ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. by Brad Listi profile picture

ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. by Brad Listi

This is a novel. It is about your mom.

About Me

Attention. Deficit. Disorder. is the first great road novel of the 21st century. -Scott Pack, "the most powerful man in the books trade" (The Guardian)
TO BUY THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLING NOVEL ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. ONLINE, PLEASE VISIT ONE OF THE LINKS BELOW (OR ASK FOR IT BY NAME AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE!):
amazon.com
Barnes & Noble

Powell's
Borders
BookSense


Special thanks to everybody here on Myspace for helping to make ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. a Los Angeles Times Bestseller !
The official UK edition of Attention. Deficit. Disorder. is now available! The limited edition hardback with a rubber cover (no kidding) can be purchased by clicking RIGHT HERE . This is a strictly limited edition of 1,000 copies, all of which are numbered and signed.
The UK trade paperback edition is now available! Just click RIGHT HERE to order your copy!

To read an excerpt from the novel, please click right HERE .
To read a review of the novel, please click HERE .
"As its title seemed to demand, I found myself skipping about Brad Listi's novel, yanked further in by each random, episodic jewel. They were quirky, evocative and clever... something genuinely different, and defiantly genuine. Then, reading from start to finish, an entirely other experience emerged: a cohesive, poignant story, subsuming warmth and depth, and - again - that unflinching honesty. Overall, it seems I got a lot more than I bargained for. A perfect book about what we and the world are becoming."
- Jim Carroll , New York Times Bestselling author of The Basketball Diaries, Void of Course, Fear of Dreaming, and The Book of Nods
People magazine:
This is a video starring my mom:
.. ..
Okay then.
ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. is a book.
It's a novel.
It's a story about how difficult it is to find meaning in the Information Age.
It's a contemporary rendition of the classic coming of age novel.
It features a man who wants to shave his head for reasons he can't explain.
It features a really old man and a really young prostitute.
It features a big desert, a charming mentally disabled man, and some hardcore spelunking.
If you so desire, you can order it online at:
amazon.com
Barnes & Noble

