Monday, January 21, 2013

Nonfiction Monday: Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different

Nonfiction Monday is a weekly meme in the Kidlitosphere that invites bloggers to read and review a nonfiction book on Monday as a way to promote high-quality nonfiction titles.  Each week, a different blogger "hosts" Nonfiction Monday and provides a roundup of all the posts.  This week Nonfiction Monday is hosted by the LibrariYAn (that's me)!
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day and welcome to Nonfiction Monday!  I'll be rounding up today's nonfiction posts.  If you've written a Nonfiction Monday post, tell me about it in the comments.  Make sure to include your blog name, the book you reviewed and a little description of what it's about and/or why you love that title.

Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal



It is impossible to chronicle the life of Steve Jobs without also chronicling the history of Apple.  Steve Jobs was the not only the face of Apple from its humble beginnings; he was also the driving force behind their company’s philosophy that computers should conform to the needs and wants of the user, instead of the user experience being dictated by the technology.  Today, most everyone owns at least one of Apple’s products, be it a desktop computer, MacBook, iPad, iPhone or iPod.  Most young people, however, don’t know how Steve Jobs created and worked to build the Apple empire, and how many setbacks he faced along the way, both personally and professionally.  In Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different, author Karen Blumenthal takes us inside the life of Jobs and his company.

The cover is plain white with Jobs in his signature glasses and black turtleneck.  The title (in the Apple rainbow) is a nod to Apple’s “Think different” campaign.  Structured around three stories that Jobs shared at the 2005 Stanford commencement, with black and white photographs scattered throughout the text and short anecdotes between chapters, everything about the meticulous design of this book is a tribute to Jobs life’s work.  But this book is not a lovefest for Steve Jobs.   Jobs is given due credit for his relentless efforts to create personal technology devices that put the user first.  In this regard, he was astoundingly successful.  Blumenthal also takes care to show how his flaws – his selfishness, his temper, his arrogance, his inability to form personal relationships – also held him back from personal and professional success.  Back matter includes an integrated Steve Jobs/Apple timeline, bibliography, notes, author’s note, glossary and index.  A must-have for library collections for middle and high school aged patrons.

Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different is a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction.

Nonfiction Monday Round-Up

Shelf-Employed shares thoughts (and suggestions!) on the ever-popular biography assignment
Hope is the Word reviews Joanna Stanbridge The Extraordinary Music of Mr. Ives
laurasalas: writing the world for kids reviews Diana Hutts Aston's A Rock is Lively!
Randomly Reading reviews Kadir Nelson's I Have a Dream: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
NC Teacher Stuff reviews Caroline Arnold's Too Hot? Too Cold? Keeping Body Temperatures Just Right
Perogies & Gyoza reviews Jaqueline K. Ogburn's Little Treasures: Endearments from Around the World
A Fuse #8 Production reviews Deborah Heiligman's The Boy Who Loved Math: the Improbably Life of Paul Erdos
Abby the Librarian shares her top ten picture book biographies
Booktalking  reviews Melody Herr's Sitting for Equal Service: Lunch Counter Sit-Ins, United States, 1960s
Wrapped in Foil reviews Amy Novesky's Imogen: Mother of Modernism and Three Boys
Jean Little Library compares two nonfiction series on horses
A Teaching Life shares two titles honoring this historic day: Kadir Nelson's I Have a Dream: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Barack Obama's Of Thee I Sing
Charlotte's Library reviews Shaun Tan's The Bird King: An Artists's Notebook
Speak Well, Read Well shares her students' reaction to Kadir Nelson's I Have a Dream: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
True Tales & A Cherry On Top reviews Renee Watson's Harlem's Little Blackbird
A Cath in the Hat reviews David Macaulay's Castle: How it Works
Books 4 Learning reviews Mark Cassino and Jon Nelson's The Story of Snow
The Swimmer Writer reviews Yoming S. Lin's Fahrenheit, Celsius and Their Temperature Scales
The Cat and the Fiddle features an interview with author Jerri Chase Ferris, who wrote Noah Webster and His Words
The Fourth Musketeer shares her favorite picture books about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sonder Books reviews Masaichiro and Mitsumasa Anno's Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar
Sally's Bookshelf reviews Heather Lang's Queen of the Track: Alice Coachman, Olympic High-Jump Champion 

