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Read All About Steve Jobs before You See His Life Play Out Onscreen
It’s been four years since the death of Steve Jobs, one of the most controversial and fascinating figures of the modern age, and we still haven’t run out of things to say about him. This year will see two new entries into the Jobs genre: Steve Jobs, a biopic written by Aaron Sorkin, and Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, an unauthorized documentary from Alex Gibney, the man behind the HBO documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.
By turns brilliant and callous, generous and seemingly cruel, Job’s complicated legacy still casts a long shadow…and makes for great reading. Here are five standout books to read before you see the movies.
Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson
Authorized by Jobs himself, this bestselling biography is based on over forty interviews with its subject, as well as over a hundred interviews with friends, family, colleagues, and competitors. It’s also the source material for the Sorkin film (which will star Michael Fassbender in the title role). Steve Jobs isn’t just about the man, though—it’s also the story of the technology that Jobs created and influenced, and the company that he built, lost, rejoined, and led to worldwide dominance. A must-read for anyone interested in Jobs, computers, or Apple.
Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader, by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli
The second major Jobs biography, Becoming Steve Jobs should be read alongside Steve Jobs. Focusing more on the psychology of Jobs than on the technology he created, Schlender and Tetzeli follow his personal growth from a brash, arrogant upstart to the man we’re familiar with today. Drawing from interviews with family and high-level colleagues like Tim Cook, Ed Catmull, and John Lasseter, as well as from Schlender’s 25 years as a tech journalist working with Jobs himself, Becoming Steve Jobs offers significant new information from a personal angle.
The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution, by Walter Isaacson
Also from Isaacson comes this follow-up focusing on the people who drove the digital revolution, including Jobs. Beginning with Ada Lovelace, the 19th century woman who is frequently called the first computer programmer, The Innovators traces a path through the most fascinating minds of the last two hundred years—from Vannevar Bush, to Alan Turing, to Larry Page. Isaacson mixes engaging anecdotes with unknown and forgotten history, creating a delightful read that’s also hugely informative.
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
Ed Catmull, Amy Wallace
Hardcover
$30.00
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration, by Ed Catmull, with Amy Wallace
When we talk about Steve Jobs we usually talk about Apple, but along with Ed Catmull and John Lasseter, Jobs also co-founded Pixar. Catmull’s Creativity, Inc. takes readers inside Pixar and shares the creative management principles that he credits with the company’s success. Named a best book of the year by the Huffington Post, Financial Times, and Forbes (who said that it “just might be the business book ever written”), this is the perfect book for anyone looking to add a little creativity to their business.
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Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success, by Ken Segall
Written by ad agency creative director Ken Segall, the guy who named the iMac, Insanely Simple follows Steve Jobs in a different way: through the philosophy of simplicity that still defines Apple today. Partly an entertaining behind-the-scenes look at Apple’s branding and marketing, and partly a self-help guide for businesses trying to stand out from the crowd, the book contains plenty of fascinating anecdotes and provides a unique look at Apple’s growth over the last two decades.