Powell's
Borders
BookSense
....Or at any other online bookseller.
Otherwise you can pick it up at your local bookstore.
Or you can steal it.
The USA hardcover edition is blue.
The USA trade paperback edition is gold.
In the meantime, please be sure to tune in to The A.D.D. Blog.
It happens daily.
Tends to be aggressive.
READERS RESPOND TO BRAD LISTI AND ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER.:
That's good shit, man....I laughed my ass off....Looking forward to more. -Dylan, 24, Hollywood, CA
What is funny is that this is a brilliant novel. I got a promo copy from the bookstore I work at....You have an angel-headed hipster Borders employee on your side. -Aaron, 24, Ohio
I came home last night and my husband wouldn't even say hello to me because he had his nose in your book....Good for you, bad for me. -Jules, 27, East Village, NY
Man! Your blogs are the best! They remind me of reading Kurt Vonnegut. I plan to pick up your book soon, man. I can't wait to read it. Come down to San Jose and do a book reading, man. -Paul, 15, San Jose, CA
I bought your book a couple of days ago and literally just finished it. I loved it! I couldn't put it down. -Sarah, 18, California
I just finished your book. It was great....I'm not a fast reader, and usually a book will take me a month to read. I read yours in about three sittings. I'm shamelessly telling everyone I know to get it....The JFK Cafe bit was hilaroius, magic bullet milkshakes... brilliant!....I also read your blogs, daily. It's unbeatable entertainment. -Tim, 26, Endicott, NY
I've become an Attention. Deficit. Disorder. Groupie. Yes! -Audrey, 28, Mayfield Heights, OH
Finally got my copy today....read 20 chapters on the train on my way home from work....almost missed my stop. -Cherry, 26, Hawthorne, NJ
Brad, it is 3:24 AM in Michigan, and it is greatly owing to your book that I am still awake. In less than three hours I will be preparing for work, but what is that when there are such chapters to be read?....As I am nearing my final pages, I do not want the story to end. It's such a struggle with books that way....Indubitably, your book is going to be a real smasher. Thanks. I am eager to read the next one. *a wink of real serenity and real mischief* -Melissa, 26, Ann Arbor, MI
Bravo, Brad! Holy living fuck, bravo! This is one hell of a book. -Zachary, 25, Long Beach, CA
I just have to say that I love your blog. And this book is one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time....I could not put it down until I finished it....Told all my friends about it too….It brought up that subsurface urge....to quit my job and travel the world but then returned me to place my feet firmly on the ground again....Great characters....I think a lot of fiction lacks relatable, "real" feeling characters, and your characters just feel very familiar. I found it very human, very honest....made me see suicide in a different light....and in that, gave me a little peace too. So for that, thank you. Can't wait for your next one. -Heather, 29, Los Angeles
I don't want your book to end....I have been nipping away at it like a secret sacred candy bar....and quite literally, I find myself laughing out loud in train stations, in the car, in my hotel room late at night....You and that blunt vitriolic cadence....You've got it down to a science, Mister Listi....or as the Germans say, wissenschaft. -Milo, 35, Laurel Canyon, CA
That book of yours is great! I blew right through it and traditionally read at kind of a languid pace. I was very entertained and also impressed by how you are able to pull off that style of writing and have it move the way it did without it being at the expense of the reader being engaged with the characters. -Will, 31, New York City
Brad, I read A.D.D. yesterday and was riveted. I do have some questions for you, but I think I might put them in the form of an actual letter and see if I get my personalized response from you. Cheers! -Nikki F., 37, Los Angeles, CA
When I finally started reading your book, I couldn't put it down. I loved it. I finished it in three days. It was inspiring. I know that I sound like a raving lunatic right now, and I don't really know why I feel like telling you this whole story....So thank you. Strong work. I appreciate it. -Jon, 25, Minneapolis, MN
I just wanted to tell you that your blog is the highlight of my day….Thank you. - Veronika, 28, Detroit, MI
Well, I finished the book. I'm going to pimp it out to all my friends as the best and most unique thing I have read in a really long time (and I'm a pretty avid reader). Thank you! -SBF, 32, San Diego, CA
Just wanted to drop by and tell you that I am loving your book....I have an ex who committed suicide, so right off the bat I am totally relating....Before I started the book, I was hooked on your blogs....Thank you so much for putting yourself on Myspace.com, because if you hadn't, I may never have stumbled across this book! -Kevin, 25, Lexington, KY
