Geek Heresy

Winner of the 2016 PROSE Award in Business, Finance & Management “It is notable…when a techie insider steps outside the tent to chastise his tribe at book length – and has the gall to both criticize and dedicate the book to his former boss, Bill Gates. Kentaro Toyama, a computer scientist who once ran a lab for Microsoft Research, seems determined to burn his bridge to the technology world with Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change from the Cult of Technology… The book takes a spike-studded tire iron to the efforts by technology entrepreneurs and their enablers to reimagine how we eat, learn, heal, govern and battle poverty.”–Anand Giridharadas, New York Times “In this incisive book, Toyama cures us of the manic rhetoric of digital utopians and reinvigorates us with a deeply people-centric view of social change. …Geek Heresy is a heartwarming reminder that it’s human wisdom, not machines, that move our world forward.” –National Geographic Online “Everyone working in any facet of education and educational nonprofits needs to read Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change From the Cult of Technology; put down whatever other books you’re reading–you are reading, right?–and get a copy of this one.” –Seliger & Associates “Toyama lays down eloquently his bone of contention that technology merely amplifies the human condition.” –New Indian Express “Toyama’s research reminds us that there are very few one-size-fits-all solutions. If technology is going to improve the lives of the world’s poorest, it must be grounded in a deep understanding of human behavior and an appreciation for cultural differences.” –Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and co-chair of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation “Read this book! With engaging stories and penetrating insight, Toyama reveals that even the most powerful technologies can’t cure our social ills, and he inspires us toward a more deeply human kind of progress.”–Ben Mezrich, author of Accidental Billionaires “Controversial yet inspiring…Geek Heresy is a must read for anyone who is passionate about social change…Everyone from field staff and managers to researchers and funders will benefit from his unique perspective; geeks and non-geeks, alike. Finally, we have a book that can help temper our technology addiction with an approach guided by critical thought and practical application.”–Global South Development Magazine

Kentaro Toyama is W. K. Kellogg Associate Professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Information and a fellow of the Dalai Lama centre for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT. Previously, he was cofounder and assistant managing director of Microsoft Research India. Toyama graduated from Yale with a Ph.D. in Computer Science and from Harvard with a bachelor’s in Physics. He was born in Tokyo and raised in both Japan and the United States. He lives in Ann Arbor, MI.

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