100 books like Managing Chaos

By Lisa Welchman,

Here are 100 books that Managing Chaos fans have personally recommended if you like Managing Chaos. Shepherd is a community of 9,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

Nick Chatrath Author Of The Threshold: Leading in the Age of AI

From the list on leaders in uncertain times.

Who am I?

I'm an author, leadership expert, and amateur triathlete whose passion is helping people flourish. When I was coaching leaders and studying for my doctorate at Oxford, I became even more keenly interested in how the human mind works—why we crave meaning in our lives, what helps us achieve our goals most effectively, and so on. For the last several decades I've been exploring these questions with my clients (senior leaders from across the public and private sectors)  around the world, which has been an enormously enriching experience. And it's shown me that sharing what I've learned is the greatest gift I can give to the world.

Nick's book list on leaders in uncertain times

Why did Nick love this book?

Brown invites readers to "join a wholehearted revolution,” and that sums up everything I love about her work.

Her kindness and empathy are what draw you into the book, and her honest wisdom is what makes you come back for more (time and again, in my case at least).

Around 2 million other book buyers agree, so I’m not going out on a limb by recommending this one, but let me suggest that it’s worth a reread or three. You’ll learn something new, inspiring, and useful every time. 

By Brené Brown,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Gifts of Imperfection as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In hardback for the first time, this tenth-anniversary edition of the game-changing #1 New York Times bestseller features a new foreword and brand-new tools to make the work your own.

For over a decade, Brene Brown has found a special place in our hearts as a gifted mapmaker and a fellow traveller. She is both a social scientist and a kitchen-table friend whom you can always count on to tell the truth, make you laugh and, on occasion, cry with you. And what's now become a movement all started with The Gifts of Imperfection, which has sold more than two…


Mental Models

By Indi Young,

Book cover of Mental Models: Aligning Design Strategy with Human Behavior

Abby Covert Author Of How to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody

From the list on for becoming a stronger sensemaker.

Who am I?

I am an information architect, writer, and community organizer on a mission to make information architecture education accessible to everybody. I started practicing IA in pure pursuit of stronger visual design, but in the two decades since have developed an insatiable appetite for understanding and teaching the practical skills that make people better sensemakers, regardless of their role or medium. The books I chose for this list are all foundational to me becoming the sensemaker that I am today. I offer them as suggestions because they are not the books you will find should you search for “Information Architecture” yet they have all become my go-to recommendations for helping others to strengthen their own sensemaking.

Abby's book list on for becoming a stronger sensemaker

Why did Abby love this book?

A mental model is our unique map of all our knowledge. Each person has their own, and we can’t see each other’s mental models or even see our own. Yet those maps dictate everything about how we show up and how we interpret the world around us. 

Mental Models by Indi Young is the best deep dive into this subject and stands as a must-read for anyone making things for other humans to make sense of. If you are going to succeed in practicing information architecture, you must become increasingly adept at understanding how other people think about the world. 

I recommend this book because it takes something theoretical and presents a solid methodological approach that anyone can grasp and adapt to their process as long as they are curious. This book also served as a major inspiration when writing How to Make Sense of Any Mess, as it…

By Indi Young,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mental Models as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

There is no single methodology for creating the perfect product—but you can increase your odds. One of the best ways is to understand users' reasons for doing things. Mental Models gives you the tools to help you grasp, and design for, those reasons. Adaptive Path co-founder Indi Young has written a roll-up-your-sleeves book for designers, managers, and anyone else interested in making design strategic, and successful.


Living in Information

By Jorge Arango,

Book cover of Living in Information: Responsible Design for Digital Places

Abby Covert Author Of How to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody

From the list on for becoming a stronger sensemaker.

Who am I?

I am an information architect, writer, and community organizer on a mission to make information architecture education accessible to everybody. I started practicing IA in pure pursuit of stronger visual design, but in the two decades since have developed an insatiable appetite for understanding and teaching the practical skills that make people better sensemakers, regardless of their role or medium. The books I chose for this list are all foundational to me becoming the sensemaker that I am today. I offer them as suggestions because they are not the books you will find should you search for “Information Architecture” yet they have all become my go-to recommendations for helping others to strengthen their own sensemaking.

Abby's book list on for becoming a stronger sensemaker

Why did Abby love this book?