It's mildly depressing that I, a 24-year-old in Pittsburgh, must look to a stranger's blog in LA in order to get my kicks. Even still, in a world filled with drab authors claiming to be humorists and humorists who think themselves to be overtly profound, I thank you for your uncanny ability to be both intelligent and witty....your precision with a pencil is evident both in your authorship, and in your jeans pocket target practice. -Kristen, 25, Pittsburgh, PA
Brad, you are a man with a finger firmly on the pulse of the Myspace universe, and I really care not to think about where you have the other fingers placed right now. Loving the blogs, brotha. -Brett, 34, New York City
Finished your book. Outstanding. I'd have to say my favorite part was when Wayne is interviewing Henry whilst drinking a 40 in a paper bag. Solid dialogue in that scene, almost Coen Brothers level. -Brian, 27, Long Beach, CA
I finally finished your lovely book. For some reason I started crying like a little baby at the end. I was all alone in my bed with 40 or so pages to go and I promised myself I'd only read a few chapters but, of course, became so engrossed I couldn't stop reading it until the very end….Finally I dozed off thinking about how I was going to Google Burning Man and around 4:00am I got a wake-up call from a mouse. Yes, a rodent. A disgusting squeaky rodent…..I heard it across the room in my small studio putting up a fight with a glue trap I put down for it under my fridge, which is conveniently located 5 feet from my bed (Gotta love NYC!). I became hysterical to the point of hyperventilation....In the end, my hysterics turned to rage. It was now 5:30am and by now the mouse had begun squeaking. I stuck my fingers in my ears and begun humming like Uncle Brian probably would…..In a fit of exhaustion and anger, I took the closest thing to me and chucked it at the fridge in hopes of getting it to shut the fuck up and DIE. I regretfully say the object that was hurled was your glorious book….Please forgive me…..With all due respect, your book, as much of an impact it made on me, did not make an impact on the mouse. -Taylor, 26, New York City
Your blog is my new energy drink. You know, my daily Cocaine. -Ayn, 37, Long Beach, CA
I started reading your blogs and now I forget what I was going to say. -Obadiah, 46, USA
Am reading Attention. Deficit. Disorder. and I LOVE IT!!! I flew out here to L.A. yesterday and read on the plane. I hate flying. But your book somehow made me forget that I was in the air. I shall recommend it to folks who like to get hopped up on drugs and Bloody Marys before getting on a plane. -Maridophilus, 32, USA
I am absolutely enthralled by your book. I just spent the past hour reading, and just past the spelunking bit I decided I needed to properly thank you, after which I read for another hour or so until I finally got on here. It is a delightfully enjoyable book, and after I finish reading it, I entirely plan on participating in the A.D.D. writing experiment. Thanks again, I'm off to finish reading! -Tracey, 16, USA
Stuck on the blog. Found you in a Myspace-induced coma....A trillion kudos. -Dan, 33, Columbus, OH
Reading your blog has become the highlight of my day. Either your blog is great or my life sucks. All joking aside, I love it. Thanks for writing. -Karen, 46, Massachusetts
I did want to let you know that I finished A.D.D. a week ago (it took me a whole two days to read) and loved it!!!....BRAVO!....In this day and age, it is so refreshing and exhilarating to find a good book I can get lost in. Yours was definitely one of the best in many years....Thank you, thank you, thank you for a great read and a great adventure! -Ariel, 23, Philadelphia, PA
I enjoyed your book….It single-handedly inspired me to add the Mantovani Orchesta's "Charmaine" to my music collection. -Brianne, 23, Las Vegas, NV
It's a day of epic porportions....I was first on your blog....and I finished your book....Today is a day that will go down in the history books....You are an amazing writer....Thank you for sharing your talent! -Leslie, 24, Idaho
It was a great book. I feel like you have basically summarized the collective opinions of my generation. Most of my peers are at this very point in life. Soul searching. Wondering what it's all about....I'm recommending it with fervor. I'm also stealing all of your friends. -Morgan, 25, Cedar Rapids, IA
I read A.D.D. cover to cover this past weekend. I have had it for over a week and was planning on saving it for my plane ride to the UK, but alas, t'was not to be. I couldn't help myself....I finished it last night and already I miss Wayne....What a wonderful use of my weekend. Really the most productive one in awhile....Thank you for sending Wayne my way. -Jessica, 23, Aspen, CO
I finished the book at about 2 a.m. this morning and all I can say is you are a rock star!....It was great!!! I love the descriptions of Burning Man and EVERYTHING ELSE. You've inspired me to write more. Which I should be doing every day....Thank you! -Sean, 30, Orange, NJ
Man, your blogs are gold, pure gold. -Ashley, 32, Nashville, TN
