Need a good book to get lost in? We’ve got you covered. 

Start the school year off right with some choice reading recommendations straight from USC Iovine and Young Academy faculty. It’s time to peruse their picks for compelling reads that will empower, educate, and entertain you. From a deep dive into human-centered design to an exploration of the metaverse, these books are sure to pique your interests – or introduce you to new ones. 

Check out the faculty-endorsed books below and enjoy some (extra-curricular!) literary leisure. 

Aaron Siegel, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Design: 
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (1992)

“Anyone remotely interested in the concept of the metaverse needs to read Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Not only is the novel the origins of the idea of a virtual reality metaverse, but it also covers concepts related to cryptocurrency, corporate data harvesting, virtual property ownership, and IRL live-streamers continuously connected to the metaverse known as ‘gargoyles.’”

Lisa Krohn, Assistant Professor of Practice, Design: 
How to Save the World for Just a Trillion Dollars by Rowan Hooper (2022) 

“I loved this book because it allowed me to consider practical, well-researched ways we could actually solve ten of the most wicked problems we are facing  like poverty, disease and climate change if we were to commit one trillion dollars to each issue. It really shifted my perspective since we are all aware of the cost of  wars, pandemics, and political campaigns, which feel wasteful compared to the expense tallies in Hooper’s speculative solutions.” 

Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention - and How to Think Deeply Again by Johan Hari (2022)

“I loved this book in how sensitively, honestly, respectfully Hari chips away at the ways our digital culture (and environmental factors) have eroded our ability to concentrate. It reads like a novel, but you learn so much about what has happened in Silicon Valley which has contributed to this epidemic of shallowness and inability to delve into complex, wicked problems.” 

User Friendly: How the Hidden Rules of Design Are Changing the Way We Live, Work, and Play by Cliff Kuang, Robert Fabricant, et al. (2019)

“This is a fascinating collection of stories of the pioneers whose vision and work has led us to our current practice of Human Centered Design. Until recently, many products and systems were awkward, archaic and definitely not intuitive or even safe, and much bad design was attributed to ‘human error.’ User friendliness is a modern idea - a disruptive innovation, if you will. This fun, well researched and written book helps you understand the underpinnings of how it came into existence.”

Matthew Manos, Associate Director, Special Projects; Assistant Professor of Teaching, Design: 
The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hajdu (2008)

“I'm currently reading The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hajdu, and highly recommend it. I've long been interested in the intersection of constraint and creative pursuit, and this book explores the mass campaign against the wave of non-Superhero comics that started to rise in popularity after World War II. Horror, crime, and romance comics, which were very popular at the time, suddenly became so controversial they were burned! This book is a great fit for students interested in true disruption, and the challenges creatives can face when they rub up against the norm.”

Grant Delgatty, Associate Professor of Teaching, Design: 
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (2016)

“A book I can recommend highly is ‘Shoe Dog’ by Phil Knight. Shoe Dog is the story of how the shoe company, Nike, came into being, and how the founder (Phil Knight) turned his ‘Crazy Idea’ into the multi-billion company it is today. As a founder of a few companies (including a shoe company called Urshuz), I can relate with much of what Phil talks about in this book, especially the challenges, and my own ‘Crazy Ideas.’”

Stephen Child, Chair of Faculty; Associate Professor of Teaching, Design: 
Mindset: The Psychology New Psychology of Success, Carol S. Dweck (2006)

The synopsis of the book says, “After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this brilliant book, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. People with a fixed mindset — those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset—those who believe that abilities can be developed. Mindset reveals how great parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishment.”

Need a good book to get lost in? Start the school year off right with these reading recommendations straight from the USC Iovine and Young Academy faculty. Check out their picks for books that will empower, educate, and shift your way of thinking. Start making your book list now.

Back to School Book Recs: Faculty Share Inspiring Reads