Aimed at tweens and younger teens, Google It is a very necessary introduction to the world of Google. The search engine that changed the world view and is constantly evolving. A brief overview in to the lives and origins of the founders of the internet conglomerate, it takes you through the changing times in a very matter of fact manner.

Quite an interesting history of google. It's an entertaining read and will be great for high school libraries.

For those of us who remember life before Google, the first half of the book is a stroll down memory lane. Redding does a great job of pointing out just how radically the Internet and Google have changed our everyday lives. She takes corporate history and makes it interesting for young teen and adult readers alike. The book seems a bit less sharp when describing recent history of the company, probably because so many of Google's current initiatives are shrouded in a level of secrecy. Still, a highly enjoyable and education read.

GOOGLE IT by Anna Crowley Redding is an easy to read, but detail-filled, positive summary of the history of Google. It begins with some surprising facts about the childhoods and Stanford years of founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. And I especially loved the idea that citation in academic papers is what prompted Page to consider using backlinks to develop PageRank. As an early internet user, it was also fun to reflect upon descriptions that Redding shares about internet download speeds (0.056 megabytes per second) of twenty years or so ago versus today's expectations (20 Mbps). School Library Journal recommends this book for grades 6 and up – I agree, although I also feel that our high school students could use this for background and as an interesting and very basic start to a paper that would evolve into a discussion of one or more of the many controversies which Google has faced.

Upon reflection, not providing a more thorough review of these issues is a missed opportunity and therefore a weakness of GOOGLE IT. Redding mentions the concerns about censorship in China, for example, but she could have included more recent events related to that idea versus just explaining that the Chinese mainland based search engine was shut down by Google in 2010. Instead, she truly is focused on providing a very accessible history with chapters on older topics like Y2K and creation of the Google logo. Again, she mentions hiring the first female engineer (Marissa Mayer, Google employee #20) in 1999, but that is the only time the word female appears in the book and the word women does not appear at all, despite a history of concerns about prejudices, James Damore's viral memo and subsequent firing, and the macho Silicon Valley culture in general. Redding does comment briefly about recent (2017) efforts to establish "Howard West" and thereby support and increase the percentage of African American employees (2.5% in most recent Google report). Likewise, she writes about privacy, but does not really address employee concerns about Defense Department contracts and she seems more interested in the possibility of bringing search to remote locations rather than issues with tracking users who may have switched off "location services." In addition, there is no explanation of antitrust or the record five billion dollar European fine. Sadly, the word "ethics" appears only once in Redding's text although she, like Christopher Mims' article in today's Wall Street Journal, refers to Google's motto ("Don't be evil") and its stated mission to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."

Links in live post:
https://www.wired.com/story/googles-employee-diversity-numbers-havent-really-improved/
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/04/google-ceo-drones-ai-war-surveillance
https://www.cnet.com/news/google-is-probably-tracking-your-location-even-if-you-turn-it-off-says-report/
https://www.wsj.com/articles/googles-risky-pragmatism-1534427069

Excellent reference guide with great background on the history of how Google came to be. Using for a workshop at library.

This book is great for any Internet lover! Full of fun facts while accurately describing the development of this powerhouse company. I loved this book and think it will spark an interest in young readers.

Looking for an ideal “all school read”? Choose “Google It: A History of Google.” Want to inspire a reluctant teen reader? Match them with “Google It.” Know anyone who is interested in learning about innovation, technology, corporate America, economics, or US History from 1999 through present? “Google It” is the book that will make all the elements of any Social Studies Class synthesize into meaningful matter for today’s Millennials. In fact, Anna Crowley Redding’s book accomplishes exactly what Google set out to do: "Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

This book reveals the author’s keen understanding of pre-teen and Middle School readers; high-interest information is delivered in a conversational voice. In addition to explaining Google’s Search Engine Development, the author also traverses the origins of gmail, Youtube, Google Earth, Khan Academy and numerous other tech-based developments. As the book progresses, readers learn about projects that are currently under development and likely to become part of our world in the near future.

I was pleased to see that so many innovators, investors, and inventors were highlighted along the way. A breadth of students will find role models with whom they can connect. I value that Anna Crowley Redding respected diversity and inclusion by highlighting Susan Wojcicki several times in the book, and that Google’s initiative of “Howard West” was included with full recognition that the company was striving toward much-needed diversity in their company and in the field of engineering.

“Google It: A History of Google” is undeniably a “five star” nonfiction pick for readers, teachers, libraries and families around the world. ~ARC via Netgalley ~Review by Lisa Brennan, Middle School Librarian, @noveltalk

This book offers a fascinating look at something central to many people’s lives. It’s up-to-date and timely, making it a good addition to a library’s juvenile non-fiction.

Google It is a school librarian’s dream! We all have those techy-geek students who would rather game than read. Once in a while, we do find a book that peaks their interest, but all too often we come up empty handed. However, Google It will be an instant hit these readers and for most a fascinating look at Google's history.

Page and Brin were young tech and math geniuses who met in 1995 as Stanford PHD students. Together they shared a vision to create a super website capable of returning information in PageRanked format. To create a server large enough to crawl the web, they borrowed computers, parts and even electricity to build their first Lego (I kid you not) server. The chapter “Beg, Borrow, Stalk” describes how the team even managed to purloin more than half Sanford’s bandwidth…

Google It tells the riveting history of Page and Brin’s dream… and how that dream revolutionized both access and retrieval of information.