Biographies & Memoirs - Books

The Woman in Me

Biographies & Memoirs

The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.

Source Code

Biographies & Memoirs

The origin story of one of the most influential and transformative business leaders and philanthropists of the modern age The business triumphs of Bill Gates are widely known: the twenty-year-old who dropped out of Harvard to start a software company that became an industry giant and changed the way the world works and lives; the billionaire many times over who turned his attention to philanthropic pursuits to address climate change, global health, and U.S. education. Source Code is not about Microsoft or the Gates Foundation or the future of technology. It’s the human, personal story of how Bill Gates became who he is today: his childhood, his early passions and pursuits. It’s the story of his principled grandmother and ambitious parents, his first deep friendships and the sudden death of his best friend; of his struggles to fit in and his discovery of a world of coding and computers in the dawn of a new era; of embarking in his early teens on a path that took him from midnight escapades at a nearby computer center to his college dorm room, where he sparked a revolution that would change the world. Bill Gates tells this, his own story, for the first time: wise, warm, revealing, it’s a fascinating portrait of an American life.

How to Lose Your Mother

Biographies & Memoirs

“Molly Jong-Fast’s memoir is mesmerizing, intimate, wise, unputdownable, crazily honest, heartbreaking, funny, illuminating—beautiful and painful at the same time, just like real life.” —Anne LamottFrom the political writer and podcaster, a ferociously honest and disarmingly funny memoir about her elusive mother’s encroaching dementia and a reckoning with her complicated childhoodMolly Jong-Fast is the only child of a famous woman, writer Erica Jong, whose sensational book Fear of Flying launched her into second-wave feminist stardom. She grew up yearning for a connection with her dreamy, glamorous, just out of reach mother, who always seemed to be heading somewhere that wasn’t with Molly. When, in 2023, Erica was diagnosed with dementia just as Molly’s husband discovered he had a rare cancer, Jong-Fast was catapulted into a transformative year.How to Lose Your Mother is a compulsively readable memoir about an intense mother–daughter relationship, a sometimes chaotic upbringing with a fame-hungry parent, and the upheavals that challenge our hard-won adulthood. A pitch-perfect balance of acceptance and rage, humor and heart, How to Lose Your Mother tells a universal story of loss alongside a singular story of a literary life. This is a memoir that will stand alongside the classics of the genre.

Elon Musk

Biographies & Memoirs

From the author of Steve Jobs and other bestselling biographies, this is the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our era—a rule-breaking visionary who helped to lead the world into the era of electric vehicles, private space exploration, and artificial intelligence. Oh, and took over Twitter. When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was regularly beaten by bullies. One day a group pushed him down some concrete steps and kicked him until his face was a swollen ball of flesh. He was in the hospital for a week. But the physical scars were minor compared to the emotional ones inflicted by his father, an engineer, rogue, and charismatic fantasist.His father’s impact on his psyche would linger. He developed into a tough yet vulnerable man-child, prone to abrupt Jekyll-and-Hyde mood swings, with an exceedingly high tolerance for risk, a craving for drama, an epic sense of mission, and a maniacal intensity that was callous and at times destructive.At the beginning of 2022—after a year marked by SpaceX launching thirty-one rockets into orbit, Tesla selling a million cars, and him becoming the richest man on earth—Musk spoke ruefully about his compulsion to stir up dramas. “I need to shift my mindset away from being in crisis mode, which it has been for about fourteen years now, or arguably most of my life,” he said.It was a wistful comment, not a New Year’s resolution. Even as he said it, he was secretly buying up shares of Twitter, the world’s ultimate playground. Over the years, whenever he was in a dark place, his mind went back to being bullied on the playground. Now he had the chance to own the playground.For two years, Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories with him, and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with amazing tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?

