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The Pull of the Program: One Child. One Choice. One Chance to Stay Human.
One child. One choice. One chance to stay human.
The Pull of the Program is a wake-up, urgent and tender at the same time. It is a call to notice what we are losing and a reminder of how precious childhood is.
Told in the unguarded voice of a child, it captures the choice that defines a generation. Look down, or look up. Follow the glow, or step into the world that waits. That voice forces us to face the question we can no longer what is childhood worth.
This novel reaches families. It resonates in classrooms. But above all it belongs to this cultural moment, an age when presence itself is slipping through our hands.
It carries the poetic simplicity of Wonder. The tenderness of Because of Winn-Dixie. The social bite of The Boy at the Back of the Class. But it tackles the modern battle reshaping us the algorithm powered by AI, rewriting childhood in real time and trading imagination for attention.
This book is perfect for ages 8–12, yet it is meant to be shared across generations. It does not instruct. It moves. It lingers. It reminds us what is at stake.
The Pull of the Program is not only a story. It is resistance. It calls us back to connection. To the real touchpoints of family, imagination, and time. And it restores the wisdom once passed between generations, before the hand that reached for knowledge became the hand that reached for a screen.
If childhood is the price of progress, this book refuses to pay it. Because no AI can replace what it means to be human.
Because when children lose focus, they do not just miss a moment.
They miss becoming who they are meant to be.
The conversation does not end here. Continue it at sarahkissane.com
The Pull of the Program is a wake-up, urgent and tender at the same time. It is a call to notice what we are losing and a reminder of how precious childhood is.
Told in the unguarded voice of a child, it captures the choice that defines a generation. Look down, or look up. Follow the glow, or step into the world that waits. That voice forces us to face the question we can no longer what is childhood worth.
This novel reaches families. It resonates in classrooms. But above all it belongs to this cultural moment, an age when presence itself is slipping through our hands.
It carries the poetic simplicity of Wonder. The tenderness of Because of Winn-Dixie. The social bite of The Boy at the Back of the Class. But it tackles the modern battle reshaping us the algorithm powered by AI, rewriting childhood in real time and trading imagination for attention.
This book is perfect for ages 8–12, yet it is meant to be shared across generations. It does not instruct. It moves. It lingers. It reminds us what is at stake.
The Pull of the Program is not only a story. It is resistance. It calls us back to connection. To the real touchpoints of family, imagination, and time. And it restores the wisdom once passed between generations, before the hand that reached for knowledge became the hand that reached for a screen.
If childhood is the price of progress, this book refuses to pay it. Because no AI can replace what it means to be human.
Because when children lose focus, they do not just miss a moment.
They miss becoming who they are meant to be.
The conversation does not end here. Continue it at sarahkissane.com
84 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 7, 2025
About the author
Sarah Kissane
6 books1 followerSarah Kissane is a writer, mother, and truth-teller creating work that challenges the stories we’ve inherited — and invites us to imagine something radically more human.
After writing The Special Two — a private tribute to her son — Obsolete: The Education Wake-Up Call became her first public release: a bold invitation to rethink the future we’re building in the age of AI.
She’s also the founder of Words With Heart Press and the author of The Truth Stack — a raw, unfiltered trilogy of survival guides for writers, thinkers, and creators navigating self-publishing and digital overwhelm.
Her writing is grounded, emotionally clear, and committed to protecting what must remain — even as the world rapidly changes around us.
More at sarahkissane.com
After writing The Special Two — a private tribute to her son — Obsolete: The Education Wake-Up Call became her first public release: a bold invitation to rethink the future we’re building in the age of AI.
She’s also the founder of Words With Heart Press and the author of The Truth Stack — a raw, unfiltered trilogy of survival guides for writers, thinkers, and creators navigating self-publishing and digital overwhelm.
Her writing is grounded, emotionally clear, and committed to protecting what must remain — even as the world rapidly changes around us.
More at sarahkissane.com
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 27, 2025
Sarah Kissane’s "The Pull of the Program" is a compelling memoir that shows us that despite hurling into the Intelligence Age, we can never forget what makes us human - connection, kindness, compassions, love, fear, excitement and that simple feeling of fresh air on our faces. What makes this book so accessible and affecting is Kissane’s easy-to-read writing style - gentle and direct - yet grounded in lived experience. Her words don’t try to impress; they connect through uncomplicated human storytelling.
Throughout each page, you feel every word. You feel the questions, the resistance, the wonder. It resonates because it's true. But it's not trying to rattle or punish us. It wants to coax us out of the inevitable spiral. It's telling us not to feel we have to choose between the magic within and around us and the bright, shiny new age things. It's a quiet reminder to not forget what's important and what matters, and Sarah does this beautifully through the eyes of her boy.
For readers looking for something real, thoughtful, and soulfully written without being dense or overly academic, "The Pull of the Program" is a refreshing read for old and young minds!
Throughout each page, you feel every word. You feel the questions, the resistance, the wonder. It resonates because it's true. But it's not trying to rattle or punish us. It wants to coax us out of the inevitable spiral. It's telling us not to feel we have to choose between the magic within and around us and the bright, shiny new age things. It's a quiet reminder to not forget what's important and what matters, and Sarah does this beautifully through the eyes of her boy.
For readers looking for something real, thoughtful, and soulfully written without being dense or overly academic, "The Pull of the Program" is a refreshing read for old and young minds!
Displaying 1 of 1 review