If you are looking for a book about data or technology, this page might help. The books on this page are related to my work. and I have enjoyed reading them. They are grouped under theory, practice and fiction.

Theory

The list below contains books that helped me become a better data professional. The topics include AI, data analysis, design, media, technology, and (tech) philosophy.

All Data Are Local: Thinking Critically in a Data-Driven Society
Yanni Alexander Loukissas / 2019

Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning
Thomas H. Davenport / 2017

Computing Power and Human Reason: From Judgement to Calculation
Joseph Weizenbaum / 1976

Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change
Victor Papenek / 1972

Invisible Women
Caroline Criado Pérez / 2019

Leading Public Design
Christian Bason / 2017

Living In Data: A Citizen’s Guide to a Better Information future
Jer Thorp / 2021

Team Human
Douglas Ruskoff / 2019

Technics and Civilization
Lewis Mumford / 1934

The Black Swan
Nassim Nicholas Taleb / 2007

The Lean Startup
Eric Ries / 2011

The Mind’s I
Douglas R. Hofstadter, Daniel C. Dennett / 1985

The Signal and The Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail, But Some Don’t
Nate Silver / 2012

Thinking Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman / 2011

Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
Marshall McLuhan / 1964

User Friendly: How the Hidden Rules of Design Are Changing they Way We Live, Work, and Play
Cliff Kuang / 2019

Practice

These books teach you a hard skill, like a programming language. I normally approach a new language by googling (make that duckduckgoing) my way through my first project. When I’ve used a language a few times, I pick up a book.

Python Crash Course
Eric Matthes / 2015

Learning SQL
Alan Beaulieu / 2005

Fiction

I think fiction is a great way to explore topics. The list below contains both books that share a serious message and books that are just great fun when you are working in data. Regardless, they are related to data and technology.

Cryptonomicon
Neal Stephenson / 1999

Player Piano
Kurt Vonnegut / 1952

Snow Crash
Neal Stephenson / 1992

The Circle
Dave Eggers / 2013

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams / 1979

1984
George Orwell / 1949