Books About Steve Jobs That Suck Less Than The Official Biography

Steve

When the official Steve Jobs biography came out last year, hordes of people went out and bought it. Not just nerds either. Great numbers of regular Joes picked up and read Walter Isaacson’s “Steve Jobs.” All in all, it isn’t a great book. Outside of some things about Steve’s sickness and personal life, there isn’t anything new or interesting. It involves a lot of rehashing previously released interviews and biographies. Let’s just say that it didn’t live up to what it could have been. Turns out, there are better books that you can read, and still get most of the same information.

First of all, I have to recommend The Second Coming of Steve Jobs by Alan Deutschman. This was the first biography that I ever read of Steve, and it is very thorough and incredibly interesting. It’s fast paced enough to keep even non-nerds invested in finding out what happens next. Sadly, this was released in the year 2000, so it doesn’t cover the last 11 years of Steve’s life. Even so, it is worth reading if you’re curious about Steve’s business history.

If you’re less interested in Steve Jobs as a man, and you’re more interested in the technology that he helped foster, you really need to read Revolution in the Valley by Andy Hertzfeld — a member of the original Macintosh team at Apple. This inside look at the birth of the Macintosh will delight everyone who uses a computer today. So much innovation and creativity were going on at Apple, and we’re still seeing that today. Drama has always surrounded Apple, and nothing shows that more than Revolution in the Valley.

These are must-reads if you’re into contemporary history. It never ceases to amaze how quickly these machines have been integrated into our lives, and it is shocking to see all of the trials and tribulations that went into making them. Don’t miss out on these great tales. They are part of what makes our society what it is today.

Image Source: Ben Stanfield

Grant is a writer from Delaware. In his spare time, Grant maintains a personal blog, hosts The Weekly Roar, hosts Quadcast, and writes for video games.