Max Hartman is an IT specialist. A few years ago he moved abroad with his wife, to a country where neither of them spoke the language, and they worked it out the slow way, on the ground. His wife now teaches English to adults: transferred professionals, trailing partners, people seeking asylum.
He wrote The Relocation Companion about the move he actually made — the one he and his wife did badly at first, then figured out what would have helped. Screen-Proof Family he comes at from the other side of his work: he knows how the phone in your pocket is built to pull at you, and what that does to the kids growing up around it.
He writes from what he’s lived or learned, not from theory, and brings in research only where it earns its place. He’ll tell you the truth about how hard a thing is, and give you something concrete to do about it. That’s the whole job.
Q&A
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Screen-Proof Family. It came from watching friends with kids — seeing how their children used screens and the smart speaker with its voice assistant at home.
What inspired you to write your first book?
My first book is about the relocation experience. I’d seen so many people struggle, unable to navigate it, sometimes unable to even put into words what was happening to them. And I noticed there was barely anything out there speaking to and about the partners of expats.
Did you learn anything from writing your book, and what was it?
Yes, it’s how I work. I mostly write about things I’ve experienced myself, then sanity-check them against the latest studies from around the world. I question myself a lot, so leaning on that research helps me regain confidence that I’m not completely mad.
Do you have anything specific you want to say to your readers?
I hope what I do can help you. If even a single person finds the support I didn’t have at the time or gains visibility on the things most of us miss — I’m happy. Mission accomplished.
Do you write an outline before every book?
I’m an overthinker by nature, so yes. I outline, build a foundation, prepare the research, and test everything with someone who can tolerate my awful scribbles and mad drafts — my wife. Only when she says it’s good (and trust me, that’s hard to get) do I start writing the prose. By then, I usually have a great deal of the book already in my head.
What is your favorite movie and why?
A single movie is hard to name, but I can name a filmmaker — Alexander Sokurov. He made a few that influenced me a lot.
Do you like audiobooks, physical books, or e-books better? Why?
I love books in all their shapes and forms. On the go, it’s audiobooks; commuting, usually e-books. At home I keep a collection of physical books — mostly the ones I’m attached to, the ones that mean something to me. Those I’ll buy in paper to read a second or third time.
Connect with Max online
Website: https://www.hartmanmax.com
Screen-Proof Family is available for purchase on Amazon.