 The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.
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23 comments:

  1. shelf-employedJanuary 21, 2013 at 6:35 AM

    Today at Shelf-employed, I've posted some thoughts on the "school biography assignment." Feel free to chime in with your own opinions. I'd love to hear them. http://shelf-employed.blogspot.com/2013/01/its-that-time-of-year-biographies.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amy @ Hope Is the WordJanuary 21, 2013 at 7:15 AM

    This week I reviewed The Extraordinary Music of Mr. Ives by Joanne Stanbridge, a great nonfiction picture book about American composer Charles Ives. Set mostly during the World War I time period, this book showcases the unique way in which Charles Ives viewed and "heard" the world. Here's my link: http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2013/01/21/the-extraordinary-music-of-mr-ives-by-joanne-stanbridge/

    Thanks for hosting!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 21, 2013 at 7:27 AM

    Thanks for hosting, Alicia! Today at laurasalas: writing the world for kids, I share A RockIs Lively, by Dianna Hutts Aston. I love her series of books that describes the personality traits of things we don't usually think of as having personalities (OK, I do, but a lot of people don't). Beautiful illustrations by Sylvia Longs and great nonfiction content make these books terrific. My link is:

    http://laurasalas.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/rock-is-lively/

    ReplyDelete
  4. Randomly ReadingJanuary 21, 2013 at 7:56 AM

    Hi, This week I reviewed I Have A Dream: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Kadir Nelson, a beautiful book in which Kadir Nelson matched Dr. King's words with his illusttations. Perfect for MLK and inauguration day. The link is

    http://randomlyreading.blogspot.com/2013/01/i-have-dream-dr-martin-luther-king-jr.html

    Thanks for hosting today.

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  5. Jeff BargerJanuary 21, 2013 at 8:22 AM

    Thank you for hosting! At NC Teacher Stuff, I am featuring a terrific new book about humans and animals called Too Hot? Too Cold? Keeping Body Temperature Just Right:

    http://ncteacherstuff.blogspot.com/2013/01/too-hot-too-cold-keeping-body.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. PerogyoJanuary 21, 2013 at 8:38 AM

    Thanks for hosting, and I am looking forward to your review of Steve Jobs!

    At Perogies & Gyoza today I have a charming picture book which introduces lots of different endearments that parents use for children all over the world, perfect for language geeks like me. It's called Little Treasures: Endearments from Around the World.
    http://www.perogiesandgyoza.com/2013/01/little-treasures-endearments-from.html

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  7. UnknownJanuary 21, 2013 at 8:47 AM

    Thanks so much! I've reviewed The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. It's not out until June but I just couldn't wait to tell the world about it! Best math bio ever. http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2013/01/21/review-of-the-day-the-boy-who-loved-math-by-deborah-heiligman/

    ReplyDelete
  8. AbbyJanuary 21, 2013 at 9:15 AM

    Thanks for hosting!

    At Abby the Librarian, I have my Top Ten Picture Book Biographies : http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2013/01/top-ten-picture-book-biographies-9.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anastasia SuenJanuary 21, 2013 at 9:48 AM

    Thanks for hosting! At Booktalking we remember Dr. King with Sitting for Equal Service: Lunch Counter Sit-Ins, United States, 1960s by Melody Herr (and a link to King's "I have a dream" speech on YouTube) http://asuen.com/blog/?p=927

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  10. RobertaJanuary 21, 2013 at 9:50 AM

    I have a biography as well today, the picture book biography Imogen by Amy Novesky at http://blog.wrappedinfoil.com/2013/01/imogen-the-mother-of-modernism-and-three-boys/