Things My Son Needs to Know about the World

Biographies & Memoirs

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove shares an irresistible and moving collection of heartfelt, humorous essays about fatherhood, providing his newborn son with the perspective and tools he’ll need to make his way in the world. Things My Son Needs to Know About the World collects the personal dispatches from the front lines of one of the most daunting experiences any man can experience: fatherhood.As he conveys his profound awe at experiencing all the “firsts” that fill him with wonder and catch him completely unprepared, Fredrik Backman doesn’t shy away from revealing his own false steps and fatherly flaws, tackling issues both great and small, from masculinity and mid-life crises to practical jokes and poop.In between the sleep-deprived lows and wonderful highs, Backman takes a step back to share the true story of falling in love with a woman who is his complete opposite, and learning to live a life that revolves around the people you care about unconditionally. Alternating between humorous side notes and longer essays offering his son advice as he grows up and ventures out into the world, Backman relays the big and small lessons in life, including:-How to find the team you belong to -Why airports explain everything about religion and war -The reason starting a band is crucial to cultivating and keeping friendships -How to beat Monkey Island 3 -Why, sometimes, a dad might hold onto his son’s hand just a little too tightThis is an irresistible and insightful collection, perfect for new parents and fans of Backman’s “unparalleled understanding of human nature” (Shelf Awareness). As he eloquently reminds us, “You can be whatever you want to be, but that’s nowhere near as important as knowing that you can be exactly who you are.”

Enough

Biographies & Memoirs

Cassidy Hutchinson’s desk was mere steps from the most controversial president in recent American history. Now, she provides a riveting account of her extraordinary experiences as an idealistic young woman thrust into the middle of a national crisis, where she risked everything to tell the truth about some of the most powerful people in Washington. Ever since a childhood visit to Washington, DC, Cassidy Hutchinson aspired to serve her country in government. Raised in a working-class family with a military background, she was the first in her immediate family to graduate from college. Despite having no ties to Washington, Hutchinson landed a vital position at the center of the Trump White House.Her life took a dramatic turn on January 6th, 2021, when, at twenty-four, she found herself in one of the most extraordinary and unprecedented calamities in modern political history.Hutchinson was faced with a choice between loyalty to the Trump administration or loyalty to the country by revealing what she saw and heard in the attempt to overthrow a democratic election. She bravely came forward to become the pivotal witness in the House January 6 investigations, as her testimony transfixed and stunned the nation. In her memoir, Hutchinson reveals the struggle between the pressures she confronted to toe the party line and the demands of the oath she swore to defend American democracy.Enough reaches far beyond the typical insider political account. It’s the saga of a woman whose fierce determination helped her overcome childhood challenges to get her dream job, only to face a crisis of conscience—one that more senior White House aides tried to evade—and, in the process, find her voice and herself. This is a portrait of how the courage of one person can change the course of history.

The Road of Life Is Full of Potholes

Biographies & Memoirs

Suzanne has written since childhood. She has always had a love of words. This is her first book.

Dinner for Vampires

Biographies & Memoirs

A deliciously witty and inspiring memoir by One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz about her decade in a cult and her quest to break free. In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and determination to breakthrough as an actor, Bethany Joy Lenz was finally cast as one of the leads on the hit drama One Tree Hill. Her career was about to take off, but her personal life was slowly beginning to unravel. What none of the show’s millions of fans knew, hidden even from her costars, was her secret double life in a cult. An only child who often had to fend for herself and always wanted a place to belong, Lenz found the safe haven she’d been searching for in a Bible study group with other Hollywood creatives. However, the group soon morphed into something more sinister—a slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse, and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family. Piece by piece, Lenz began to give away her autonomy, ultimately relocating to the Family’s Pacific Northwest compound, overseen by a domineering minister who would convince Lenz to marry one of his sons and steadily drained millions of her TV income without her knowledge. Family “minders” assigned to her on set, “Maoist struggle session”–inspired meetings in the basement of a filthy house, and regular counseling with “Leadership” were just part of the tactics used to keep her loyal. Only when she became a mother did Lenz find the courage to leave and spare her child from a similar fate. After nearly a decade (and with the unlikely help of a One Tree Hill superfan), she finally managed to escape the family’s grip and begin to heal from the deep trauma that forever altered her relationship with God and her understanding of faith. Written with powerful honesty and dark humor, Dinner for Vampires is an inspiring story about the importance of identity and understanding what you believe.

