The Nature of Code

I would split the books into two categories: those that improve the way you structure your code and deliver a software solution, and those that improve your technical understanding of the software platform and the computer you're using. The first are books like Pragmatic Programmer, Mythical Man Month, Code Complete, Design Patterns, talks by Alan Kay on software systems and OOP, even Game Engine Architecture etc. A lot of the content there is distilled experience which is much faster to learn from a book than gain the hard way on the job. The other books are practical deep dives. Here I would recommend a variety of books like Inside the Machine by Stokes, Computer Architecture by Hennessy, 21st Century C by Klemens, Crafting Interpreters by Nystrom, Compilers by Aho, Effective Java, Nature of Code by Shiffman, Ray Tracing Challenge by Buck, Hands on Hacking by Hickey, and others, depending on your interest and area of focus.

I've seen SICP and Elements of Computing mentioned already. I'd like to throw "The Nature of Code" in with these.

I'm a big fan of Processing or p5.js for teaching kids that age how to write code. The immediate visual feedback from a line or two of code creates a positive feedback loop that encourages learning. Shiffman's book Learning Processing is a great gentle introduction: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Processing-Second-Programmin... (https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Processing-Second-Programming-Interaction/dp/0123944430/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469470998&sr=1-3&keywords=nature+of+code) His Nature of Code work -- simulating nature through code -- also is really interesting but requires a little background in coding.

The Nature of Code is one of my favorites free reads http://natureofcode.com/book/ It addresses topics from physics and math, and how to apply them to your code to make it more natural

Oh jeez, this'll be tough. I'll start by saying that Tom Robbins "Still Life with Woodpecker" inspired me in the post-undergraduate world greatly. http://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Woodpecker-Tom-Robbins/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Woodpecker-Tom-Robbins/dp/0553348973) Leaving college with such powerful to convictions of social evolution, scientific pragmatism, and the power of Art as a mental practice left me with some hard facets of reality to contend with. This is the struggle of one of the the main characters, Leigh-Cheri. She is a wide eyed idealist who is thoroughly disenfranchised with the way the systems in the world abuse and exploit people. She meets a mad-bomber outlaw named Woodpecker, a revolutionary with bordering mythical aspirations. Their affair is a wild journey of growth as characters and citizens, not of a royal bloodline or America, but of Earth and the ideas, and actions, which make this world a vibrantly beautiful place. Most important book of the year for me, with close runners up: "The Nature of Code" by Daniel Shiffman. Excellent book on simulation of the natural, chaotic world in the Processing programming language.…