A few good books

One of my first posts when I started this blog was a number of Book Reviews. Later that year, I listed some Books I would like to read, but I never got around to reading a single one of these. I did read several others, and wrote about this as Worthwhile Reading at the end of that year.

Here is an updated list of books I’ve read and would recommend:

Seeing What’s Next by Christensen et al – if you haven’t read the innovator’s Dilemma or The Innovators Solution, you can jump right in to this book. It’s an excellent strategic perspective for start-up businesses.

The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki. This is the bible if you are starting any kind of new enterprise, for profit or not.

Nine Shift by William Draves & Julie Coates. A look at the parallels between the beginning of the last century and this one. A fascinating read on what could happen as we transition to the Internet Age.

Solving Tough Problems by Adam Kahane. Short but powerful book on working with complex issues.
The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford. Economics for average folks. A fun read with plenty of insights on “why the rich are rich, the poor are poor – and why you can never buy a decent used care”.

A Whole New Mind by Dan Pink. Definitely one to read if you haven’t picked this one up yet. Pink’s book shows the importance of creativity and empathy as critical skills for future success in life. It may have you reconsider your child’s higher education options.

I’m currently reading Ideas, based on the CBC radio program and have just ordered read The Wealth of Networks [The most comprehensive analysis on our change to a networked digital economy. This is not light reading, but is a required resource for anyone seriously considering the implications of the internet age on our economy, our governance and our society.]

Update 2007

The Upside of Down by Thomas Homer-Dixon. Much of the book is dedicated to an explanation of the five tectonic stresses that we face as a civilization – population; energy; environmental; climate and economic. The main message of the book is that in times of crisis and destruction come opportunities for regeneration. This requires a “prospective mind” that can anticipate crises and prepare for them. Homer-Dixon encourages building resilience into our communities and economies, so that we are not dependent on tightly coupled global supply chains.

Informal Learning by Jay Cross. Even though I read several of the manuscripts, the book is much better. It’s synthesized, flows and has great graphics. I am a huge proponent of the importance of informal learning for our society and Jay covers a lot of ground in his book. This is a book that you can use as an introduction to the subject or as a reference. Highly recommended.

Getting to Maybe by Westley, Zimmerman & Patton. This is a book about social innovation in complex environments (our world). It covers the stories of many social innovators and discusses the various parts of a common path that many take. This is a path with no map and no destination. Getting to maybe, or “if only …”, starts with the first step of realising that here and now is the best and only place to start. A chapter is dedicated to each identified step, but these are more like checkpoints than actual steps in a process. There are no answers in this book but I think that it may be an inspiration for many who are on the journey of social innovation and need to know that they are not alone.

How Computer Games Help Children Learn by David Williamson Shaffer. This is an excellent book for anyone interested in learning and education, but the title is a bit misleading. It’s more about the theory and practice of authentic learning experiences than specific computer games. Many of games mentioned in the book, like the debating game, are not computer-based, but could be computer enhanced. Shaffer’s book is really about epistemic games, or games that are fundamentally about learning to think in innovative ways.