The House of My Mother

Biographies & Memoirs

From eldest daughter Shari Franke, the shocking true story behind the viral 8 Passengers family vlog and the hidden abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother, and how, in the face of unimaginable pain, she found freedom and healing. Shari Franke’s childhood was a constant battle for survival. Her mother, Ruby Franke, enforced a severe moral code while maintaining a façade of a picture-perfect family for their wildly popular YouTube channel 8 Passengers, which documented the day-to-day life of raising six children for a staggering 2.5 million subscribers. But a darker truth lurked beneath the surface—Ruby’s wholesome online persona masked a more tyrannical parenting style than anyone could have imagined.As the family’s YouTube notoriety grew, so too did Ruby’s delusions of righteousness. Fueled by the sadistic influence of relationship coach Jodi Hildebrandt, together they implemented an inhumane and merciless disciplinary regime. Ruby and Jodi were arrested in Utah in 2023 on multiple charges of aggravated child abuse. On that fateful day, Shari shared a photo online of a police car outside their home. Her caption had one word: “Finally.”For the first time, Shari will reveal the disturbing truth behind 8 Passengers and her family’s devastating involvement with Jodi Hildebrandt’s cultish life coaching program, “ConneXions.” No stone is left unturned as Shari exposes the perils of influencer culture and shares for the first time her battle for truth and survival in the face of her mother’s cruelty.

Brothers

Biographies & Memoirs

In this intimate and open account—nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you’ve ever read—Alex Van Halen shares his personal story of family, friendship, music and brotherly love in a remarkable tribute to his beloved brother and band mate.Told with acclaimed New Yorker writer Ariel Levy Brothers is seventy-year-old drummer Alex Van Halen’s love letter to his younger brother, Edward, (Maybe “Ed,” but never “Eddie”), written while still mourning his untimely death.In his rough yet sweet voice, Alex recounts the brothers’ childhood, first in the Netherlands and then in working class Pasadena, California, with an itinerant musician father and a very proper Indonesian-born mother—the kind of mom who admonished her boys to “always wear a suit” no matter how famous they became—a woman who was both proud and practical, nonchalant about taking a doggie bag from a star-studded dinner. He also shares tales of musical politics, infighting, and plenty of bad-boy behavior. But mostly his is a story of brotherhood, music, and enduring love."I was with him from day one,” Alex writes. “We shared the experience of coming to this country and figuring out how to fit in. We shared a record player, an 800 square foot house, a mom and dad, and a work ethic. Later, we shared the back of a tour bus, alcoholism, the experience of becoming successful, of becoming fathers and uncles, and of spending more hours in the studio than I’ve spent doing anything else in this life. We shared a depth of understanding that most people can only hope to achieve in a lifetime." There has never been an accurate account of them or the band, and Alex wants to set the record straight on Edward’s life and death. Brothers includes never-before-seen photos from the author’s private archives.

