This book and my deep dive into open educational resources (OER) are thanks to Sunny Pai. I fondly recall the moment by Lama Library when she opened my eyes to the social justice impact of OER and the myriad benefits of zero-cost textbooks. From that time on, her heroic efforts have been instrumental to this project and my growth as an OER advocate.
I am tremendously grateful for Jason Ford who, with Sunny Pai’s collaboration, took on the quest to find over one hundred open-access images to bring my manuscript to life. In addition to lending his artistic vision, Jason also tuned in to my aesthetic for the book, and that is testimony to his brilliance and intuition. Not only could I have never found all those images; the book would surely be another year in the making without Jason’s genius. Nicholas Wong also deserves some of the appreciation, as he found several images during the early phase of this project. I am thankful to the artists who created all those meaningful images and made the choice to share with no paywall so my readers will have the pleasure of seeing their work. Special thanks to Stéphane Granzotto for his generosity in giving us permission to use his whale photo that Jason, Sunny, and I were in awe of when we saw it in National Geographic.
My profound thanks to Anya Dimitrijevic, Somer Rickards, ʻIwalani Clayton, Malia Hasegawa, Tiare Sabellano-Tsutsui, Mary Shook-Starsinic, Hikialani Guzman, and Joyce Tokuda for creating imaginative artwork that is nowhere else to be found. I am inspired by their generosity, providing these images with open-access attribution licenses so others will be able to benefit from their creations. Additional thanks to ʻIwalani Clayton for verifying ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Language of Hawaiʻi) throughout the book.
One of the many reasons I dedicated this book to my students is because of their wholehearted requests, year after year, that I create it. Every semester I teach my class on the science of sleep, I feel deeply blessed to meet all these courageous, talented, compassionate, humorous students, who are eager to explore every imaginable dimension of sleep and even willing to laugh at my jokes!
Thank you to my mom and dad, Coy and Sherry Shook, for giving me so much unconditional love and acceptance. The opportunities they created for me were such treasures and an enormous part of who I am today.
Through her graceful combination of strength, humor, and wisdom, my daughter Mary provided me with insights and meaningful conversation, especially around social justice and antiracism, that impacted this book and beyond. My son, Doug Jr., brought the best stories, laughs, and music exactly when I needed them. Time after time, my daughter Angie gave me caring and comfort in her home, especially during those long hours I spent writing during “breaks” at the semester’s end. I am enormously grateful for all three of my children for providing the inspiration, good times, and hope I needed to get this book written.
My muse, surfer boy, and man of my dreams, Doug Fetterly, deserves my warmest appreciation for being by my side while writing and surfing and dancing and nurturing me so I could write and write and write. I also send admiration to Doug for teaching me how to show up in Washington, DC, and lobby Congress, and for the many ways he models civic engagement.
I send heartfelt gratitude to my dear grandchildren, who provided me with the spark and vitality to write this book by bringing me joy, love, and a sense of belonging that are beyond my wildest dreams.
