Book Blog #217: Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella

Title: Hit Refresh
Author: Satya Nadella
# of Pages: 273 (hardcover)
Genre: Nonfiction, Technology, Biography
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: As told by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Hit Refresh is the story of corporate change and reinvention as well as the story of Nadella’s personal journey, one that is taking place today inside a storied technology company, and one that is coming in all of our lives as intelligent machines become more ambient and more ubiquitous. It’s about how people, organizations and societies can and must hit refresh—transform—in their persistent quest for new energy, new ideas, relevance and renewal. At the core, it’s about us humans and our unique qualities, like empathy, which will become ever more valuable in a world where the torrent of technology will disrupt like never before. As much a humanist as a technologist, Nadella defines his mission and that of the company he leads as empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
Review: Many people say this book is only meant for Microsoft employees.

This is false; Nadella most likely wanted to reach a broader audience as show by his various interviews to promote his book. However, the audience he reaches the best would be those in the tech industry (especially Microsoft employees) and bigwigs.

Hit Refresh reads very much like an essay; Nadella uses words from other credible authors/speakers throughout his book to illustrate ideas he agrees with and ends with a huge call to action for the reader. However, these two aspects combined overshadows Nadella's narrative about himself; although he begins his book with personal anecdotes, the focus slowly slips to the tech industry, including analysis of the FBI-Apple encryption issue and the Sony Picture hack. While these different components of the book may be interesting to some, not all of them have to (nor should be) put into the same book.

An essay may be what some people are looking for, but it did not satisfy my casual reading craving. That being said, I knew going into this book that it was not going to be an enthralling read; however I expected to feel more like I was having a conversation with Nadella rather than reading a formal speech. Although this was not a hard read, it something that only needs to be read once, at most. If you don't fall in the audience I described above, I would recommend you look elsewhere for a book to read in your free time.

Book Blog #216: One Litre of Tears by Aya Kito

Title: One Liter of Tears
Author: Aya Kito
# of Pages: 270 (ebook)
Genre: Nonfiction, memoir, biography
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: Aya Kitō was diagnosed with a disease called spinocerebellar degeneration when she was 15 years old. The disease causes the person to lose control over their body, but because the person can retain all mental ability the disease acts as a prison. So in the end she cannot eat, walk or talk.Aya keeps a diary of not only what she does but how she feels and the hardships she must endure. Initially, the diary's purpose was for Kitō to chronicle impressions she had about how the disease was affecting her daily life. As the disease progressed, however, the diary became Kitō's outlet for describing the intense personal struggles she underwent in coping, adapting, and ultimately trying to survive her disease. As she notes in one entry, "I write because writing is evidence that I am still alive."
Review: It is always difficult to judge a book by its translation.

I read this book because I watched the J-drama of Anya’s story and wanted to know how accurate its portrayal of her disease is.

(I’m not marking any of this as a spoiler since it’s nonfiction.)

The start of the book is her diary, which reflected similar sentiment I saw in the J-drama version of Aya. However, near the end of the book when the doctor is giving her (interestingly the doctor is male in the drama even though she is female in real life) version of Aya’s life, she recalls how the school administration insisted Aya go to a disabled school. This is also in the drama; however, unlike in the doctor’s retelling where she states that Aya’s peers were “fighting against the move,” many students were portrayed in the drama as reluctantly agreeing that Aya was an inconvenience in school and should be transferred. The way the creators of the drama recreated the events that led up to Aya’s transfer strongly indicate that the transfer was the obvious choice to benefit all parties involved. What I liked about the doctor’s perspective was how she casts a different light on the situation; instead of seeing Aya as an inconvenience, she discusses how Aya’s condition brings out the caring nature in others and how exposure to her serious attitude she developed during the fight for her life could have helped her peers grow and improve in character.

I wasn’t surprised to find the romantic part of the drama to be extremely exaggerated. However, I was surprised by the doctor’s memory of Aya asking if she could get married and of a period of time when a medical student around her age would visit her, hinting toward the possibility of romance. Although it is not on the scale of what was depicted in the drama, it is nice to know it is not completely made up.

Overall, this publication of Aya's diary and her doctor's and mother's account of Aya's life with her disease were exactly what I expected. It is a very quick read, but it is amazing to hear from the perspective a girl who had such a difficult disease to live with.

Book Blog #215: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Title: Ready Player One
Author: Ernest Cline
# of Pages: 384 (ebook)
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.
Review: Although it took me a long time to finish this book (partially because of school), it was a very enjoyable read.

I starting reading Ready Player One after I watched the movie and realized it was based off a book. The movie was thrilling, but I had my suspicions that it deviated from the original story since many movies glamorize characters for the big screen.

These suspicions proved to be correct; the way the main characters are described in the book are much closer to what I'd expect characters like them to look like in their situation rather than the beautiful actors they used in the movie.

It's been over-said, but it's definitely applicable here: the book is better than the movie. I don't want to spoil anything, but one of the characters experiences a different series of events than they do in the movie, and what happens to them in the book has a greater impact than the character did as a whole in the movie. (I know I'm being vague, but it's the best I can do).

I would 100% recommend this book. While it took me a while to finish it, it should be a very quick read; once you start reading it, you won't want to put it down.