Steve Jobs: Insanely Great

Gr 8 Up—Hartland ably captures the many facets of entrepreneur and innovator Steve Jobs in this graphic biography. Jobs's entire lifespan is here, from his precocious childhood tinkering to his determination to see his final product, the iPad, through before his untimely death. In between, Hartland portrays Jobs in all his geeky, passionate, difficult glory. This work doesn't shy away from Jobs's demanding, perfectionist side, but it also portrays his delight in the "perfect product": an odd mixture that Hartland describes as Jobs's "reality distortion field." Apple is, of course, center stage, and readers will find the graphic representation of the evolution of various Apple products helpful. Hartland also covers Jobs's ouster from Apple in 1985, his development of the NeXT computer, and his work with Pixar. Throughout, panels depicting the latest technology (for instance, color TVs and digital watches in the late 1970s, cordless phones and the Sony Walkman in the 1980s) provide readers with a feel for competing products. The artwork is deceptively simple, at first blush appearing like the doodles of an average teenager, but these loose, expressive illustrations are detailed and convey large amounts of information.