Hasday, Judy L. Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg.

Hasday, Judy L.   Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg.  Morgan Reynolds, 2011.

$28.95.  ISBN 978-159935176-6 ms/hs E-BNS      

     This book covers Mark Zuckerberg’s fascinating life story and his meteoric rise to fame as Facebook’s originator.  It highlights the personality, skills, and selfishness that converged to create the world’s premier social network.

Author Judy Hasday has achieved what all authors of nonfiction hope to achieve: she has written a book that will appeal to children and adults of all ages and life experiences.  Who doesn’t want to read about the role of Facebook in the overthrow of Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarek?  Who doesn’t want to stay up to date on Zuckerberg’s court case, which involves the three classmates who originally asked him to help them program their web site, HarvardConnection?  By the way, the three won in court, and Zuckerberg had to pay them $67 million.  No one can deny the role of the brilliant young man who took Facebook to where it is today, the leading social networking site on the Internet.  With its many facets, Facebook is not exclusively Zuckerberg’s, but it is certainly his baby.  Others help him with engineering, programming and marketing, but the changes Facebook has made in our way of life are largely attributed to this man and his vision.  Zuckerberg refuses to take a billion dollars for its sale, and this book explains why.  He wants to change lives, and the only way to do that is to continue to participate in Facebook's growth.  Hasday’s language is simple, her message is clear, and her fascination with Zuckerberg is palpable.  All of these factors combine in a work of nonfiction that is an excellent choice for readers of all ages and interests.  The book ends with a timeline, source notes, and an index. 

     The series, Business Leaders, includes books about a wide range of people who have excelled in business, as well as in other areas, such as Oprah Winfrey, Ralph Lauren, and Steve Jobs.  The books show the strengths of each and their rise to prosperity, with authentic quotations about each business leader.

Subject: Social networks

Martha Squaresky

 

Kiesbye, Stefan, editor Are Social Networking Sites Harmful?

Kiesbye, Stefan, editor          Are Social Networking Sites Harmful?        

Cengage(Gale,Lucent,Kidhaven/Blackbirch 2011   93p     23.85  978-0-7377-5132-1            

ms/hs     At Issue (Cengage/Gale/Greenhaven)       VG-BN 

This At Issue volume presents a wide variety of opinions supporting various 

perspectives on social networking. Students will be able to draw on the extensive 

bibliography and resource listing

                 This book compiles a wide variety of opinions on various aspects of

social networking. The individual articles are short, concise and to the point

noted in the chapter title. I found the topics well chosen and effectively answered in clear definitive

terms that support the opinion.

     It has always been known that for every topic there is always another

opinion. Readers will find that many of these concerns are not new to the rise

of social networking on the internet. The internet and it╒s rise in popularity

has just facilitated the intricacies and problems. 

     On one hand adults stress that the internet is an addiction yet becoming

familiar with the tools it provides will make the student better prepared for

future employment. Others will state that the internet provides addiction and

dependency thus stunting the young adults social development  in real life. (Are

we forgetting the gameboy addiction of the 90╒s.) Other chapters stress that the

internet is destroying our youths attention span. (I wonder if they have

forgotten Sesame Street that provided educators with the instant replay

generation in schools.) Other chapter mention bullying, sexual predators, and

online sites for teens.

     This is a thought provoking assemblage of topics that will help teens with

research. But one must remember that parents are still the one responsible for

working with their kids to help them develop good online skills stressing that

they are not forced to enter any personal data on a web site.    This book is one

in the  _At Issues series.  The series consists of __15_ books at this time. The

general theme of the series is __current social issues ____.            McNeil, Linda