Gli innovatori

Biographies & Memoirs

Il computer e Internet sono innovazioni fondamentali della nostra epoca, eppure pochi conoscono come sono nati e i nomi dei loro inventori. Contrariamente a ciò che si crede, questi strumenti ormai indispensabili nella nostra vita quotidiana non sono stati ideati in soffitte e garage da scienziati solitari e un po' stravaganti, ma sono il frutto dell'incontro e della collaborazione di tante persone diverse, alcune particolarmente intelligenti, altre addirittura geniali. Sulla scia del successo della biografia di Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson continua a raccontare la storia della rivoluzione digitale, attraverso la vita dei grandi pionieri, uomini e donne, che l'hanno resa possibile raggiungendo vette esaltanti di creatività. Ne emerge una galleria di personaggi affascinanti e di vicende incredibili. Ada Lovelace, figlia di Lord Byron, appassionata studiosa di matematica, a metà Ottocento annotò intuizioni così acute da venire oggi ricordata come la prima programmatrice della storia. Alan Turing, brillante matematico inglese, ritenuto da molti il padre dell'informatica, condusse una vita leggendaria fino all'inaspettato e tragico epilogo. E poi, ancora: il genio eclettico e instancabile di John von Neumann, che fu il primo a costruire una macchina simile a un computer moderno; la sfrenata ambizione del premio Nobel per la fisica William Shockley, che progettò il transistor; l'interminabile battaglia legale tra Jack Kilby, Robert Noyce e Gordon Moore per il brevetto del microchip. Fino alla storia dei colossi contemporanei, come Bill Gates, che realizzò il sogno di «portare il computer su ogni scrivania e in ogni casa», e Steve Wozniak e Larry Page, i creatori di Google. Per il sapiente abbinamento di rigore nella ricerca e di eleganza nello stile narrativo, Isaacson è diventato negli ultimi anni un saggista di riferimento per chi voglia conoscere il progresso dell'innovazione e la personalità dei grandi talenti che hanno maggiormente influenzato il nostro modo di vivere e di pensare. Walter Isaacson è stato caporedattore della rivista «Time», amministratore delegato e presidente della CNN. Attualmente è presidente dell'Aspen Institute. È autore di numerosi libri, tra cui le biografie di Henry Kissinger e Benjamin Franklin. Da Mondadori ha pubblicato: Einstein. La sua vita, il suo universo (2010), Steve Jobs (2011) e Steve Jobs. Lezioni di leadership (2014). «Una storia dell'era digitale ampia, coinvolgente e preziosa, in cui emerge con forza lo straordinario talento narrativo di Isaacson. Pochi autori riescono come lui a tradurre il gergo tecnico in una prosa elegante, da cui traspare un'autentica passione per l'argomento. Un libro memorabile, non soltanto perché racconta in modo affascinante le svolte e i cambiamenti che hanno inciso profondamente sulla nostra vita, ma anche perché ci fa comprendere che cosa anima da sempre lo spirito degli innovatori: la capacità di entusiasmarsi come bambini.» New York Times Book Review Isaacson ci accompagna nel grande mondo dell'innovazione e della creatività raccontandolo con il ritmo serrato di un thriller.

Einstein

Biographies & Memoirs

La biografía definitiva de Albert Einstein, uno de los iconos del siglo XX y su mayor genio.Albert Einstein es uno de los científicos más importantes de la historia y un icono del siglo XX. ¿Cómo funcionaba su mente? ¿Qué le hizo un genio? ¿Cómo era el hombre detrás de la celebridad?Walter Isaacson, que tuvo acceso a los archivos de Einstein, ofrece un extraordinario retrato del personaje y de su época, así como un fascinante relato de su vida. A partir de su correspondencia privada, cuenta cómo un funcionario de patentes imaginativo e impertinente (un mal padre con un matrimonio complicado, incapaz de conseguir un empleo en la universidad ni un doctorado) logró desvelar los secretos del cosmos y comprender los misterios del átomo y del universo. Su creatividad estaba ligada a su rebeldía. Su éxito se basó en cuestionar las verdades aceptadas y en asombrarse ante cuestiones que otros consideraban mundanas.Reseñas:«Espléndida, un gran trabajo de investigación con mucho material inédito. Una obra fundamental y definitiva.»Amir D. Aczel, The Boston Globe«Walter Isaacson ha logrado un retrato completo de Einstein. Con un estilo ágil que disimula su atención al detalle y a la precisión científica, nos lleva a un maravilloso viaje por la vida, la mente y la ciencia de un hombre que cambió nuestra visión del universo.»Brian Greene, autor de El tejido del cosmos«Una biografía extraordinaria de un gran hombre. Walter Isaacson ha conseguido reflejar a Einstein como ser humano y al tiempo explicar profundos conceptos físicos. Su biografía se lee con placery logra que el gran científico vuelva a la vida.»Murray Gell-Mann, Premio Nobel y autor de El quark y el jaguar«Magnífica. La biografía más completa de Einstein para el gran público. Una narración excelente.»Sharon Begley, Newsweek

