Wired Minds: Reverse Psychology and Manipulation in the Digital Age (Paperback)

Useful in parts. Fine as a reference, less so as a cover-to-cover read.

I picked this up after getting stuck on a project and it turned out to be exactly the right book at the right time. I particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. Useful as a reference, less so as a straight read from cover to cover.

Outstanding. I kept finding reasons to come back to it.

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. The explanations are careful without being condescending, which is a difficult balance to strike. The chapters on psychology are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with psychology.

Some sections were excellent and others felt like filler.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. Borrow it first if you can, or at least check the table of contents carefully before buying.