Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal

Blumenthal, Karen. (2012). Steve Jobs: The man who thought different. New York, NY: Feiwel and Friends.    ISBN 978-1-250-01445-0    Paperback, $8.99

Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com

Annotation: An account of the highlights of Steve Life's professional and personal lives.

Mini Book Review: Did you ever wonder who first thought of combining your phone, TV, calendar, and computer into one device that you could fit into your pocket? Do you dream of changing the world on a grand scale? Have you ever wondered if that’s even possible? The answer to all these questions is simple: yes, it is possible and Steve Jobs has already done it! Blumenthal’s biography of Steve Jobs will give you a glimpse into the man behind the legend that is Apple. It is very readable and stays focused on interesting facts from his life, without ever getting technical or boring. He’s been called a visionary, a genius, and an icon, but did you know Jobs was also college dropout who could go months without a shower and lived in a house without furniture because he could not answer the question, “What is the purpose of a sofa?”

Warning: you may come away with a very different picture of Jobs than you have now. Yes, Jobs was a visionary and a genius who was forced out of Apple when it became super successful then came back to save it years later. But, he was also an absent father, a greedy and selfish friend, and a driven boss who bullied his employees relentlessly. This book is enhanced throughout with pictures of Jobs and his colleagues and family. There’s a timeline, a bibliography, a glossary, an index, and author’s notes at the end to give supplemental information and further reading suggestions. Recommended for the YA biography section of any junior high/high school or public library, this book would be useful for both school assignments and as entertainment for anyone interested in technology, computers, business, or people.

Awards:

• YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction, 2013 finalist 
• ALA Children's Notable List 
• Booklist Editor's Choice list, 2012

Book trailer for Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different:

Read more about Jobs' life.

Read Apple's official page in remembrance of Jobs.

This interesting article discusses Jobs' legacy and the two recent films chronicling his life.