Steve Jobs

Biographies & Memoirs

Walter Isaacson’s “enthralling” (The New Yorker) worldwide bestselling biography of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs.Based on more than forty interviews with Steve Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than 100 family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in 21st century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.Although Jobs cooperated with the author, he asked for no control over what was written. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.Steve Jobs is the inspiration for the movie of the same name starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, and Jeff Daniels, directed by Danny Boyle with a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin.

Steve Jobs (Finnish Edition)

Biographies & Memoirs

Steve Jobs oli digiajan ikoni, aikamme vallankumouksellisin yritysjohtaja. Steve Jobs perusti yrityksen, jossa luovan mielikuvituksen ja insinööritaitojen ennakkoluuloton yhdistelmä synnytti ennennäkemättömän menestystarinan. Huimat ideat muuntuivat tuotteiksi, jotka mullistivat useita teollisuudenaloja tietokone- ja musiikkiteollisuudesta matkapuhelimiin ja digitaaliseen kustantamiseen. Jobsin innovaatiot vaikuttavat ihmisten elämään kaikkialla maailmassa. Elämäkerta perustuu kahden vuoden aikana tehtyihin kymmeniin Jobsin itsensä sekä perheenjäsenten, ystävien, vihamiesten, kilpailijoiden ja kollegoiden haastatteluihin. Jobs ei asettanut minkäänlaisia vaatimuksia kirjan sisällön suhteen, päinvastoin, hän rohkaisi tuntemiaan ihmisiä puhumaan avoimesti ja rehellisesti. Myös Steve Jobs puhui suoraan henkilöistä, joiden kanssa hän on työskennellyt ja kilpaillut. Haastateltujen kertomasta välittyy kaunistelematon kuva Jobsin poikkeuksellisesta persoonasta. Särmikäs Jobs saattoi ajaa ihmiset ympärillään raivoon ja epätoivoon, mutta myös huippusuorituksiin. Hänen pakkomielteensä, taiteellisuutensa, intohimonsa ja kunnianhimonsa näkyivät niin hänen johtamistyylissään kuin yksityiselämässään. Steve Jobs kuoli 5.10.2011 ”Steve Jobs oli suurin keksijä sitten Thomas Edisonin. Hän toi maailman sormenpäihimme.” – Steven Spielberg ”Steven intohimo yksinkertaisuuteen ja eleganssiin jättää meille perinnön, joka säilyy sukupolvien ajan.” – Stephen Elop

