Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology
by Chris Miller, Simon & Schuster £20
Semiconductors are to our computer age what railroads were to the industrial age. With perfect timing, Chris Miller has produced a colourful history of this fascinating (and little understood) industry as it becomes the focus of a geopolitical showdown between US and China. Essential reading for understanding our modern world. Shortlisted for this year’s Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award.
The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Art of Disruption
by Sebastian Mallaby, Allen Lane £25/Penguin $30
Sebastian Mallaby unwittingly called the top of the latest tech bubble at the beginning of the year when publishing this book about the far-seeing wisdom of the venture capital industry. Still, The Power Law, a finalist in the 2022 FT Business Book of the Year Award, will stand the test of time: an impeccably researched and vividly reported exploration of a hugely important industry.
Freedom to Think: The Long Struggle to Liberate Our Minds
by Susie Alegre, Atlantic Books £20/$29.95
George Orwell warned us about a future dystopia where “thought crimes” would be punished. In Freedom to Think, a human rights lawyer highlights how fiction is in danger of turning into reality as technology companies monitor all our clicks, swipes and likes. We must defend our right to inner freedom before it is too late.
Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy
by David J Chalmers, Allen Lane £25/WW Norton $32
One of the world’s leading philosophers re-examines all the age-old questions of life through the newfangled prism of virtual reality. Fun, provocative, occasionally zany, Reality+ sketches out the contours of a new “technophilosophy” and makes you think afresh about the possibilities of the metaverse.
The History of the Computer
by Rachel Ignotofsky, Wren & Rook £12.99
This short and cutely illustrated history of computing is the perfect introduction to the subject for an inquisitive teenager — or adult. “Computers are arguably the greatest tool that humanity has ever created,” writes Rachel Ignotofsky. This book does a good job of explaining why.
Books of the Year 2022
All this week, FT writers and critics share their favourites. Some highlights are:
Monday: Business by Andrew Hill
Tuesday: Environment by Pilita Clark
Wednesday: Economics by Martin Wolf
Thursday: Fiction by Laura Battle
Friday: Politics by Gideon Rachman
Saturday: Critics’ choice
Join our online book group on Facebook at FT Books Café
