I'm a huge fan of John Thackara and his writing. As I wrote of his book, In the Bubble,
That book changed my brain. From the very first few pages, I was hooked: here was design thinking about sustainability and social innovation that understood and loved technology and ingenuity, without being blinded to its downsides, that embraced prosperity and modernity without missing the big picture that our current ordering of the world is both making us less happy than we might be and destroying the planet in the process.
Now, In the Bubble is coming out in French, Italian and Portuguese editions. If you have friends who are more comfortable reading in these languages than English, In the Bubble would be a great gift.
I also note that you can get In the Bubble, Bruce Sterling's excellent, seminal Shaping Things, and Worldchanging together on Amazon for $US38. That's a smokin' great deal. (Remember too that supporting your local library or independent bookseller is always a good idea.)
(And, if you're looking for other good reads, check out the books we recommend in our Worldchanging gift guide)








