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Noticing: How we Attend to the World and Each Other
What does it mean to 'notice' something? To really see it. In his exhilarating quest to help us notice better, Ziyad Marar poses a deceptively simple 'what are you good at noticing?' In the process of 'noticing what we notice' we re-attune to questions of perception, orientation, and above all, How do we walk the wrong way down the street without being aware of it? What is happening in us when our eyes pass unseeing over a familiar face in a crowded restaurant? Are we looking up into the sky, or down at the ground? And when we notice what we notice, and what we overlook, what do we learn about ourselves?
In a triple corkscrew of philosophy, psychology and art, particularly literature, Marar unwinds the impenetrable tangles of noticing in a world replete with distractions, interruptions and, at times, horror. Invisible gorillas, con artists and magicians are among the unlikely assistants enlisted in the task of trying to work out not just what noticing is, but what it could be; a practice of deeply minded attention, of thoughtful witnessing. In the end, our noticing is tied up with the very core of our humanity – the capacity to connect, to care, to attend to others and the world.
In a triple corkscrew of philosophy, psychology and art, particularly literature, Marar unwinds the impenetrable tangles of noticing in a world replete with distractions, interruptions and, at times, horror. Invisible gorillas, con artists and magicians are among the unlikely assistants enlisted in the task of trying to work out not just what noticing is, but what it could be; a practice of deeply minded attention, of thoughtful witnessing. In the end, our noticing is tied up with the very core of our humanity – the capacity to connect, to care, to attend to others and the world.
- GenresNonfiction
264 pages, Hardcover
Published September 4, 2025
2 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Ziyad Marar
8 books7 followersZiyad Marar is an author and President of Global Publishing at SAGE Publishing.
Marar was born in 1966 in Baghdad, Iraq, then lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Beirut, Lebanon before moving with his family to London in the late 1970s.
He attended Exeter University where he obtained a BSc in psychology. He completed an MA in the philosophy and psychology of language from Birkbeck, University of London.
Marar joined SAGE in 1989 and has worked across all aspects of publishing. He was appointed Editorial Director in 1997, Deputy Managing Director in 2006, and took on a more global role in 2010 as Global Publishing Director. In 2016, Marar was promoted to President, Global Publishing where he has overall responsibility for SAGE's publishing strategy .
In recent years at SAGE, Marar has also focused on supporting the social sciences more generally. He has spoken and written on this theme in various international contexts.
In early 2015 was appointed to the board of the Campaign for Social Science (CfSS) and in 2020 he was elected as a fellow of the Academy of Social Science, an event he reflected on in a widely read article for Social Science Space. In 2015, Marar was invited to sit on the board of trustees for the UK academic news site, The Conversation.
He also sits on the boards of the Big House Theatre Company, and The Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights.
He lives in London with his wife and three daughters.
Marar was born in 1966 in Baghdad, Iraq, then lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Beirut, Lebanon before moving with his family to London in the late 1970s.
He attended Exeter University where he obtained a BSc in psychology. He completed an MA in the philosophy and psychology of language from Birkbeck, University of London.
Marar joined SAGE in 1989 and has worked across all aspects of publishing. He was appointed Editorial Director in 1997, Deputy Managing Director in 2006, and took on a more global role in 2010 as Global Publishing Director. In 2016, Marar was promoted to President, Global Publishing where he has overall responsibility for SAGE's publishing strategy .
In recent years at SAGE, Marar has also focused on supporting the social sciences more generally. He has spoken and written on this theme in various international contexts.
In early 2015 was appointed to the board of the Campaign for Social Science (CfSS) and in 2020 he was elected as a fellow of the Academy of Social Science, an event he reflected on in a widely read article for Social Science Space. In 2015, Marar was invited to sit on the board of trustees for the UK academic news site, The Conversation.
He also sits on the boards of the Big House Theatre Company, and The Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights.
He lives in London with his wife and three daughters.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 22, 2026
I picked up this book because the art of noticing is one that I am very much interested in. I do plenty of it - on bus rides, out on walks, when I am taking photos wherever it feels necessary. It helps to remind yourself of just how big the world is and just how small you are. It is therapeutic in many ways.
I enjoyed reading Noticing, and thought that Ziyad did an excellent job at using various sources such as essays and works of literature to convey his points. There is plenty to think about with each chapter, and ultimately he encourages you to reflect on just what it means to notice somebody and to make them feel heard and seen.
My rating is a reflection of the fact that I've given considerable consideration to many of the concepts he talks about in the book (e.g the dissolution of ego with 'unselfing', spotlight vs lantern) and that in certain sections I felt as though some of his points were unnecessarily long and convoluted or supported and bolstered to a degree unnecessary to the complexity of the point being made - or perhaps my preliminary understanding of the topic helped bridge the gap which he imagined many readers would require help crossing.
Overall, I would recommend this read to everyone who is interested in learning more about themselves (what it means to notice what they tend to notice), want further reading (some of the references I have added to my reading list!) and have some grasp of the topic but want to find out further what it means to notice and attend to somebody.
I enjoyed reading Noticing, and thought that Ziyad did an excellent job at using various sources such as essays and works of literature to convey his points. There is plenty to think about with each chapter, and ultimately he encourages you to reflect on just what it means to notice somebody and to make them feel heard and seen.
My rating is a reflection of the fact that I've given considerable consideration to many of the concepts he talks about in the book (e.g the dissolution of ego with 'unselfing', spotlight vs lantern) and that in certain sections I felt as though some of his points were unnecessarily long and convoluted or supported and bolstered to a degree unnecessary to the complexity of the point being made - or perhaps my preliminary understanding of the topic helped bridge the gap which he imagined many readers would require help crossing.
Overall, I would recommend this read to everyone who is interested in learning more about themselves (what it means to notice what they tend to notice), want further reading (some of the references I have added to my reading list!) and have some grasp of the topic but want to find out further what it means to notice and attend to somebody.
Displaying 1 of 1 review