Things a Little Bird Told Me: Confessions of the Creative Mind
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Twitter cofounder Stone dropped out of college to design book jackets, just one of the quirky turns of fate that set him on a nonlinear path to social-media entrepreneurship. He recounts having enough chutzpah to call himself a genius when he suffered lack of confidence and direction, enough audacity to ask for a job at Google on the strength of his experience as a blogger when he lacked a college degree, never mind a PhD in computer science. He and Evan Williams, who joined Google after selling Blogger, later left the relative safety of Google to start several ventures, most of which failed, before developing Twitter. While chronicling his setbacks and successes, Stone offers solid advice and inspiration: opportunity can be manufactured, creativity is a renewable resource, embrace constraints, failures can be assets, asking questions is free, empathy is essential to success. Readers will enjoy the tales of the ups and downs of Silicon Valley among major players, from Google to Apple to Facebook, as well as the insightful advice that can be applied to any career or enterprise.--Bush, Vanessa Copyright 2014 Booklist

The way to succeed in business is to gamble your future, follow your bliss, and save the world, according to this effusive but callow memoir-cum-motivational manifesto by the co-founder of Twitter. Stone narrates a classic Silicon Valley romance: shoe-string startup with a crazy yet banal idea; explosive network growth; avalanche of wealth that leaves its recipient modest, , and abrim with grandiose theories about "human flocking." Unfortunately, his picture of Twitter-aka "a triumph of humanity"-is sketchy and idealized. We learn little about how the company makes money when it's not undermining tyrannies and giving to charity, and Stone's own role is vague: he brainstorms Twitter's bird logo and troubleshoots with irate customers, but his main job description seems to be "embodying and communicating the spirit of the thing" and "buil[ding] a moral compass and a righteous soul into the company." He distills his life experiences into self-help sermonettes that talk loudly but tread lightly. ("[B]e willing to die to achieve your goals. Figuratively, of course.") Stone often writes with considerable self-deprecating charm-his portrait of Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg as a humorless noodge is priceless-but when he dilates on his philosophy of thrill-seeking entrepreneurship, one longs for a 140-character limit. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Although Twitter is often associated with celebrity users such as Ashton Kutcher and the Kardashians, it is actually a company with more heart than most people realize. According to Stone, one of Twitter's cofounders, the purpose of the microblogging site is to help people reach a large audience, quickly and without barriers. He recounts numerous stories of Twitter bringing large numbers of people together for a good cause. The story Stone tells here is more self-help than tech talk. His positive words make it seem as though founding a world-changing, multi-billion-dollar business is within everyone's capabilities. However, tales about Stone's past successes, from the school lacrosse team to his work at Google, will make listeners suspect there is something more to Stone. Nevertheless, his advice, while certainly optimistic, is sound and even a little inspiring. Jonathan Davis's deep, rich voice is an excellent vehicle for this personal story. VERDICT You don't need a Twitter account to appreciate the tale of Twitter and its cofounder, but after listening to this if you might want to sign up. Theresa Horn, St. Joseph Cty. P.L., South Bend, IN (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Twitter cofounder Stone dropped out of college to design book jackets, just one of the quirky turns of fate that set him on a nonlinear path to social-media entrepreneurship. He recounts having enough chutzpah to call himself a genius when he suffered lack of confidence and direction, enough audacity to ask for a job at Google on the strength of his experience as a blogger when he lacked a college degree, never mind a PhD in computer science. He and Evan Williams, who joined Google after selling Blogger, later left the relative safety of Google to start several ventures, most of which failed, before developing Twitter. While chronicling his setbacks and successes, Stone offers solid advice and inspiration: opportunity can be manufactured, creativity is a renewable resource, embrace constraints, failures can be assets, asking questions is free, empathy is essential to success. Readers will enjoy the tales of the ups and downs of Silicon Valley among major players, from Google to Apple to Facebook, as well as the insightful advice that can be applied to any career or enterprise. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

Billed as a memoir, this book is as much a guide to thinking differently, staying creative, and making one's opportunities—advice you'll want to take from the cofounder of Twitter. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

The way to succeed in business is to gamble your future, follow your bliss, and save the world, according to this effusive but callow memoir-cum-motivational manifesto by the co-founder of Twitter. Stone narrates a classic Silicon Valley romance: shoe-string startup with a crazy yet banal idea; explosive network growth; avalanche of wealth that leaves its recipient modest, , and abrim with grandiose theories about "human flocking." Unfortunately, his picture of Twitter—aka "a triumph of humanity"—is sketchy and idealized. We learn little about how the company makes money when it's not undermining tyrannies and giving to charity, and Stone's own role is vague: he brainstorms Twitter's bird logo and troubleshoots with irate customers, but his main job description seems to be "embodying and communicating the spirit of the thing" and "buil a moral compass and a righteous soul into the company." He distills his life experiences into self-help sermonettes that talk loudly but tread lightly. ("e willing to die to achieve your goals. Figuratively, of course.") Stone often writes with considerable self-deprecating charm—his portrait of Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg as a humorless noodge is priceless—but when he dilates on his philosophy of thrill-seeking entrepreneurship, one longs for a 140-character limit. (Apr.)