�A DEADLY WANDERING: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention,� by Matt Richtel. William Morrow. 403 pages. $28.99....

�A DEADLY WANDERING: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention,� by Matt Richtel. William Morrow. 403 pages. $28.99.

Sept. 22, 2006, 19-year-old Reggie Smith, a shy, decent fellow and solid athlete, causes an accident, texting while driving, that kills Jim Furfaro and Keith O�Dell, scientists and family men. Reggie doesn�t admit to texting, almost as if it�s simple unconscious behavior, but State Trooper Bart Rindlisbacher pursues the case, subpoenas his phone records, and is joined by Terryl Danielson Warner, a persistent and driven victims� advocate.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Matt Richtel goes on to play off the legal procedures that ensue with the state of neuroscience and its focus on the human attention span, from the courtroom to various labs, evidence to experiments. Is texting as addictive as drugs and alcohol? How does technology affect us? Is multitasking really possible?

Reggie�s a Mormon, eager to go on his two-year mission but is first dismissed because of his admission that he lied about having premarital sex. The texting case cancels his second mission. He harbors a self-eviscerating sense of guilt and finally becomes involved in public talks, documentaries and interviews where he relives the horror of the collision to the point of tears and mental breakdown.

Richtel�s good at sketching the various characters involved in the entire process � from scientists Adam Gazzaley and David Strayer to Terryl�s abuse at the hands of an alcoholic stepfather and David Linton, the chief deputy county attorney, and Linton�s sexual abuse, which began at age 7 by an authority figure in the Mormon church.

Richtel�s book is rich in details, dates and descriptions but doesn�t really delve deeply into the Mormon context of many of these people. He follows through on Utah�s passing an anti-texting law, the lawyers� jockeying, and Reggie�s gradual ascent toward redemption � though I�m not entirely convinced of the latter.

The facts are finally plentiful and overwhelming. The verdict�s out on technology�s ultimate legacy, but as Strayer suggests, �Too much technology can corrupt the soul.�

Sam Coale (samcoale@cox.net) teaches American literature at Wheaton College.