1. confessions
  2. Reading Diary: Steve Jobs: Insanely great by Jessie Hartland

Reading Diary: Steve Jobs: Insanely great by Jessie Hartland

By jdupuis on September 10, 2015.

It's tempting to go a couple of different ways here.

A book that has "Insanely Great" in the title? What could possibly go wrong?

On the other hand....

A kids book about what a jerk Steve Jobs was. What could possibly go wrong?

Steve Jobs: Insanely Great by Jessie Hartland. An illustrated biography of Steve Jobs aimed at a younger audience which gives an honest, unflinching look at his life, warts and all. Maybe not up to the "insanely great" standard, but engaging and enjoyable with a lot of openings for parents and children to talk about how complicated real people are.

What more could you ask for, really?

Jessie Hartland's book could very easily done a very superficial life in pictures of Jobs, something that would be interesting and cool and above all inoffensive for his intended audience. Probably mostly the parents and friends of 8-10 year olds who might be interested in technology or Apple products or even just a slice of life. Another audience is adults -- Apple and Jobs fans and cultists who will probably read the book on their watch, looking for a brief, quirky but affirmational look at the life of their hero.

Both these audiences would seem to favour a fairly modest accounting of Jobs many flaws as a boss and as a person. The more-than-occasional indifference to family and friends, the perfectionist mercurial obnoxious tightly-wound boss. Easier to focus on his passion and brilliance, his flair for design and laser-focus on simplicity and elegance.

And Hartland is to be congratulated on bringing both of those sides to the table, using his child-like, simple, elegant artwork to bring out the lovable in the obnoxious as well as the obnoxious in the lovable, walking the tightrope of honesty and integrity in storytelling versus an age-appropriate approach.

Because the theme of this book is how even the best and brightest people are complicated and imperfect. Jobs was a genius, but he could be a jerk. Why is that? Are all geniuses jerks? Are all jerks geniuses? Aren't we all imperfect and why shouldn't famous people get to be imperfect like the rest of us? These are great conversations that will arise naturally from reading this book with your local young person.

This is a charming book and provocative book for young people. Buy it for the young people in your life as well as any fans of Apple who might want a quick and quirky read. This book is definitely suitable for libraries with children's collections. Academic libraries that support early childhood education or children literature programs would find an eager audience for this book.

Hartland, Jessie. Steve Jobs: Insanely great. New York: Schwartz & Wade, 240pp. ISBN-13: 978-0307982957

(Review copy provided by publisher.)

===========

Other science graphic novels and illustrated books I have reviewed:

Tags
book review
reading diary
science books

More like this

Reading Diary: How Machines Work: Zoo Break! by David Macaulay
This is the first popup book I've ever reviewed and I certainly hope it won't be the last. David Macaulay's How Machines Work: Zoo Break! is a wonderful, whimsical, delightful and beautiful book that will charm and fascinate anyone who picks it up. Aimed at younger children and told through the…
Reading Diary: The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer by Sydney Padua
Sydney Padua's The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage is one of the most flat-out entertaining books I have read in a very long time. You should buy this book. Your library should buy this book. Buy a copy of this book for all your friends. What's all the fuss? TTAoLaB is a graphic…
Reading Diary: Graphic novel catch-up: Manga Guide to Physiology, Human Body Theatre, Secret Coders, Snowden
Rall, Ted. Snowden. New York: Random House, 2015. 224pp. ISBN-13: 978-1609806354 For those that have watched Citizenfour or read Glenn Greenwald's No place to hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. surveillance state, there's not much new or shocking in Ted Rall's excellent graphic novel,…
Reading Diary: Les Rêveurs lunaires: Quatre génies qui ont changé l'Histoire by Cédric Villani and Baudoin
A bit of a change of pace for me and my reviewing habits -- a book written in French! Of course, books about science or scientists are pretty typical review fodder for me. And even more typically, graphic novels about science or scientists are incredibly common for me to review. But books in French…