Biblio File

For Fans of HBO's Silicon Valley

For fans of HBO’s Silicon Valley, here are a few books that will satisfy the urge for social commentary and satire aimed at start-ups, social media, and tech culture in general.

 

Cash Out

Cash Out by Greg Bardsley

This novel follows a Silicon Valley executive as he scrambles to cash out his stock options.

 

 

 

 

 

The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest

The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest by Po Bronson

Andy Casper dreams about a technological breakthrough that will make him a giant in the industry.

 

 

 

 

Microserfs by Douglas Coupland

The story of six coders who spend sixteen hours a day writing computer code for Microsoft and worrying about being fired, until they seize a chance to become more than cogs.

 

 

 

The Underwriting

The Underwriting by Michelle Miller

Follows a five-person start-up taking a dating app through an IPO.

 

 

 

 

 

Iterating Grace

Iterating Grace: Heartfelt Wisdom and Disruptive Truths from Silicon Valley’s Top Venture Capitalist by Koons Crooks and Annonymous

This small chapbook was anonymously mailed to 140 prominent tech figures in June 2015. The book is a satire aimed at the worship of the tech elite.

 

 

 

 

The Circle

The Circle by Dave Eggers

A chillingly plausible vision of a near future in which social media and self-quantification go monopolistic.

 

 

 

 

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

An unemployed web designer finds himself working at a highly unusual bookstore in San Francisco.

 

 

 

 

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!