Tom's Picks
Tech Books
If there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I’m a huge bookworm. Here are some tech books that have crept onto my favorites list lately.
Big Tech and the internet we got
The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI
Not an anti-AI book. It asks the question I care about: is the tool working for you, or are you working for the tool?
Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It
Doctorow gives a name and an explanation for what we’re watching happen in both tech and the broader industry. Good platforms, then worse for users, then worse for everyone.
Careless People
I started this book with low expectations, as I already knew that Zuck was a generally awful person, but this book really opened my eyes to just how much worse Facebook is.
Chokepoint Capitalism
How a few companies sit between creators and audiences and take the margin. As someone who makes content for a living, it hit close to home.
The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation
The case for interoperability: if you could leave a platform and take your data and contacts with you, it would have to treat you better.
Hackers and hacker history
The Cuckoo’s Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage
A 75-cent accounting error leads an astronomer to a KGB-paid hacker. Still the best argument for actually reading your logs.
Fancy Bear Goes Phishing
Five famous hacks, from the Morris worm to Mirai, explained by a law professor who learned to code. Good at showing that most breaches come down to people and design, not magic.
A Hacker’s Mind: How the Powerful Bend Society’s Rules, and How to Bend them Back
Schneier applies the hacker mindset to tax codes, markets, and politics. It changes how you look at any rulebook.
Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World
The history of the group that coined “hacktivism” and embarrassed Microsoft into taking security seriously.
Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker
Mitnick’s own story. Notice how much of it is phone calls and confidence rather than code.
The Art of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders and Deceivers
Real attacks told by the people who pulled them off, each followed by what defenders should take away.
The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security
The social engineering playbook. Decades later, it still explains most of the phishing I see.
Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet
This is the origin story of the internet and a great look at how that foundation came to be.
Cyberwar and cybercrime
Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency
Bitcoin was supposed to be anonymous. This is how investigators proved it was the opposite.
This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race
Inside the market for zero-day exploits, where governments are the biggest buyers. Uncomfortable reading for anyone who patches systems.
Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever
The FBI secretly ran an “encrypted” phone company for criminals. A wild story, and a lesson in trusting a vendor’s encryption claims.
Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin’s Most Dangerous Hackers
The Russian unit behind NotPetya and the Ukrainian grid attacks. A great deep dive into understanding nation state attacks.
Surveillance, privacy, and online safety
Crash Override: How Gamergate (Nearly) Destroyed My Life, and How We Can Win the Fight Against Online Hate
A firsthand, eye-opening look at the dark side of internet culture and digital mobs, through the personal lens of Zoë Quinn.
Permanent Record
Snowden on how the mass surveillance system was built and why he exposed it. Whatever you think of him, the technical side is worth understanding.
Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance
Cindy Cohn’s thirty years at EFF, from the Crypto Wars onward. A reminder that the encryption we take for granted was a legal fight first.
Big ideas
Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI
Harari on how information networks shape societies, from the printing press to AI. A useful zoom out from the day-to-day.
Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions
Caching, optimal stopping, and scheduling applied to everyday decisions. The rare book that makes computer science feel practical outside the server room.
Got a suggestion? Reach out via the socials or email books at LawrenceSystems.com. Some links are Amazon affiliate links.