Steve Jobs

Biographies & Memoirs

La biografía definitiva de Steve Jobs, el fundador de Apple, escrita con su colaboración.La muerte de Steve Jobs ha conmocionado al mundo. Tras entrevistarlo en más de cuarenta ocasiones en los últimos dos años, además de a un centenar de personas de su entorno, familiares, amigos, adversarios y colegas, Walter Isaacson nos presenta la única biografía escrita con la colaboración de Jobs, el retrato definitivo de uno de los iconos indiscutibles de nuestro tiempo, la crónica de la agitada vida y abrasiva personalidad del genio cuya creatividad, energía y afán de perfeccionismo revolucionaron seis industrias: la informática, el cine de animación, la música, la telefonía, las tabletas y la edición digital.Consciente de que la mejor manera de crear valor en el siglo XXI es conectar la creatividad con la tecnología, Jobs fundó una empresa en la que impresionantes saltos de la imaginación van de la mano de asombrosos logros tecnológicos.Aunque Jobs colaboró en el libro, no pidió ningún control sobre el contenido, ni siquiera ejerció el derecho a leerlo antes de su publicación. No rehuyó ningún tema y animó a la gente que conocía a hablar con franqueza. «He hecho muchas cosas de las que no me siento orgulloso, como dejar a mi novia embarazada a los veintitrés años y cómo me comporté entonces, pero no hay ningún cadáver en mi armario que no pueda salir a la luz».Jobs habla con una sinceridad a veces brutal sobre la gente con la que ha trabajado y contra la que ha competido. De igual modo, sus amigos, rivales y colegas ofrecen una visión sin edulcorar de las pasiones, los demonios, el perfeccionismo, los deseos, el talento, los trucos y la obsesión por controlarlo todo que modelaron su visión empresarial y los innovadores productos que logró crear.Su historia, por tanto, está llena de enseñanzas sobre innovación, carácter, liderazgo y valores. La vida de un genio capaz de enfurecer y seducir a partes iguales.Reseña:«El fallecimiento de Steve Jobs ha precipitado un alud de libros sobre su figura. De todos ellos, la aproximación más completa e interesante al personaje es la de Isaacson.»La Vanguardia

Steve Jobs (Italian Edition)

Biographies & Memoirs

Walter Isaacson racconta l'avvincente storia del geniale imprenditore la cui passione per la perfezione e il carisma feroce hanno rivoluzionato sei settori dell'economia e del business: computer, film d'animazione, musica, telefoni, tablet ed editoria digitale. L'esclusiva biografia di Steve Jobs. Basandosi su più di quaranta interviste con Steve Jobs in oltre due anni, e su più di cento con familiari, amici, rivali e colleghi, Walter Isaacson racconta l'avvincente storia del geniale imprenditore la cui passione per la perfezione e il carisma feroce hanno rivoluzionato sei settori dell'economia e del business: computer, film d'animazione, musica, telefoni, tablet ed editoria digitale. Nell'epoca in cui tutto il mondo sta cercando un modo di sviluppare l'economia nell'era digitale, Jobs spicca come icona massima dell'inventiva e dell'immaginazione, perchè ha intuito in anticipo che la chiave per creare valore nel ventunesimo secolo è la combinazione tra creatività e tecnologia e ha costruito un'azienda basata sulla connessione tra geniali salti d'immaginazione e riconosciute invenzioni tecnologiche. Sebbene abbia cooperato attivamente per questo libro, Jobs non ha chiesto nessun controllo sul testo né ha preteso il diritto di leggerlo prima della pubblicazione. Non ha posto nessun filtro, anzi ha incoraggiato i conoscenti, i familiari, gli antagonisti a raccontare la verità onestamente. E lo stesso Steve Jobs parla candidamente, talvolta in maniera brutale, dei colleghi, degli amici e dei nemici, i quali, a loro volta, offrono uno squarcio sulle passioni, sul perfezionismo, sulle ossessioni, sulla maestria, sulla magia diabolica e la tensione per il controllo che hanno caratterizzato il suo approccio al business e i geniali prodotti creati. Guidato dai demoni, Jobs sarebbe potuto cadere nell'ira e nella disperazione. Ma la sua personalità e i prodotti erano una cosa sola, esattamente come gli hardware e i software di Apple, come fossero parti di un sistema integrato. Una storia che ci insegna e allo stesso tempo ci mette in guarda, ricca di lezioni sull'innovazione, il carattere, la leadership e i valori.

A Benjamin Franklin Reader

Biographies & Memoirs

A selection of Benjamin Franklin’s writings, with an introduction and commentary by renowned author Walter Isaacson.Selected and annotated by the author of the acclaimed Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, this collection of Franklin’s writings shows why he was the bestselling author of his day and remains America’s favorite founder and wit. Includes an introductory essay exploring Franklin’s life and impact as a writer, and each piece is accompanied by a preface and notes that provide background, context, and analysis.

