Small Pieces Loosely Joined: a Unified Theory of the Web by David Weinberger
Published in 2002, this book is ancient by technology standards. But for those of us who struggle to integrate the metaphor that is the Web into our daily lives, this is useful instruction delivered with a touch of humor. Weinberger celebrates the Internet and explains how to mold the virtual world to one’s own reality. In his 2007 book, Everything is Miscellaneous: the Power of the New Digital Disorder, he takes a new look at the pervasive changes the Web has wrought.
For more: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/home/david_weinberger

Social Life of Information by John Seely Brown & Paul Duguid
An eloquent reminder not to ignore the social context within which technologies operate. These essays spark thought-provoking questioning to highlight the advantages of social context in which pure information is enhanced by disorganization, serendipity and group learning. How can we structure information to be more accessible and to encourage imagination along with understanding? An antidote for over-simplification.
For more: http://www.johnseelybrown.com/

Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki
Biography of the idea that large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant. A counterintuitive idea that makes more sense as you ponder Suroweicki’s examples in three categories: cognition, coordination and cooperation. Driving in traffic, competing in television game shows, investing, voting, tracking diseases or designing Internet search engines…all benefit from “wise crowds.”
For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Surowiecki

Storming the Gates of Paradise: Landscapes for Politics by Rebecca Solnit
Her publisher calls her “a public intellectual.” Her graceful writing in these provocative essays examines political and social life through deserts, skies, gardens, borders and wilderness areas. This is a guidebook to both the land and the culture of contemporary America. A book to savor.
For more: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/06/13/CMGRE6NA5H1.DTL

Golden Road: Notes on My Gentrification by Caille Millner
Moving from Latino San Jose to Silicon Valley resulted in the academic opportunities that Millner’s parents desired for her. This Harvard graduate looks back at navigating between two worlds, coping with teen stress & college choice and struggling for empathy and connection as she encountered the fantasies and realities of “internal immigration” in contemporary American race, class and culture.
For more: http://www.caillemillner.com/

Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America’s Class War by Joe Bageant
Gonzo journalism from a “redneck socialist.” Bageant returned to Winchester, Virginia after 30 years in California. This is a partisan wake-up call for those concerned about the left-behind American underclass. Gun culture, Christian fundamentalism, predatory mortgage lending, illiteracy and the decline of health care are explored in a partisan and in-your-face style. It’s political commentary in stories and blunt personal rants.
For more: http://www.joebageant.com/

Teenage: the Creation of Youth Culture by Jon Savage
In 1898, psychologist G. Stanley Hall coined the word “adolescentin” to define a separate stage between child and adult. Savage surveys the cultural history of this idea up till the end of World War II. With our idealization of teens as affluent consumers and trend setters, it is startling to realize how teen culture has evolved.  Savage draws on film, music, literature, fashion, politics and art to document each new generation of teens as they made their mark.
For more: http://www.rocksbackpages.com/writer.html?WriterID=savage