Google It: A History of Google

From the first page, a fascinating read about the two men who "wanted to organize the internet" for their dissertation projects and ended up "changing the world" when they created Google. I did not realize how much "Google" influences my life and how much more it may do so in the future; and I did not realize how Googlers learned as they went, always in pursuit of helping their users. In the beginning, you could only use Google to search text based info on the web, but then when everyone wanted to see an image of Jennifer Lopez’s dress at the 2000 Grammy Awards, Google figured out how we could search images. When 9-11-2001 happened, everyone wanted to search the web for current news, but Google only updated key words (based on new postings) every 24 hours at that point so when you searched Twin Towers, you weren’t seeing the news necessarily; they figured out how to change that.Redding chronicles not only how Google (originally "Backrub") took off (Lego Duplo blocks were involved), but what they are doing to move us toward the future (think health, space travel, driverless cars and more). She does this in a conversational tone that YA (plus 5th-8th grade) readers will be drawn to and with a clear writing style that unpacks some difficult concepts.Two DOWN POINTS to consider (but not deal breakers) -1) The quality of the photos is not great and some of the text is printed on a dark background with the print that is too pale to read well. I think there were some design decisions - how do we break up the text? how do we make it YA appealing? - that may have gotten in the way.2) While there are a few points in the book, where Redding explores how some have criticized Google for failing their users in some way and Google has responded by making changes, Redding's perspective for the most part is a sort of 'feel good about Google' and 'Isn't Google amazing?' conversation. YA readers need to be aware of this and consider what the author has left out. A reoccurring note in the book is the internal MOTTO at Google of "DON'T BE EVIL"; as I was reading this news broke about YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, collecting children’s personal information without their parents’ consent and then about Google possibly violating the Sherman Anti-trust Act that outlaws monopolistic business practices. Readers should look for other perspectives or read additional sources to learn more about Google.On a similar note, the author describes how people who work at Google get 20% of their time to work on projects of their own choice (this is how we got Gmail). There has been some debate in the press in the last few years (but beginning prior to the publication of this book) over whether, in reality, this is true. It’s very hard to make that time for professional inquiry of your own when you have an overwhelming job at Google. Some think the 20% independent inquiry time Google says they give employees is primarily a way the company promotes itself.I’m not saying that the company Google is bad. I’m just saying that a reader needs to be aware of the author’s apparent perspective and of the perspective the reader begins to develop as they read this book (because of reading this book). Looking for other perspectives should be encouraged. (Personally, as a child of the 80s where you could only find info at the library, I appreciate everything Google has done for my life.)NOT A DEAL BREAKER. I’d STILL RECOMMEND THIS TO YOUR STUDENTS.

A visiting friend’s twelve-year-old son picked this book up from my couch and became immediately absorbed in it. He had been watching a lot of videos over the summer, so my friend was thrilled that he voluntarily picked up a book. He was partway through when it was time to leave, so I just let him take my copy, then bought another so I could finish reading it. I found the stories behind various Google products – Google News, Doodle, and Maps – fascinating, and the photos and graphics kept the information lively. Some of my favorite parts of the book were the brief, but hilarious digressions (check out the “shag carpet” aside in chapter 5). The best thing about this book is the way it shows kids that there’s a path forward for innovators and dreamers!

Google It! is a wonderful introduction to Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google’s founders, from their first meeting to today. Google has always excelled at asking “What if?” and pursuing possibilities. The book's last section discusses Google’s research and development projects and gives us a glimpse of what's to come—things like computer-assisted medical diagnostics, personal flying cars, computers in your jacket, stratospheric balloons that provide Internet access to the remotest locations, personal genetic information that unlocks the secrets of a long and healthy life, and more. If you have a choice between a paper or electronic version, choose the paper. It will be easier to distinguish the plentiful sidebars from the main text.

Are you familiar with Google maps, Google Earth, Google Chrome!, YouTube, Gmail, translate, Google Docs, Google Photos, Google Now, Google Wallet, Chromecast, Waymo (self driving car), Pokemon Go, Google Glasses? Yes, they are everywhere!They are Organizing the World’s information and making it easy accesible and fun and this book shows you how was the world before Google and how is now, yeah you’ll find how Midas made gold everywhere.Just Google It!

The author's bio states that her true passion is writing children's books. "Google It" is the latest manifestation of this passion. If you're looking for an in-depth look at the founding of Google written for an adult audience, look elsewhere. This title should be categorized under "Children" or "Young Adult."

How many kids never even knew life with out google? To know the back story was fascinating.Follow your dreams and determination through early failure, and just keep going.When life gives you a burning question you can't answer-"google it".

Although written for young adults it's an excellent explainer of this pivotal tech platform for people whose education predates the technological age. The sidebars round out the story nicely. A great read!

Excellent entertaining informative look into the history of Google. Well written by a wonderful author

Ever wondered what Google is really up to with billions of dollars they rake in from their products. Then, this book could give you an quick introduction to the galaxy of Google products that are embedded in our every day digital existence to the products that are still in its nascent stage. Strongly recommended for the aspiring young engineers who want to make it big in High tech industry!