You might not remember, but I told you of my mother using your book for her book club. My brother Ernie may have mentioned it too....I went home for a weekend, and told her about what I was reading and that she might like it. She finished it before I left. Needless to say, she liked it. She wondered if she was the only 56 year old woman who would be into it. So I suggested she use it for her turn in book club....The women her age could really relate to the story because it reminded them of their own kids....I'm glad I was able to spread the word about your book, and I love reading your blogs....Thanks, and can't wait for your next novel. -Darcy, 30, Pacific Beach, CA
I've passed your book on to my whole family. They loved it. My mom is using it as next month's selection for her book club. -Ernie, 32, San Ramon, CA
I truly enjoy the blog. I have spent countless hours of my non-working existence reading it. Your writing is very Kurt Vonnegut-esque, with the pictures and all. I am very excited to read your book. -John, 36, Portland, OR
I finished your book about 20 minutes ago....Thanks for writing a wonderful novel....It will stick with me. I look forward to your next book and more blogs! -Emily, 32, New York City
I really enjoy reading your blogs.....I can honestly relate to so many of your opinions and topics it's not even funny....I actually printed out two days of blogs today so I could go out and read them during lunch!....Kudos....Keep it coming....Give me something to do....I dare you!! -Ginger, 33, Oregon City, OR
Finished reading A.D.D. last night---LOVED it! I eagerly await any and all future novels....I'm officially addicted to your writing. -Amanda, 21, Chico, CA
I'm addicted. Your blog is the first thing I check when I get on Myspace. Looking forward to reading the book. -Jeremy, 23, Denver, CO
Thank you for taking the time to write your daily blogs. They are so entertaining (everyone in my office looks forward to reading them each and every day). Please keep up the fantastic lit and humor! -Jamie, 28, Beaverton, OR
I just finished reading Attention. Deficit. Disorder....I thought the ending was perfect....It was a crazy journey and very insightful....I now have one more thing to do before I die: see what Burning Man is like first-hand! Good luck with everything! Thanks for the book! - Jason, 25, Des Moines, IA
I finished your book over the weekend (I even had it special-ordered and delivered to my local Borders). Amazing that a blog could make me want to order a book. IT WAS WELL WORTH IT. Your writing style is so intriguing, and the plot was wonderful....I enjoyed the book greatly, and am even sending it to my gentleman friend who's deployed to Guam so he can see for himself what I've been raving to him about. -Abby, 24, Omaha, NE
Just wanted to drop in and say that I devoured the book, and it was incredible. I am already eager for the next one, but I suppose the blogs will have to tide me over until then....You also inspired me to finally start planning the Burning Man trip I've been talking about forever. Cheers! -Monica, 28, Reno, NV
I just finished your book. I should have been studying for a final, but couldn't put it down. Did you know Darren Aronofsky was supposed to be studying for a final as well when he decided to read Requeim For A Dream instead? I'm just trying to justify my lack of studying....But anyway, nicely done. An amazing novel. -Dave, 24, Hyde Park, MA
I finished the book a week or two ago, and I have to say it's one of the best things I've read in a while. -Jake, 28, Iraq
I tell people about you. And my friends read over my shoulder....If I'm on Myspace lately, my boyfriend asks me if I'm reading The A.D.D. Blog. Haha. Thanks Brad! -PRP, 22, Lake Buena Vista, FL
I'm on p.312 of A.D.D. and what I want to know is when does your NEXT BOOK come out? I don't want to finish the book 'cause then it will END. Incidentally, reading it in the wake of your post about your friend and now your recent engagement has made it all the more poignant. -BBL, 42, San Marcos, CA
Brad, I just finished. It was absolutely beautiful. I posted a review on Amazon. -Nicole, 43, California
I finished your book last night. It was truly fantastic---creative, original, a real page-turner, and very thought-provoking. In fact, I was kind of sad when I got to the last page; I didn't want it to end. Anyway, thanks so much....My life is a little better now that I've read Attention. Deficit. Disorder. -Erika, 29, New York City
Other things to potentially consider:
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ALSO: I HAVE ANOTHER MYSPACE PROFILE, AND IT CAN BE FOUND RIGHT HERE:
http://www.myspace.com/bradlisti
INTERVIEWS:
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CONVERSATIONS WITH FAMOUS WRITERS
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TO READ A REVIEW OF ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. PLEASE CLICK RIGHT HERE .
AND HERE'S SOME MORE PRAISE FOR ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER:

