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Like, Comment, Subscribe: Inside YouTube's Chaotic Rise to World Domination by Mark Bergen (2022), 407 pgs. 

"Charlie bit my finger!" Evolution of Dance. Annoying Orange. Fred. 
You have probably seen a YouTube video at least once in your life, whether it be one of the viral clips mentioned above, or just a simple tutorial or cat video. For all the videos you have seen though, there are hundreds of thousands more that you haven't. There is no larger collection of homemade footage than YouTube. In this look into YouTube's formation and business practices, journalist Mark Bergen delves deeply into the values of the company and how they have led to some extreme issues. Bergen talks about the harm that has come from YouTube's practices in terms of content moderation (or lack thereof), and its, at times, tenuous relationship with the very creators who make it what it is. 

If you are a fan of YouTube, or even just an occasional viewer of its content, this is an interesting read. I grew up insatiably consuming videos from my favorite creators, and from time to time they would mention YouTube policy (often in frustration). They would talk about how they changed their content in response to "the algorithm." This book examines how "the algorithm" came to be, what YouTube brass has done to change it, and how sometimes it seems like the code itself is running the show. Mark Bergen manages to write this book about a business in a way that is both captivating and understandable for someone who does not often read nonfiction. I highly, highly recommend.   

Respect Yourself

 Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion by Robert Gordon, 480 pgs. 

This book was a hoot! I’ve been listening to some of these records and artists for so long but had no idea the kind of cultural relevance they had—the twists, the turns—Atlantic records stabbed them in the back and stole their back catalog! Zelma Redding co-wrote Dreams to Remember! (I’ve always been partial to the Toots and the Maytals version). Aretha Franklin was almost a Stax artist?! Unreal.

This was the second book for our 2025 Rhythm n' Books group and it was well-received by everyone who read it. It covers the very beginning of Stax in Memphis and follows their tumultuous and rapid growth during the civil rights movement. As much as it is about the bands and the music, it also reads as a great business book--at one point, Stax artists were so popular that the company had visions of being a major competitor to CBS--but bad business decisions kept that dream at bay. Check out the 4-part mini-series on HBO to watch it all come alive. 

Profiles in Audacity

 

Profiles in Audacity: Great Decisions and How They were Made by Alan Axelrod 320 pp.

Forty-six profiles of the people and events in history that required audacious ideas/decisions are given in chapter length bites. A wide range of time periods are covered from Cleopatra's decision to rescue Egypt to the passengers of Flight 93 fighting the terrorists on board the plane on 9/11. In addition the subjects vary from military battles to world changing business decisions, humanitarian endeavors, exploration, and civil rights. It is a very mixed bag and I question the inclusion of a couple chapters which didn't seem as strong as the others. But as a whole it is an interesting collection of history making events and the people behind them.

How to be successful without hurting men's feelings

 

How to be successful without hurting men's feelings: non-threatening leadership strategies for women / Sarah Cooper, 209 pgs.

A primer on coping in the workplace.  Sarah Cooper, who has gone on to massive internet fame published this book in 2018 after working in the tech industry for years.  I think she gives a great overview of what you can expect in a male dominated field.  This is funny and sometimes spot-on.  The illustrations add a lot so you can really get some of the recommended facial expressions right.

Joy at work

Joy at work: organizing your professional life / Marie Kondo and Scott Sonnenshein, 253 pgs.

Those of you familiar with the Konmari method of tidying will not find anything too new here.  The idea is that you don't need everything that you have and you should get rid of things you don't need.  The focus here is on the office and business including items, emails, personal contacts, and MEETINGS.  I am impressed with the partnership between these authors that help add a new dimension.  I also enjoyed reading about Kondo's own struggles as her business grew and she found herself over stretched and not finding much joy in her life.  She got herself back on track and made room for her job and her family.  I'm sure the authors are right about everything but I still need to actually make the move to clear things out.

Minding the Store

Minding the Store: A Big Story About a Small Business by Julie Gaines; illustrated by Ben Lenovitz (2018). 176 pages.

Minding the Store is a charming piece of graphic nonfiction, chronicling the rise and fall (and rise again?) of Fishs Eddy, a famous local business in New York specializing in the resale of hotel industry flatware. Julia Gaines recounts how she and her husband rode the tumultuous waves to operate the store they love so dearly--from making a business out of their niche collection interest to the business's expansion to its near demise, attempts to employ family, encounters with celebrities, weathering the September 11 attacks, and on--and thus cemented its place in New York's history in its own right.

I had a lot of fun reading this, mostly because I'm a NYC-phile and love reading histories of how the city's neighborhoods have developed over the years. Minding the Store puts you right in it and has a lot of really funny moments while you're along for the ride. I can't believe I've never visited the store before, but my fingers are crossed that it will weather this storm so that I can visit it in the future.

Do Nothing!

Do Nothing! How to Stop Overmanaging and Become a Great Leader by J. Keith Murnighan, 224 pages

In this short book, Murnighan examines ways to get rid of micromanagement and focus on the real job of being a manager: leading your team. He discusses empathy, getting used to not doing the stuff that got you hired for the management job (for example, being great at IT might get you the job of the IT manager, but once you take the promotion, you'll just be overseeing someone else doing the actual IT work), and generally refocusing on what will best make your team work effectively. It's an interesting book, and while a lot of it seems obvious, it's not — I didn't think of any of this "obvious" stuff until Murnighan mentioned it. So it's well worth perusing, though I'd love to see an update, as a lot has changed since the book was first published in 2012.

The Monk of Mokha

The Monk of Mokha / Dave Eggers, read by Dion Graham, 336 pgs.

