Darrin Bell. It ran from 2001 to 2018, when it merged with Bell's other strip '' Candorville''. Publication history Before being syndicated, ''Rudy Park'' was published in t ...

'' under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Theron Heir. Since 2012, the strip is now written by its longtime illustrator

Darrin Bell Darrin Bell (born January 27, 1975) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American editorial cartoonist and comic strip creator known for the syndicated comic strips '' Candorville'' and '' Rudy Park''. He is a syndicated editorial cartoonist with King Fea ...

.Article in the ''Editor and Publisher'' identifies Theron Heir as Matt Richtel
In 2010, Richtel wrote,Richtel, Matt

''The New York Times'', August 24, 2010. Part of

which also include

(August 16, 2010) an

(June 7, 2010), also by Richtel. Retrieved 2010-08-24. and was interviewed, about the impact on the human brain of living with "a deluge of data" from digital devices. In the interview, he previewed his current investigation into the idea that " ere is some thought that the way kids' brains ... and frontal lobes ... are developing" differently from those of their parents and others of older generations. He said he expected to publish his work on this subject in early December. His most recent book released in March 2019, titled ''An Elegant Defense,'' follows the story of four individuals in a complex narrative that demonstrates the function of the immune system.

Personal life

Richtel lives in San Francisco with his wife, son and daughter."Digital Overload: Your Brain On Gadgets"
Transcript of subject interview with

Terry Gross Terry Gross (born February 14, 1951) is an American journalist who is the host and co-executive producer of '' Fresh Air'', an interview-based radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed nationally by NPR. Since joining N ...

, ''

Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to ...

'', 2010-08-24. Retrieved 2010-08-24.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richtel, Matt Living people Place of birth missing (living people) The New York Times writers University of California, Berkeley alumni Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni 1966 births American comics writers Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting winners