"Recall the Ritalin! Brad Listi's writing, in this post-modern meditation on love and loss, is spellbinding, knowing, intelligent and hip. The primary side effect is epiphany."
- Susan Compo , Life After Death, Malingering and Pretty Things

"It's not easy writing lightly about heavy things, but Brad Listi makes it look effortless. A.D.D. is a wild American picaresque.
- Stewart O'Nan , New York Times Bestselling author of The Good Wife, Wish You Were Here, and A Prayer for the Dying.

"In his graceful debut novel, Brad Listi evokes a portrait of grief that is weird and true. At once an adventure and a deep character study, ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. is a book you'll want to share."
- Owen King , We're All In This Together

"A lot of young turks make their narrators shrewd and perceptive, but I've never met a shrewd, perceptive 22-year-old. Brad Listi's narrator, Wayne Fencer, doesn't know anything. Which is why I liked him."
- Benjamin Nugent , Elliot Smith & the Big Nothing
And hey.
Click these icons for more good literary fun:

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 7/28/2005
Band Website: bradlisti.com
Band Members: brad listi
Influences: Milan Kundera, Hunter S. Thompson, Henry Miller, Kurt Vonnegut, Shel Silverstein, Louis-Ferdinand Celine, John Kennedy Toole, Charles Bukowski, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Thich Nhat Hahn, Ken Kesey, J.D. Salinger, Malcolm Gladwell, James Joyce, Don DeLillo, Hubert Selby, Michel Houellebecq, Bob Dylan, David Berman, Harry Houdini, T.C. Boyle, David Foster Wallace, Steve Almond, Chuck Palahniuk, Chuck Klosterman, Bret Easton Ellis, Norman Mailer, Rick Moody, Chris Van Allsburg, Anais Nin, Susan Compo, James Baldwin, Irwin Shaw, Milo Martin, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Raymond Carver, Jon Krakauer, Arundhati Roy, C.S. Lewis, Tom Wolfe, Joseph Heller, Wallace Stegner, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, etc.
Sounds Like: Bill Hicks on Valium, with a laughtrack that sounds like something from 'The Bozo Show.'
Record Label: Simon & Schuster
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

GORE VIDAL: LITERARY LION

Not sure if you saw this interview in the New York Times magazine. A short conversation with the great Gore Vidal, one of America's most important---and funniest---writers. A total giant. He's ...
Posted by ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. by Brad Listi on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:34:00 PST

STATUS REPORT: BIG EASY WEEKEND

Day 684 of THENERVOUSBREAKDOWN.COM experiment.Wife and I were in New Orleans all weekend for a family wedding. My cousin got hitched at St. Louis cathedral in Jackson Square on Saturday. We second-l...
Posted by ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. by Brad Listi on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:29:00 PST

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY RIGHT NOW IF YOU WERE STONED TO THE BONE ON SODIUM PENTOTHAL?

Day 680 of THENERVOUSBREAKDOWN.COM experiment.I like the idea of sodium pentothal. Truth serum. The stuff of spy movies. You give somebody a shot of this barbiturate concoction, and now all of a su...
Posted by ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. by Brad Listi on Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:39:00 PST

YES, WE CANNOT IMPEACH THIS GUY IF WE WANT TO TAKE A PRINCIPLED STAND ON THE FUTURE--(BARF)

Day 679 of THENERVOUSBREAKDOWN.COM experiment.Here's a weird comparison: Barack Obama and the Grateful Dead. They kind of remind me of one another. I used to feel sort of bad for the Grateful Dead....
Posted by ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. by Brad Listi on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:14:00 PST

ON DOUCHEBAGGERY

Day 678 of THENERVOUSBREAKDOWN.COM experiment.According to Wikipedia a douchebag is "a piece of equipment for douching: a bag for holding the water or fluid used in douching."But for the purposes of t...
Posted by ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. by Brad Listi on Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:06:00 PST

READER SURVEY: BARACK OBAMA’S BICYCLE OUTING AND THE PERILS OF POLITICAL FASHION SENSE

Day 677 of THENERVOUSBREAKDOWN.COM experiment.Maybe you've seen this story out on the wire. Barack Obama, enjoying a rare weekend of leisure at home in Chicago. He took his family on a bicycle outin...
Posted by ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. by Brad Listi on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:07:00 PST

I THINK I KNOW WHO OBAMAS V.P. IS GONNA BE

I think I just had an epiphany regarding the Veepstakes debate and Barack Obama's selection process in particular.  I was reading the newspaper in a state of customary numbness, and all of a sudd...
Posted by ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. by Brad Listi on Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:48:00 PST

EXPOSED

Day 674 of THENERVOUSBREAKDOWN.COM experiment.Not sure if you saw this in the New York Times magazine a couple of weeks ago. A very interesting piece by Emily Gould, worth reading in its entirety.You...
Posted by ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. by Brad Listi on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:02:00 PST

MILLARD KAUFMAN AND DAVID BOWIE ARE STILL GOLDEN GODS, OR: EXPERIENCE IS AN OVERRATED VIRTUE

Day 673 of THENERVOUSBREAKDOWN.COM experiment.I think it's worth mentioning this "experience" thing, and how overrated it almost always is, and not just in the world of politics. I'll give you a coup...
Posted by ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. by Brad Listi on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:18:00 PST

PONDERING JURY DUTY AND HEMORRHOID OINTMENT, OR: THIS IS WHAT WOMEN WANT?

Day 672 of THENERVOUSBREAKDOWN.COM experiment.What do I want to say today? Not much. Brain dead. Got up early. Went walking. Dealt with jury summons.Jury summons.I got summonsed. (Summonsed?) S...
Posted by ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER. by Brad Listi on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:27:00 PST