In interesting story of an intrepid entrepreneur who decides to elevate his culture by importing coffee from its origin, Yemen.  Of course there are a few stumbling blocks.  Mokhtar is 25 years old and drifting between sales jobs starting at Banana Republic and at the start of this journey, he is a door man.  Also, he has never tasted coffee...but why should this impinge on his plans to learn a LOT about coffee, become a Q taster (the highest level of coffee expert) and importer?  Well, Yemen is also in the midst of a civil war so that also isn't helping.  Against all odds, Mokhtar just keeps pushing forward, not sure what he is doing but confident he will figure it out.  An engaging story of someone with a classic American Dream who is dedicated to pulling it off.  Dion Graham's narration adds plenty to the story and it is nice to hear all of the places and people's name with correct pronunciation.

The new new thing

The new new thing: a Silicon Valley story / Michael Lewis, 269 pgs.

Jim Clark is described as "an American treasure," "insufferable," and "infuriating."  He is also the guy who headed three billion dollar businesses, and made his fortune by seeing what was coming and jumping on it way before there was a bandwagon and before anyone saw that he was right.  In depth and covering less of the economics that Lewis in known for, you get a look into Clark but what we see is so confusing, I'm not sure I learned much.  Still fun to read and hard to imagine, the idea of hopping into a helicopter with this guy is scary but Lewis never hesitated.

As I go back and re-read and read some for the first time, I'm still amazed at how Lewis can make seemingly any topic interesting to me.

Slide:ology

Slide:ology: the art and science of creating great presentations / Nancy Duarte 288 pgs.

This is a dense text for those of us with no background in design.  With pages covering everything from color theory to font selection, it is like a graphic design course all itself.  I'm sure many of us have endured bad presentations as well as giving bad presentations.  This book won't guarantee greatness but at least it will get your graphic side in order.

Recommended for anyone who does presentations, signs, or other handouts.

How to get filthy rich in rising Asia

How to get filthy rich in rising Asia / Mohsin Hamid 228 pgs.

Similar to Hamid's earlier book "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" we don't ever know the name of the narrator of this book.  His true love is always called "the pretty girl". And yet, we don't need to know his name to learn a lot from him.  I'm not sure if I could get filthy rich based on his lessons but they seem pretty consistent.  Our unnamed narrator starts out delivering videos for a small business owner then starts his own bottled water business.  He grows his business into a large conglomerate and over the years marries, has a son, becomes richer, and then fails.  He has learned many lessons, however, and is willing to share them with us.

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The lean startup

The lean startup: how today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses/Eric Ries 320 pgs.

I went to a session at the American Library Association conference where they talked about applying lessons from "The Lean Startup" to libraries. After grabbing the book, it is amazing how logical all of the ideas are and seems a little crazy that all organizations don't think this way.  I think I would sum it up by saying if something you are doing isn't working, change it.  Sounds simple but, of course, change can be a loaded situation and people are loath to take responsibility for change and to decide what changes to make.  The idea of the Five Whys is also intriguing.  It goes something like this:  To figure out the basis of the problem, ask why? five times until you get to the root of the issue.  I can see uses for this all over the place.  Although this book is about business, it certainly applies to libraries and you can probably find applications for some of the concepts in other areas of you life.

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The white tiger

The white tiger / Aravind Adiga 276 pgs.

Balram Halwai is a poor Indian who is smart and looking for a way out of his poverty.  He ends up as a driver for a wealthy family in Delhi and begins to learn their secrets and how things work in politics and business.  Balram starts thinking about leaving the "rooster cage" a way in which poor people are held back even by their peers in India.  Everything is structured to keep people from moving between classes.  In the end, Balram takes a chance and grabs an opportunity. He ends up a successful businessman now playing by the rules of the system he loves to hate.  I listened to the audio version of this book and enjoyed the reader immensely.

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Who: the A method for hiring

Who: the A method for hiring by Geoff Smart and Randy Street 188 pgs.

According to this book, the #1 problem facing organizations is WHO?  What should be done and planning are easy compared to finding who should be working towards those goals.  This book lays out a method for hiring competent people who will fit into an organization.  It all starts with deciding what you are looking for.  Clarifying the skills and experience necessary makes it easier to find people who fit the criteria.  Everything here makes a lot of sense and it seems like it can work for just about any organization and about any hiring decision. 

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Leading quietly

Leading quietly: an unorthodox guide to doing the right thing/Joseph Badaracco 201 pgs.

You usually hear about leaders who make a big splash, that change things up and pity the poor people who get whiplash on the way.  This book is very different in that it shows you how to work within the system, it talks about avoiding the big splash and taking your time.  I found it inspiring and practical.

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Do Nothing!

Do Nothing!: how to stop overmanaging and become a great leader by J. Keith Murnighan 224 pgs.

I love a book that tells me to DO NOTHING and be a great leader...but really, if I could do nothing and be a mediocre anything, that seems like a pretty good deal.  Really, the cover of this book just grabbed my attention and said "check me out".  I was not disappointed because the author has a very engaging style that really tells a story.  You can see how these suggestions would work and reminds you how irritating it is when you get micromanaged or have a boss who can't stop doing the work and getting in your way.

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Enchantment

Enchantment:  The art of changing hearts, minds, and actions by Guy Kawasaki 211 pgs.

Guy Kawasaki writes mostly for entrepreneurs but as a business writer, his idea that success is measured by personal interactions is certainly not something that can't be used by other organizations.  As I read this book, I thought about all the ways libraries server our patrons and how we could do better.  It is an interesting idea to use our services and people skills to influence our customers and to keep them coming back by giving them more than they expected.  The book also talks about how to use technology and other means to advertise and sell your services.  Overall, Guy Kawasaki strikes me as being such a positive force...a truly happy guy with lots of good ideas and advice.

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