The Boy Who Could Change the World
The Writings of Aaron Swartz
Published on 1. February 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-78478-496-6 (ISBN)
Description
In January 2013, Aaron Swartz, under arrest and threatened with thirty-five years of imprisonment for downloading material from the JSTOR database, committed suicide. He was twenty-six years old. But in that time he had changed the world we live in: reshaping the Internet, questioning our assumptions about intellectual property, and creating some of the tools we use in our daily online lives.
Besides being a technical genius and a passionate activist, he was also an insightful, compelling, and cutting critic of the politics of the Web. In this collection of his writings that spans over a decade he shows his passion for and in-depth knowledge of intellectual property, copyright, and the architecture of the Internet. The Boy Who Could Change the World contains the life's work of one of the most original minds of our time.
Besides being a technical genius and a passionate activist, he was also an insightful, compelling, and cutting critic of the politics of the Web. In this collection of his writings that spans over a decade he shows his passion for and in-depth knowledge of intellectual property, copyright, and the architecture of the Internet. The Boy Who Could Change the World contains the life's work of one of the most original minds of our time.
Reviews / Votes
He was brilliant and funny. A kid genius . Aaron was not just, or even primarily, a computer geek. His defining feature was a constant struggle for what he believed was right. -- Lawrence Lessig Aaron had an unbeatable combination of political insight, technical skill, and intelligence about people and issues. I think he could have revolutionized American (and worldwide) politics. His legacy may still yet do so. -- Cory Doctorow I always found it genuinely inspiring to watch Swartz exude courage and commitment at such a young age. -- Glenn Greenwald We've lost a fighter. We've lost somebody who put huge energy into righting wrongs. -- Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web "What a bittersweet exhilaration you feel re-reading Swartz's impossibly brilliant, capacious writings all in one place. This volume makes clear what those of us who knew Aaron already grasped: when we lost Aaron, we lost one of the most exciting minds of our time." * Chris Hayes * Swartz left behind an impressive body of writing that still has the power to rally others... Clear, well read and sourced * Financial Times *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
no
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
547 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78478-496-6 (9781784784966)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
02/2016
Verso Books
€28.49
Available for download
Persons
Aaron Swartz (1986-2013) was involved in the development of RSS, Creative Commons, web.py, and Reddit. He helped launch the Progressive Change Campaign Committee in 2009 and founded the online group Demand Progress. He is survived by his parents and two brothers, who live in Chicago.