Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography of Steve Jobs is a great first book for a pro book club. Not only are biographies a very accessible genre in general, but Jobs was also a colorful, contemporary public figure, and chances are you or someone in your reading group owns or uses an Apple product. So this biography in particular is easy to relate to.
The book itself is very readable and should generate interesting questions about innovation, leadership, and company culture. There is one caveat, though: this book is long! Over 600 pages, in the hardcover edition. Generally, shorter books go over better in pro book clubs, simply because of the time investment required to read them. This one is worth the investment, but keep in mind the length of the book might be a challenge for some readers.
Following are links to discussion questions and supplemental material for a pro book club discussion of this book.
NOTE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- Reading group guide from the book’s official website
- Lit Lovers discussion questions
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL:
- Apple’s 1984 Super Bowl commercial introducing the Macintosh computer
- See Jobs in action by watching his last keynote speech at the 2011 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference.
- Free Library of Philadelphia Author Series talk by Walter Isaacson, 2/9/12
- “The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson, Harvard Business Review, April 2012
