Valley of Genius

April 9, 2018
Former Wired contributor Fisher’s lively oral history of Silicon Valley focuses on behind-the-scene tales of major innovations that emerged from the tech hub, including the interactive video game, the personal computer, and the first computer-animated film. Through these stories emerges “the quintessential Silicon Valley script”: “Young kid with radical idea hacks together something cool, builds a wild free-wheeling company around it.” The conversational tone allows the reader to connect with the Valley’s eccentric and diverse cast of characters, including Napster founder Sean Parker, who helped launch Facebook; film director Ridley Scott, who created the television commercial for the first Macintosh computer; and programmer Jaron Lanier, who coined the term “virtual reality.” Touching on the personal habits of the industry’s titans—such as Steve Jobs’s quirky diets and Twitter cofounder Noah Glass’s propensity for giving colleagues “often painful” bear hugs—as well as the grueling process of turning ideas into viable products, Fisher captures the cultural lore of Silicon Valley in the voices of its more prominent players.

October 1, 2018

Journalist Fisher has crafted this history of Silicon Valley by carefully splicing together quotes from various people involved. Unfortunately, in the audio format the frequent need to give attribution of the source for a quote is jarring and makes for a choppy presentation. Something that is sorely missing and that would have helped to bring clarity to this material is an objective analysis or perspective. Also missing is a discussion of ethical issues, from the selling of blue boxes to circumvent the telephone company to the massive gathering of personal information and monetizing it, thereby creating immense wealth for the tech barons. The story of Silicon Valley deserves a better and more balanced telling. Narrator Pete Larkin provides a workmanlike effort to the material, which doesn't easily lend itself to audio. VERDICT An optional purchase. Most suitable for people with a deep interest in technology. ["This behind-the-scenes account of modern start-up culture will interest technology geeks and business historians alike": LJ 5/15/18 review of the Grand Central hc.]--Cynthia Jensen, Gladys Harrington Lib., Plano, TX

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