The Innovators

Biographies & Memoirs

Sind sie jetzt Nerds, Weltverbesserer oder Spieler – diejenigen, die alles für möglich halten und nur durch die Frontscheibe schauen? Der Steve-Jobs-Biograf Walter Isaacson gibt diesen Vordenkern des digitalen Zeitalters ein Gesicht. Er blickt auf Erfinder und abenteuerlustige Unternehmer, die keine Grenzen akzeptieren, die unerbittlich und lustvoll Zukunft machen wollen. Die großen Namen wie Jobs und Gates stehen dabei immer für die Vielen, die in einem Zeitalter, das keine Alleinherrscher über Informationen duldet, permanent Ideen produzieren und Entwicklungen vorantreiben. Die Reise geht von Ada Lovelace über Alan Turing, John von Neumann, Konrad Zuse und Grace Hopper bis zu den genialen Kindern des Silicon Valley.

The Code Breaker

Biographies & Memoirs

A Best Book of 2021 by Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Time, and The Washington PostThe bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs returns with a “compelling” (The Washington Post) account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and have healthier babies.When Jennifer Doudna was in sixth grade, she came home one day to find that her dad had left a paperback titled The Double Helix on her bed. She put it aside, thinking it was one of those detective tales she loved. When she read it on a rainy Saturday, she discovered she was right, in a way. As she sped through the pages, she became enthralled by the intense drama behind the competition to discover the code of life. Even though her high school counselor told her girls didn’t become scientists, she decided she would.Driven by a passion to understand how nature works and to turn discoveries into inventions, she would help to make what the book’s author, James Watson, told her was the most important biological advance since his codiscovery of the structure of DNA. She and her collaborators turned a curiosity of nature into an invention that will transform the human race: an easy-to-use tool that can edit DNA. Known as CRISPR, it opened a brave new world of medical miracles and moral questions.The development of CRISPR and the race to create vaccines for coronavirus will hasten our transition to the next great innovation revolution. The past half-century has been a digital age, based on the microchip, computer, and internet. Now we are entering a life-science revolution. Children who study digital coding will be joined by those who study genetic code.Should we use our new evolution-hacking powers to make us less susceptible to viruses? What a wonderful boon that would be! And what about preventing depression? Hmmm…Should we allow parents, if they can afford it, to enhance the height or muscles or IQ of their kids?After helping to discover CRISPR, Doudna became a leader in wrestling with these moral issues and, with her collaborator Emmanuelle Charpentier, won the Nobel Prize in 2020. Her story is an “enthralling detective story” (Oprah Daily) that involves the most profound wonders of nature, from the origins of life to the future of our species.

Leonardo da Vinci

Biographies & Memoirs

The #1 New York Times bestseller from Walter Isaacson brings Leonardo da Vinci to life in this exciting new biography that is “a study in creativity: how to define it, how to achieve it…Most important, it is a powerful story of an exhilarating mind and life” (The New Yorker).Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo da Vinci’s astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson “deftly reveals an intimate Leonardo” (San Francisco Chronicle) in a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.He produced the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry. He explored the math of optics, showed how light rays strike the cornea, and produced illusions of changing perspectives in The Last Supper. His ability to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, made iconic by his drawing of Vitruvian Man, made him history’s most creative genius.In the “luminous” (Daily Beast) Leonardo da Vinci, Isaacson describes how Leonardo’s delight at combining diverse passions remains the ultimate recipe for creativity. So, too, does his ease at being a bit of a misfit: illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, left-handed, easily distracted, and at times heretical. His life should remind us of the importance to be imaginative and, like talented rebels in any era, to think different. Here, da Vinci “comes to life in all his remarkable brilliance and oddity in Walter Isaacson’s ambitious new biography…a vigorous, insightful portrait” (The Washington Post).

Biographies & Memoirs Books