Synopses & Reviews
No Better Time tells of a young, driven mathematical genius who wrote a set of algorithms that would create a faster, better Internet. Its the story of a beautiful friendship between a loud, irreverent student and his soft-spoken MIT professor, of a husband and father who spent years struggling to make ends meet only to become a billionaire almost overnight with the success of Akamai Technologies, the Internet content delivery network he cofounded with his mentor.
Danny Lewins brilliant but brief life is largely unknown because, until now, those closest to him have guarded their memories and quietly mourned their loss. For Lewin was almost certainly the first victim of 9/11, stabbed to death at age 31 while trying to overpower the terrorists who would eventually fly American Flight 11 into the World Trade Center. But ironically it was 9/11 that proved the ultimate test for Lewins vision—while phone communication failed and web traffic surged as never before, the critical news and government sites that relied on Akamai—and the technology pioneered by Danny Lewin—remained up and running.
Review
Kirkus Reviews, 8/1/13 Bittersweet but celebratory.”
Synopsis
One part A Beautiful Mind, one part The Accidental Billionaires, the extraordinary story of a young genius whose pioneering work not only transformed the internet, but made him a billionaire overnight—and how a life cut tragically short can still leave behind a powerful and lasting legacy.
Synopsis
No Better Time is the story of Danny Lewin, an extraordinarily gifted young man who believed anything was possible and let nothing stand in his way. Of an All-American kid who was moved to Israel against his will and ended up falling hopelessly in love with the country, serving as a commander in the most elite unit of its army. Of a young soldier who was trained to hunt and kill terrorists and later—in a tragic twist of irony—died at their hands on the morning of September 11th. Of a beautiful friendship between a loud, irreverent young computer science student and a soft-spoken, reserved professor. Of a husband and father who spent years struggling to make ends meet only to become a billionaire almost overnight with the success of his web application company, Akamai. Of a theoretical mathematician who wrote an algorithm that would not only change the Internet—it would change the world.
Synopsis
Based on extensive original research and interviews, a riveting personal and high-tech story, with a heartbreaking 9/11 coda
About the Author
Molly Raskin is a freelance writer, reporter, and producer with more than a decade of experience in national media.
Molly began her career at The Baltimore Sun. In her three years at the newspaper, she wrote more than 350 storiesincluding front-page features and breaking news.
Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Scientific American Mind, Psychology Today, and The Washington Post. She is also a contributing writer to Lives,” a biannual special issue of Scientific American dedicated to the most pressing issues in global health. She was honored with a 2007 Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism and the 2010 American Psychoanalytic Associations Award for Excellence in Journalism.
In 2004, Molly joined The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer as a political reporter, where she covered immigration, the White House, and the 2006 Election.
Her television credits also include two hour-long documentaries for PBS: Where We Stand: Americas Schools in the 21st Century” and A Cry for Help: Teenage Mental Illness and Suicide." Most recently, Molly co-produced a series of short documentaries on the recession for a national foundation with Academy-Award winning filmmaker Thomas Lennon. She is also the co-founder of Gravy Pictures, an independent film and production company focused on documentary-style storytelling.
Molly earned her MS from Columbia Universitys Graduate School of Journalism and her BA from the University of Virginia. She serves as a freelance writing instructor for the NY-based Media Bistro.
Molly lives outside New York City with her husband and two young daughters.