Living in Information by Jorge Arango introduces information-soaked individuals to an easy-to-grasp architectural vocabulary that describes the patterns and shifts of context in the digital (and increasingly the digitally-enhanced-physical) world.

I recommend this book as a map of the territory when it comes to designing with or for digital systems and experiences. Jorge is a wonderful storyteller as well as a crystal clear communicator and this book is a jewel on my sensemaking bookshelf.

Jorge is also one of my favorite authors to keep up with regarding information architecture. His podcast and blog are worth a follow should the subject of his book perk your interest.

By Jorge Arango,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Living in Information as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Websites and apps are places where critical parts of our lives happen. We shop, bank, learn, gossip, and select our leaders there. But many of these places weren’t intended to support these activities. Instead, they're designed to capture your attention and sell it to the highest bidder. Living in Information draws upon architecture as a way to design information environments that serve our humanity.


Liminal Thinking

By Dave Gray,

Book cover of Liminal Thinking: Create the Change You Want by Changing the Way You Think

Abby Covert Author Of How to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody

From the list on for becoming a stronger sensemaker.

Who am I?

I am an information architect, writer, and community organizer on a mission to make information architecture education accessible to everybody. I started practicing IA in pure pursuit of stronger visual design, but in the two decades since have developed an insatiable appetite for understanding and teaching the practical skills that make people better sensemakers, regardless of their role or medium. The books I chose for this list are all foundational to me becoming the sensemaker that I am today. I offer them as suggestions because they are not the books you will find should you search for “Information Architecture” yet they have all become my go-to recommendations for helping others to strengthen their own sensemaking.

Abby's book list on for becoming a stronger sensemaker

Why did Abby love this book?

Liminal Thinking by Dave Gray provides a solid roadmap to help navigate through the rocky terrain of understanding and being able to change your own mind and habits.

When I first read this book, the words mind-blown could not quite cover it. I was in fact completely devastated by the truth that I learned in this book. It taught me the danger of making sense of messes while on autopilot and the power of the present moment as a forcing function in my work. ‘Liminal’ is a word I had to look up the first time I heard it, but it has since become the go-to word I use to describe those hard and squishy times when I am still making the decision about how to show up in the world. 

I recommend this book because as Dave Gray writes “Beliefs form the basis of everything people say,…

By Dave Gray,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Liminal Thinking as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Why do some people succeed at change while others fail? It's the way they think! Liminal thinking is a way to create change by understanding, shaping, and reframing beliefs. What beliefs are stopping you right now?
You have a choice. You can create the world you want to live in, or live in a world created by others. If you are ready to start making changes, read this book.


Book cover of A People's History of Computing in the United States

Joanne McNeil Author Of Lurking: How a Person Became a User

From the list on the origins of the tech industry.

Who am I?

Joanne McNeil has written about internet culture for over fifteen years. Her book considers the development of the internet from a user's perspective since the launch of the World Wide Web. Her interest in digital technology spans from the culture that enabled the founding of major companies in Silicon Valley to their reception in broader culture.

Joanne's book list on the origins of the tech industry

Why did Joanne love this book?

A thorough look at the origins of personal computing and connections between computer users beginning in the 1960s that highlights the BASIC programming language and The Oregon Trail game. Shines a light on the role that universities and the education system played in fostering networks between users.

By Joy Lisi Rankin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A People's History of Computing in the United States as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Silicon Valley gets all the credit for digital creativity, but this account of the pre-PC world, when computing meant more than using mature consumer technology, challenges that triumphalism.

The invention of the personal computer liberated users from corporate mainframes and brought computing into homes. But throughout the 1960s and 1970s a diverse group of teachers and students working together on academic computing systems conducted many of the activities we now recognize as personal and social computing. Their networks were centered in New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Illinois, but they connected far-flung users. Joy Rankin draws on detailed records to explore how…


Software Security Engineering

By Julia H. Allen, Sean Barnum, Robert J. Ellison, Gary McGraw, Nancy R. Mead

Book cover of Software Security Engineering: A Guide for Project Managers

Nancy R. Mead Author Of Cyber Security Engineering: A Practical Approach for Systems and Software Assurance

From the list on software security engineering.

Who am I?

As a kid, I used to do all the math problems in my textbooks just for fun, even if they weren’t part of a homework assignment. My grandchildren cringe when I tell them this. I am a researcher and educator in secure software engineering and have enjoyed a productive career in software development and management, software engineering and software security research, and software and secure software engineering education.  

