Kevin Kelly's Top Book Recommendations

Kevin KellyWhile reading this classic poetic ode to America and possibilities ('I am multitude!') my gasket blew, and I became seized with an unstoppable urge to travel. (Source)

Kevin KellyI actually gave it a whole page [in my book 'Cool Tools'] because I thought the message was so profound. (Source)

Kevin Kelly[The author] was the one who introduced the term 'future shock' which was that people would actually have like a resistance or a reaction to the future. (Source)

Andy SternI think Future Shock actually did foretell the future, because it talks about how in essence we're building a new civilisation in front of our eyes. How no group of people have ever been so shocked by the ever-changing realities that have completely altered media, lifestyles, culture and work. In some ways they were the canary that was singing about a future that they saw well before anyone quite... (Source)

Kevin KellyThis story of a singularity always stuck with me as something to prepare for. (Source)

Ben ShapiroThe best science fiction book probably ever. (Source)

Adam RobertsChildhood’s End is Clarke’s best book by a long way. Alien overlords land on Earth and impose – by force – a benign and workable utopia. That sounds like a whole story there, but that’s only the start of Clarke’s compact, evocative novel. (Source)

Lawrence SummersAI may transform your life. And Prediction Machines will transform your understanding of AI. This is the best book yet on what may be the best technology that has come along. (Source)

Dominic BartonPrediction Machines achieves a feat as welcome as it is unique: a crisp, readable survey of where artificial intelligence is taking us separates hype from reality, while delivering a steady stream of fresh insights. It speaks in a language that top executives and policy makers will understand. Every leader needs to read this book. (Source)

Kevin KellyThis book makes artificial intelligence easier to understand by recasting it as a new, cheap commodity--predictions. It's a brilliant move. I found the book incredibly useful. (Source)

Timothy FerrissAn outstanding author and long-form journalist. . . . I particularly enjoyed [Thompson’s] section on automation. (Source)

Kevin KellyIf you have to work with programmers, it’s essential to understand that programming has a culture. This book will help you understand what programmers do, how they do it, and why. It decodes the culture of code. (Source)

Saron YitbarekThompson has accomplished the nearly impossible task of portraying the coding world exactly as it is: messy, inspiring, naive, and—at times—shameful. Coders is a beautifully written and refreshingly fair portrayal of a young industry that’s accomplished so much and still has a lot to learn. (Source)

Steve Jurvetson[Steve Jurvetson recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

Seth GodinIn the last week, I discovered that at least two of my smart friends hadn't read Godel, Escher, Bach. They have now. You should too. (Source)

Kevin KellyOver the years, I kept finding myself returning to its insights, and each time I would arrive at them at a deeper level. (Source)

Jane McGonigalIt’s basically a book about games, but then it turns out it’s about the meaning of life. (Source)

Tom Critchlow@fkpxls Also it made me think of analogies to finite and infinite games. Have you read that book? If not you might enjoy it! (Source)

Kevin KellyGave me a mathematical framework for my own spirituality. (Source)

Arianna HuffingtonHuman beings can’t thrive in a work culture that uses burnout and 'being always on' as proxies for dedication and success. In Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan shows us that, in fact, workplaces that empower people to take care of themselves are far more likely to deliver sustainable performance and happiness. (Source)

Seth GodinThis is the management book of the year. Clear, powerful and urgent, it's a must read for anyone who cares about where they work and how they work. (Source)

Kevin KellyI am now a convert. Aaron sums up all the crazy ideas about how to create teams and companies that maximize their potential by decentralizing their power—a once idealist notion that is now possible and essential. For a book that might start a revolution, it's surprisingly practical and undogmatic. There’s no fluff—it's all meat, and real news. I could think of dozens of people I know who I now... (Source)

Barack ObamaAccording to the president’s Facebook page and a 2008 interview with the New York Times, this title is among his most influential forever favorites. (Source)

Tim CookI have two books going right now: One is the Bobby Kennedy book [“Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon,” by Larry Tye] that just came out. The other is quite an old book. It’s a Gandhi book [“Mohandas K. Gandhi, Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth”] that I got interested in because we went to the Gandhi museum when we were in India recently. I tend to like nonfiction and... (Source)

Cory BookerA profound read. (Source)

Walter IsaacsonEverybody, of course, should be familiar with [this book], which is a way of being taught through both parables and tales of people and their values. (Source)

Wim Hof[Wim Hof said this is one of his most-recommended books.] (Source)

Kevin KellyProbably the most amazing thing you haven’t read yet. (Source)

Reid HoffmanEntrepreneurial professionals must develop a competitive advantage by building valuable skills. This book offers advice based on research and reality--not meaningless platitudes-- on how to invest in yourself in order to stand out from the crowd. An important guide to starting up a remarkable career. (Source)

Seth GodinStop worrying about what you feel like doing (and what the world owes you) and instead, start creating something meaningful and then give it to the world. Cal really delivers with this one. (Source)

Daniel PinkDo what you love and the money will follow' sounds like great advice -- until it's time to get a job and disillusionment quickly sets in. Cal Newport ably demonstrates how the quest for 'passion' can corrode job satisfaction. If all he accomplished with this book was to turn conventional wisdom on its head, that would be interesting enough. But he goes further -- offering advice and examples that... (Source)