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Get Lit(erate) in 2025 and Beyond
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items These are the books that are shaping how I think about technology, politics, power, and economics in America right now. I’ve read each one and reflected on it in my Substack series. Whether you’re just getting curious or you’re already deep in the ra...
Originally I started this list as technology focused. However over time it has evolved to encompass history, economics, philosophy, religion, and more.
Originally I started this list as technology focused. However over time it has evolved to encompass history, economics, philosophy, religion, and more.
Sections
4
Reviewed
In Progress
Want to Read
Personal Detours
Reviewed
Each of these titles correspond to a post in my Book Reflection series on both Substack and Medium.
Useful for learning about many of the key Silicon Valley players.
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-the-founders?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-the-founders?r=cvwec
The Founders: Paypal and Silicon Valley
Learn about the global impact of AI beyond the realm of the digital universe.
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-atlas-of-ai?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-atlas-of-ai?r=cvwec
Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and Costs
Learn about the history of Facebook and the true motivations behind its most senior leaders.
Substack reflection: annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-careless-people?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-careless-people?r=cvwec
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale
Tells the complete modern history of the United States through the work of politics and the economy.
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-evil-geniuses?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-evil-geniuses?r=cvwec
Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America
Written by the CEO of Palantir, a modern-day technology company unafraid of addressing some of the toughest technical problems in America.
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-the-technological?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-the-technological?r=cvwec
The Technological Republic: Hard Power & Soft Belief
A sweeping history of how non-democratic regimes have thrived in the global economy and how they operate in the current era.
Substack reflection: annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-autocracy-inc?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-autocracy-inc?r=cvwec
Autocracy, Inc.: Dictators Who Want Power
Introduces the idea of stories and how they impact economics.
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-narrative-economics?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-narrative-economics?r=cvwec
Narrative Economics: Stories That Drive Events
An introductory lesson in understanding economics.
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-economics-in-one?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-economics-in-one?r=cvwec
Economics in One Lesson: A Quick Guide
A book about current employment and jobs in America.
Substack reflection: annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-bullshit-jobs?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-bullshit-jobs?r=cvwec
Bullshit Jobs: A Theory
A book about the tech industry and politics in the modern age.
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-burn-book?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-burn-book?r=cvwec
Burn Book: A Tech Love Story
A historical look at the industry of microchips.
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-chip-war?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-chip-war?r=cvwec
Chip War: Fight for World's Critical Tech
Written by Silicon Valley investor and key player Peter Thiel.
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-zero-to-one?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-zero-to-one?r=cvwec
Zero To One
A history of information networks.
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-nexus?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-nexus?r=cvwec
Nexus: History of Information Networks
AI and Humans collide, then what?
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-the-singularity-is?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-the-singularity-is?r=cvwec
The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI
The origin and chaos of OpenAI.
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-empire-of-ai?r=cvwec
Substack reflection: https://annujackson.substack.com/p/book-reflection-empire-of-ai?r=cvwec
Empire of AI: Dreams & Nightmares in OpenAI
A look at elite individuals in the United States and the fallacy of how they approach social improvement.
Winners Take All: The Elite Charade
A book on how to take your ambition for action and put it into motion.
Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Talent & Make a Difference
Yep, it's the book written by the 45th and 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump.
Trump: The Art of the Deal
If you're worried about whether America is turning into an authoritarian regime, read this book.
Spoilers: it is.
Spoilers: it is.
How Democracies Die
An extremely deep dive into the theory that analogy-making is the way humans interact, learn, and think.
Surfaces and Essences: Analogy as Fuel of Thinking
A deep dive into the philosophy and theory behind what may happen if we achieve the ability to construct superintelligence.
Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies
Jack Welch is one of those names who has shaped how modern corporate America works, why not hear directly from him on how he made it happen.
Jack: Straight from the Gut
An easy to read book on Buddhism that explains through the author's own experiences and learnings the collection of things that makes someone human.
The strongest element of this book is how it touches on loneliness.
Link to Substack reflection
The strongest element of this book is how it touches on loneliness.
Link to Substack reflection
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice
Author of Dilbert, Scott Adams, discusses common flaws in thinking visible on social media and in the digital world.
Link to Substack reflection
Link to Substack reflection
Loserthink: How Untrained Brains Ruin America
In Progress
Books I'm currently reading or listening to. Or perhaps books I've finished but haven't written a reflection on yet.
Optimism about AI from the guy who brought you LinkedIn.
Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with AI
This book explores the idea of common knowledge, that is, knowledge that everyone knows that everyone knows that everyone knows (to infinity).
And what the consequences and benefits of common knowledge are (and why we oftentimes avoid it).
And what the consequences and benefits of common knowledge are (and why we oftentimes avoid it).
When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows: Money, Power, Life
A book that changes our default thinking on time and productivity.
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
Want to Read
Books sitting in my library hold queue or those I intend on reading.
A critique of the American progressives and a path to a better future.
Abundance
History of the five tribes of machine learning and why deep learning became dominant.
The Master Algorithm: Quest for Ultimate Learning
A people driven look at how AI came into prominence within big tech.
Genius Makers: Mavericks Who Brought AI
A big picture and philosophical look at AI and it's role in society.
The Age of AI: And Our Human Future
All about how models behave, learn, train, and fail.
You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: AI
Explores fairness, consequences, and control related to AI.
The Alignment Problem: ML and Human Values
A textbook-based approach to learning how to create AI models.
Grokking Deep Learning
A look at how technology has influenced and shaped power over the last thousand years.
Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology
Exploring the evolution of life from a biological perspective.
Vital Question: Energy, Evolution & Origins
Personal Detours
Books I've read, but don't need a reflection. Or books that I have abandoned due to the nature of their content.
Discusses the common dynamics women find themselves in when overcome by anger.
The Dance of Anger: Woman's Guide to Change
Examines how sensitive and attune children end up developing coping skills that may be harmful in their adult life. This is done through exploration of situations, examining a child's world, and shining light on the process of reclaiming emotions thr...
The Drama of the Gifted Child: True Self
A foundational book at looking at the consequences of “move fast and break things.” Especially relevant in today's world.
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
This book demystifies game theory, helping you to understand what the best moves for yourself are in a variety of situations.
The Art of Strategy: Game Theory Guide
1
This book outlines all the ways that as a child you may have been emotionally neglected. None of these ways are huge and many of them occur without real harm intended.
The author clearly explains the cause and effect of these situations given the variety of experiences someone may have had as a child.
The author clearly explains the cause and effect of these situations given the variety of experiences someone may have had as a child.
Running on Empty: Overcome Childhood Neglect