Nancy's book list on software security engineering

Why did Nancy love this book?

This book is a “how-to” guide for teams developing secure software. Written by a team of experts, it covers the important issues in developing software that is better able to prevent successful attacks. The book contains many references, a strategy, and an implementation guide with cross-references. For each topic, the maturity of practice at the time of writing is provided, as well as an indication of the audience.  

By Julia H. Allen, Sean Barnum, Robert J. Ellison, Gary McGraw, Nancy R. Mead

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Software Security Engineering as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"This book's broad overview can help an organization choose a set of processes, policies, and techniques that are appropriate for its security maturity, risk tolerance, and development style. This book will help you understand how to incorporate practical security techniques into all phases of the development lifecycle."

-Steve Riley, senior security strategist, Microsoft Corporation



"There are books written on some of the topics addressed in this book, and there are other books on secure systems engineering. Few address the entire life cycle with a comprehensive overview and discussion of emerging trends and topics as well as this one."

-Ronda Henning,…


Investments Unlimited

By Helen Beal, Bill Bensing, Jason Cox, Michael Edenzon, John Willis

Book cover of Investments Unlimited: A Novel About DevOps, Security, Audit Compliance, and Thriving in the Digital Age

Tanya Janca Author Of Alice and Bob Learn Application Security

From the list on DevSecOps (it is just like DevOps, done securely).

Who am I?

I have worked in IT for over 25 years, creating and securing software. I am completely obsessed with ensuring that our software is more reliable, that its integrity can be trusted, and that it keeps our secrets safe. I am not only a computer scientist but an ethical hacker who works hard to create a dialogue between software developers and all of the people who work in our security industry. I am a teacher, a community leader, and a computer nerd who shares messages and lessons wherever she goes.

Tanya's book list on DevSecOps (it is just like DevOps, done securely)

Why did Tanya love this book?

This book is set in the same universe as The Phoenix Project and The Unicorn Project, but it's at a new company named investments unlimited.

It's also a fictitious story, but with all brand new characters, and brand new problems! In this book they cover security much more deeply than any of the other previous books, talking about how compliance and audit can work together with the information security and DevOps teams.

They talk about common problems that I have faced in many organizations, and a lot of the stories feel so familiar I wonder if the authors have followed me around throughout my career.

Although of course they save the day in the end, there are many parts of the book where we're not quite sure if they're going to make it or not with various characters learning to see things in new ways, so that they can make…

By Helen Beal, Bill Bensing, Jason Cox, Michael Edenzon, John Willis

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Investments Unlimited as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the vein of the bestselling The Phoenix Project and The Unicorn Project, Investments Unlimited radically rethinks how organizations can handle the audit, compliance, and security of their software systems-even in highly regulated industries. By introducing concepts, tools, and ideas to reimagine governance, Investments Unlimited catalyzes a more humane way to enable high-velocity software delivery that is inherently more secure.

Investments Unlimited, Inc. has accomplished what many other firms in their industry have failed to do: they have successfully navigated the transition from legacy ways of working to the digital frontier. With the help of DevOps practices, Investments Unlimited delivers…


Agile Application Security

By Laura Bell, Michael Brunton-Spall, Rich Smith, Jim Bird

Book cover of Agile Application Security: Enabling Security in a Continuous Delivery Pipeline

Adam Shostack Author Of Threat Modeling: Designing for Security

From the list on application security for builders.

Who am I?

Being able to understand and change reality through our knowledge and skill is literal magic. We’re building systems with so many exciting and unexpected properties that can be exploited and repurposed for both good and evil. I want to keep some of that magic and help people engineer – build great systems that make people’s lives better. I’ve been securing (and breaking) systems, from operating rooms to spaceships, from banks to self-driving cars for over 25 years. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that if security is not infused from the start, we’re forced to rely on what ought to be our last lines of defense. This list helps you infuse security into your systems.

Adam's book list on application security for builders

Why did Adam love this book?

When I worked in application security at Microsoft, we still had products that shipped every few years. I learned to scale application security in that world, but many people live in a different world now. AAS helped me understand which of our approaches translated well, which had to be transformed, and which needed to be discarded or replaced. I regularly refer back to it, even a few years later.