    I'd love to hear what you think about it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. JenniferJanuary 21, 2013 at 9:52 AM

    At Jean Little Library I have a comparison of two nonfiction horse series, one from Bearport, one from Bellwether Media. http://jeanlittlelibrary.blogspot.com/2013/01/nonfiction-monday-two-horse-series.html

    ReplyDelete
  12. Tara @ A Teaching LifeJanuary 21, 2013 at 10:06 AM

    Thanks for hosting today. To mark this historic day, I have two picture books at A Teaching Life , one about Dr. King and one by President Obama: http://tmsteach.blogspot.com/2013/01/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-is.html

    ReplyDelete
  13. CharlotteJanuary 21, 2013 at 10:15 AM

    Thanks for hosting! At Charlotte's Library, I have a post up bout The Bird King: An Artist's Notebook, by Shaun Tan.

    http://charlotteslibrary.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-bird-king-artists-notebook-by-shaun.html

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jeanette W. StickelJanuary 21, 2013 at 10:38 AM

    The words of Martin Luther King Jr. inspired my students to speak of their own dreams for the future. Some surprised me. It is delightful to hear how five and six year-olds think. Thanks for hosting!

    http://speakwellreadwell.blogspot.com/2013/01/inspired-to-dream.html

    ReplyDelete
  15. Jeanne Walker HarveyJanuary 21, 2013 at 10:52 AM

    Thanks for hosting Nonfiction Monday today! At True Tales & A Cherry On Top, I'm featuring the picture book biopgraphy, Harlem's Little Blackbird - The Story of Florence Mills written by Renee Watson and illustrated by Christian Robinson.

    http://jeannewalkerharvey.blogspot.com/2013/01/harlems-little-blackbird.html

    ReplyDelete
  16. CatherineJanuary 21, 2013 at 11:01 AM

    Thanks for hosting! At The Cath in the Hat I've reviewed a top-notch nonfiction easy reader: Castle: How It Works by David Macaulay.

    http://thecathinthehat.blogspot.com/2013/01/castle-how-it-works.html

    ReplyDelete
  17. Books4LearningJanuary 21, 2013 at 11:31 AM

    Please add my link to The Story of Snow
    http://books4learning.blogspot.com/2013/01/nonfiction-monday-story-of-snow-by-mark.html

    ReplyDelete
  18. The Swimmer WriterJanuary 21, 2013 at 11:42 AM

    Thanks for hosting! My recommended title is: Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Their Temperature Scales by Yoming S. Ling
    http://theswimmerwriter.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-men-behind-science-of-temperature.html
    This is a good selection for Common Core Science. Visit the blog post for the link.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Michelle MarkelJanuary 21, 2013 at 11:59 AM

    Much obliged for hosting. Today The Cat & The Fiddle offers an interview with Jeri Chase Ferris, author of Noah Webster and His Words. A witty, warm, well researched biography.

    http://michellemarkel.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  20. Fourth MusketeerJanuary 21, 2013 at 12:22 PM

    Today I have some of my favorite books about Martin Luther King, Jr. Here's the link:

    http://fourthmusketeer.blogspot.com/2013/01/best-picture-books-about-martin-luther.html

    ReplyDelete
  21. SondyJanuary 21, 2013 at 4:18 PM

    Thanks for hosting! Today I review an oldie but goodie, Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar, by Masaichiro and Mitsumasa Anno: http://sonderbooks.com/blog/?p=12567

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2013 at 7:10 AM

    This sounds like an interesting bio--I don't know much about Jobs and will have to add this to my tbr list. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Sue HeavenrichJanuary 22, 2013 at 5:30 PM

    coming late to the party! Go so involved watching the inauguration I forgot yesterday was Monday - not to mention MLK day. Over at Sally's Bookshelf I've posted a review of "Queen of the Track: Alice Coachman, Olympic High-Jump Champion", by Heather Lang
    http://sallysbookshelf.blogspot.com/2013/01/alice-coachman-had-dream.html

    ReplyDelete

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