Looking for new reading recommendations for the summer months? The Oxford Internet Institute’s faculty, research staff, and students share their top picks.
Every summer, the OII community shares their favourite reads and top recommendations for those in search of a new page-turner in the warmer months. From internet-themed non-fiction reads to fiction picks, read on to discover what the OII’s faculty, staff, and students recommend this year:
“Voices in the Code: A Story About People, Their Values, and the Algorithm They Made” by David G Robinson
Recommended by Associate Professor in AI and Society Ekaterina Hertog
“The book uses software utilised for allocation of organs for transplants as a case study to address questions of algorithmic fairness. A fascinating read. I loved the carefully thought through discussion of moral choices involved even if they are obscured by algorithms.”
Recommended by Postdoctoral researcher Nick Ballou
“McDaniel’s depiction of a part-native American family in 1950s–60s rural Ohio is so vivid, I felt like I was the 9th sibling in their vibrant—but sometimes tragic—family. A tender grappling with girlhood, bad apples, and heritage that left me with heartache when I finished it.”
Recommended by Professor Andy Przybylski
“In a time where much of current events feels chaotic and unpredictable, Chivers excels in explaining how a small but important change to how we thought about probability binds our societies and technologies together. Beyond a gentle lesson in statistics, the book engages readers with the histories, personalities, and the challenges behind what might be the most important equation of the modern world.”
Recommended by Professor Andy Przybylski
“The hopes, fears, and hype around digital technologies and their impact on our mental health is at a fevered pitch. Etchells does an excellent job combining science, reflection, and helpful advice to provide something different. The book busts myths and helps readers understanding what research suggests we should, and shouldn’t, believe when wanting to make the most of the digital world.”
Recommended by DPhil student Claire Leibowicz
“Bellows and Montagu present a vivid, varied picture of copyright law’s emergence – questioning its success as a tool for expanding “public knowledge and understanding.” Through vignettes featuring a cast of characters, from Plato to Sondheim to Google, they illustrate how copyright law is anything but settled doctrine and how it can be understood in its historical and social context. I left feeling empowered, alongside artists, technologists, and anyone interested in human ingenuity and thought, to consider an alternative future for copyright – one that supports human flourishing, rather than corporate power, in the increasingly A.I. infused information environment.”
Recommended by DPhil student Maria Carpanelli
“This is an authorized biography of Elon Musk, portraying how he had a massive influence across multiple fields of technology.”
Recommended by DPhil student Lisa Chernenko
“The book describes the power shift in the digital age giving more agency in social processes to a new agent — networked individual. This shift ‘is not only enabling greater democratic accountability in politics and governance but is also empowering networked individuals in their everyday life and work, from checking facts to making civic-minded social interventions.'”
Recommended by DPhil student Abid Adonis
“This book invites us to revisit our understanding on freedom in economy, society, and politics in today’s world. This book comes at the right moment when this year we have many elections all across the world where freedom is at stake.”
Recommended by DPhil student Felix Krones
“The book helps all students who have not yet worked in a professional setting by bridging academic knowledge and practical application. It emphasises production-ready code and essential software engineering principles, ensuring students are well-prepared to excel in real-world data science roles.”
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Stay tuned to the OII’s Instagram and X accounts, where we will be sharing snippets of summer reads 2024 recommendations over the coming weeks. Also, be sure to bookmark this post; we’ll be updating this article with further recommendations from OII experts. In the meantime, happy reading!