By Laura Bell, Michael Brunton-Spall, Rich Smith, Jim Bird

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Agile Application Security as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Agile continues to be the most adopted software development methodology among organizations worldwide, but it generally hasn't integrated well with traditional security management techniques. And most security professionals aren't up to speed in their understanding and experience of agile development. To help bridge the divide between these two worlds, this practical guide introduces several security tools and techniques adapted specifically to integrate with agile development.

Written by security experts and agile veterans, this book begins by introducing security principles to agile practitioners, and agile principles to security practitioners. The authors also reveal problems they encountered in their own experiences with…


Smart Mobs

By Howard Rheingold,

Book cover of Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution

Mark Burgess Author Of Slogans: The end of sympathy

From the list on a vision of a near future society in trouble.

Who am I?

I am a scientist and technologist, trained in theoretical quantum physics, who became an Emeritus Professor of Network Technology from Oslo’s metropolitan university. I’ve strenuously tried to communicate the wonder of science to students and industry throughout my career. I’m also a long-standing fan of science fiction who grew up with heroes in both fact and fiction. The idea of future society has haunted me my whole life. I’m an optimist, who looks to the darker tales as warnings of futures we hope to avoid. Read these tales with a determination for us all to do better.

Mark's book list on a vision of a near future society in trouble

Why did Mark love this book?

This book is not fiction, but rather a popular book about the direction of technology.

It was part of the original source inspiration for my own book. Written in 2003, it looked into the research about how mobile devices were beginning to change society, and redraw the lines to lead to modern tribalism. The book is now dated, as we have lived through twenty years of experience and much has changed.

Nevertheless, as a portrait of a moment in history, eminently readable, this book is an eye-opener.

By Howard Rheingold,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Smart Mobs as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

How the convergence of mobile communications and computing is driving the next social revolution-transforming the ways in which people meet, mate, work, buy, sell, govern, and create. When Howard Rheingold sneaks off down an untrodden trail, everyone else follows. He is always onto something marvelous no one has seen before. An ever-considerate guide, he navigates this new world with ease, compassion, and grace, and gives you the inside story, with no punches pulled. Tech talk? Howard could get your mother to understand. }From Tokyo to Helsinki, Manhattan to Manila, Howard Rheingold takes us on a journey around the world for…


Here Comes Everybody

By Clay Shirky,

Book cover of Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations

Geoffrey Colon Author Of Disruptive Marketing: What Growth Hackers, Data Punks, and Other Hybrid Thinkers Can Teach Us about Navigating the New Normal

From the list on disruptive marketers in the 21st century.

Who am I?

Ever since touching my first computer (the Apple IIC) in 1985, broadcasting a radio show in 1988, logging onto the world wide web in 1991, launching my first podcast in 2004 or producing the highly viewed YouTube show The Download in 2020 I've been interested in what Marshall McLuhan has dubbed, "The Medium is the Message." Not only how media and technology are used but how it intersects with humanity, education, entertainment, marketing and popular culture to drive word of mouth. To me, marketing isn't just about the technology or the quantified metrics but about how it shapes long lasting impressions on people and leads to sustained behavioral change.

Geoffrey's book list on disruptive marketers in the 21st century

Why did Geoffrey love this book?

Shirky explained the fascination with how everyone becomes media long before TikTok was even a gleam in the eye of its founder Zhang Yiming. In this world that becomes louder, faster, and where attention is harder to come by we might think that it becomes every person for themselves. Not so. Communities become stronger and we enter the age of "We" rather than the age of "Me." A fascinating read on the power of organizations that don't rely on traditional organization hierarchies. If you want to know how good ideas spread in the 21st Century, this is a good book to read.

By Clay Shirky,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Here Comes Everybody as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“A fascinating survey of the digital age . . . An eye-opening paean to possibility.” —The Boston Globe

“Mr. Shirky writes cleanly and convincingly about the intersection of technological innovation and social change.” —New York Observer

An extraordinary exploration of how technology can empower social and political organizers

For the first time in history, the tools for cooperating on a global scale are not solely in the hands of governments or institutions. The spread of the internet and mobile phones are changing how people come together and get things done—and sparking a revolution that, as Clay Shirky shows, is changing…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in computer networks, organizational behavior, and management?

9,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about computer networks, organizational behavior, and management.

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