Quick reviews: Two books from Jeff Jarvis

Jeff Jarvis is a prolific digital thinker, sharing his opinions on a wide variety of topics on his BuzzMachine blog, as a panelist on "This Week in Google" and as an author of several successful books. 

I loved his first book "What Would Google Do?" and recently finished two of his newer books -- "Public Parts" and "Gutenberg the Geek" -- all of which further our understanding of digital privacy, entrepreneurial business and history. 

"Public Parts" is a long hardcover issued late last year, and the formal title says it all: "Public Parts: How Sharing in the Digital Age Improves the Way We Work and Live" (Check out a sample here).

I bought the Audible version of "Public Parts" the day it came out but only finished the book a week or so ago. That lag time is no knock on Jarvis, who does a great job reading his books; I'm a heavy podcast listener, so it's simply difficult to find time to listen to books. 

Jarvis is as "public" as it gets when it comes to an online persona, and he shares provocative insights into why we all ought to embrace public transparency as a form of digital currency that enriches us individually and collectively. He supports those personal arguments with dozens of examples of entities big and small benefiting from open and honest interactions with customers. 

I'm not as forthcoming with my publicness as Jarvis would want me or anyone else to be, and I can't see most humans sharing his all-in vision either. But I do believe business can capitalize on the wisdom of the crowd in pursuit of better products and more loyal followers. "Public Parts" effectively lays out those benefits for anyone working in the digital space. 

"Gutenberg the Geek" is a recently released Kindle Single, available for only 99 cents or free to borrow for Amazon Prime members. In a fast XXX pages, Jarvis effectively likens Gutenberg to a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, suggesting the 15th century inventor of the printing press was "our first geek, the original technology entrepreneur."

"Gutenberg The Geek" covers a lot of ground in a short time, a refreshing approach in an era of many excellent -- but thick -- biographies. I sense an opening here for other authors to chase Single-sized takes on key accomplishments rather than yet another authoritative history that sits on the shelves. 

The "Single" format is perfect for Jarvis and his non-stop fountain of ideas. I'm hopeful we see more from him soon.

Update on Monday, April 2, 2012 at 7:10 PM by Logan Molen

This Google+ T3W discussion of "Gutenberg The Geek" is a total geekfest. It's a long discussion and a lot of it went over my head.

But I applaud the use of Google Hangouts to foster a community around a niche topic. I'd love for all authors to use Google Hangouts as a supplement or complement to the predictable book readings or signings. Those kinds of events are are mostly about moving product, but the deep conversations found in this Hangout are proof that technology can bridge distances between content originators and an informed audience with much to add to the conversation.