Staff Picks
#BroaderBookshelf 2023 - Technology (Graphic Novel)
- Mahogany S.
- Friday, February 17, 2023
Collection
Check out one of these titles and fulfill the #BroaderBookshelf 2023 Reading Challenge prompt "read a fiction or nonfiction book about technology".
This list is part of the #BroaderBookshelf 2023 Reading Challenge. Find more lists here.
Sapiens
A Graphic History. Volume One, The Birth of Humankind
Published in 2020
"One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one--homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us? In this first volume of the full-color illustrated adaptation of his groundbreaking book, renowned historian Yuval Harari tells the story of humankind's creation and evolution, exploring the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be "human." From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens challenges us to reconsider accepted beliefs, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and view specific events within the context of larger ideas. Featuring 256 pages of full-color illustrations and easy-to-understand text covering the first part of the full-length original edition, this adaptation of the mind-expanding book furthers the ongoing conversation as it introduces Harari's ideas to a wide new readership"-- Provided by publisher.
Sapiens
A Graphic History. Volume Two, The Pillars of Civilization
Published in 2021
In the second "Sapiens" volume, Yuval Noah Harari tells the story of how we took over the world; how an unlikely marriage between a god and a bureaucrat created the first empires; and how war, famine, disease, and inequality became a part of the human condition. The origins of modern farming are introduced through Elizabethan tragedy, the changing fortunes of domesticated plants and animals are tracked in the columns of the Daily Business News, and the story of urbanization is told as a travel brochure offering discount journeys to ancient Babylon and China.
The Case of Alan Turing
The Extraordinary and Tragic Story of the Legendary Codebreaker
Published in 2016
The Zen of Steve Jobs
Published in 2012
Presents a graphic interpretation of Steve Jobs's spiritual connections to Buddhism through his mentor and friend Kobun Otogawa, and describes how his search for perfection helped bring about the iPod and the resurgence of Apple.
Steve Jobs
Genius by Design
Published in 2012
Chronicles the life of the innovator, from his birth and adoption through his wanderlust period to his creation of the Apple empire that revolutionized modern technology.
Terms and Conditions
The Graphic Novel
Published in 2017
"For his newest project, R. Sikoryak tackles the monstrously and infamously dense legal document, iTunes Terms and Conditions, the contract everyone agrees to but no one reads. In a word for word 94-page adaptation, Sikoryak hilariously turns the agreement on its head - each page features an avatar of Apple cofounder and legendary visionary Steve Jobs juxtaposed with a different classic strip such as Mort Walker's Beatle Bailey, or a contemporary graphic novel such as Craig Thompson's Blankets or Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. Adapting the legalese of the iTunes Terms and Conditions into another medium seems like an unfathomable undertaking, yet Sikoryak creates a surprisingly readable document, far different from its original, purely textual incarnation and thus proving the accessibility and flexibility of comics. When Sikoryak parodies Kate Beaton's Hark A Vagrant peasant comics with Steve Jobs discussing objectionable material or Homer Simpson as Steve Jobs warning of the penalties of copyright infringement, Terms and Conditions serves as a surreal record of our modern digital age where technology competes with enduringly ironclad mediums."-- Provided by publisher.
Paris 2119
Published in 2020
"In the year 2119, instantaneous transportation technology has altered almost every facet of human civilization, improving countless industries and practices while also leaving behind a growing population who can't afford to keep up. But some people still prefer the traditional ways of getting from point A to point B, including Tristan Keys, a writer who refuses to embrace the technological advances everyone finds so mandatory. When tiny cracks start to appear in the world around him, he has to wonder if he hasn't been a pawn of technology all along. A gorgeously illustrated sci-fi tale that aims a spotlight on contemporary issues such as overconsumption, climate change, identity theft, and transhumanism." -- Publisher's website.
Emotional Robots
A Question of Existence
Published in 2021
"Blending pop culture iconography with the existential threat of technological creations turning on their creators, Emotional Robots is a compulsively readable graphic novella set in an all-too presciently depicted world in which advanced robots successfully compete with humans-in sports, music, and art-in pursuit of emotional intelligence. Displaced by the robots' technological triumph, humans abandon Earth in search of a new planet to call home. But what happens to the robots when newer, faster, smarter, better robots replace them? What happens when civil unrest grows between robot generations? An astute take on the human condition and the illusory promises of technology, Emotional Robots is captivating fable for the modern age. With keen wit and dark humor, it artfully tackles universal themes urgently relevant to our time, asking readers the question faced by each new generation of humans (and robots): Is history condemned to repeat itself?."--Publisher's website.