Acknowledgments

This book would not have been possible without the guidance, support, and encouragement from many people in my life.

Thanks to Scott Meyers for the Effective Software Development series. I first read Effective C++ when I was 15 years old and fell in love with the language. There’s no doubt that Scott’s books led to my academic experience and first job at Google. I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to write this book.

Thanks to my core technical reviewers for the depth and thoroughness of their feedback: Brett Cannon, Tavis Rudd, and Mike Taylor. Thanks to Leah Culver and Adrian Holovaty for thinking this book would be a good idea. Thanks to my friends who patiently read earlier versions of this book: Michael Levine, Marzia Niccolai, Ade Oshineye, and Katrina Sostek. Thanks to my colleagues at Google for their review. Without all of your help, this book would have been inscrutable.

Thanks to everyone involved in making this book a reality. Thanks to my editor Trina MacDonald for kicking off the process and being supportive throughout. Thanks to the team who were instrumental: development editors Tom Cirtin and Chris Zahn, editorial assistant Olivia Basegio, marketing manager Stephane Nakib, copy editor Stephanie Geels, and production editor Julie Nahil.

Thanks to the wonderful Python programmers I’ve known and worked with: Anthony Baxter, Brett Cannon, Wesley Chun, Jeremy Hylton, Alex Martelli, Neal Norwitz, Guido van Rossum, Andy Smith, Greg Stein, and Ka-Ping Yee. I appreciate your tutelage and leadership. Python has an excellent community and I feel lucky to be a part of it.

Thanks to my teammates over the years for letting me be the worst player in the band. Thanks to Kevin Gibbs for helping me take risks. Thanks to Ken Ashcraft, Ryan Barrett, and Jon McAlister for showing me how it’s done. Thanks to Brad Fitzpatrick for taking it to the next level. Thanks to Paul McDonald for co-founding our crazy project. Thanks to Jeremy Ginsberg and Jack Hebert for making it a reality.

Thanks to the inspiring programming teachers I’ve had: Ben Chelf, Vince Hugo, Russ Lewin, Jon Stemmle, Derek Thomson, and Daniel Wang. Without your instruction, I would never have pursued our craft or gained the perspective required to teach others.

Thanks to my mother for giving me a sense of purpose and encouraging me to become a programmer. Thanks to my brother, my grandparents, and the rest of my family and childhood friends for being role models as I grew up and found my passion.

Finally, thanks to my wife, Colleen, for her love, support, and laughter through the journey of life.