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This is a discussion topic for the June 2023 Book of the month, "The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity" by Christian Espinosa

What is your overall opinion of the book? What do you like most about it? What do you like least? What did you think of the writing style? What genre is the book? What genres are woven into the text? What did you think of the cover and title? What was the greatest lesson you learned from the book? Will you recommend the book to other people? Why or why not?

Please remember to add your actual rating using the book's page on the Bookshelf.

I really love the cover of this book and the title. It is a book that I would pick up in a store or click on online based on the cover, but having said that, I'd probably put it down rather quickly too when I realised what it was about. I'm not tech-savvy enough to understand most of it. So genre-wise, it is not a fit for me. 

The OBC review was really good, but I'm still not sure I would be able to understand the book. Cybersecurity is something that I am concerned about, though, so I am grateful that there are people out there who do know what they are talking about and are fighting on the frontlines to keep our information secure. The sample was interesting; there was a memoir element to the book, setting it up for who is giving the advice that follows. I like how the author mentioned that most cybersecurity problems stem from tech personnel fighting their own internal war with their own egos and generally lacking social skills. This rings true to me because of the friends that I have in IT. I found no errors in the sample, so I assume that it has been professionally edited. There was nothing that I disliked either; it's just not a subject that I think I would enjoy deep diving into, and I probably wouldn't understand most of it anyway! haha

I will recommend this book to all of my tech-savvy friends. I'm sure they will love it and hopefully learn something valuable that can help them in their work. 

Cybersecurity is a nonfiction subject worth reading, with a focus on the people skills that organizations and individuals must possess in order to be successful in today's climate. The knowledge gained and the sense of purpose returned to readers are both positive.

Cybersecurity is a huge issue in today’s world. I have concerns about my personal information being hacked. The news is always filled with instances of people having their identity stolen or a data breach of some kind. It’s a very important issue that I want to learn more about.

This seems like a very interesting book, but I feel the author or the reviewer excluded a large group of people by making it seem that only IT professionals will enjoy this book. I care about my internet safety (and my family's). Still, I lost interest when I felt that this was a technical book aimed at those who are constantly working with cybersecurity. Hopefully, someone will correct me and then I will read this book and enjoy it.

I did enjoy the book even though I got lost at times. It provides an insightful critique of existing cybersecurity industry practices and a proposed solution to changing that mindset. I liked how well the author presented his suggested solutions. It has been a four out of five for me so far. Hopefully, the last few chapters close out on the same note.

I have read the sample which was well-edited and interesting, yet...not for me. I agree that cybersecurity is an issue nowadays, but I am so stupid when it comes to IT that I just cannot understand this book. It is too technical, one needs to know something about computer technology in order to freely dive into the book's contents.

Youngreader720-OluwabukunmiWilliamsOso wrote: ↑05 Jun 2023, 08:38 I did enjoy the book even though I got lost at times. It provides an insightful critique of existing cybersecurity industry practices and a proposed solution to changing that mindset. I liked how well the author presented his suggested solutions. It has been a four out of five for me so far. Hopefully, the last few chapters close out on the same note.

Curious to know more about where you got lost while reading. I've been meaning to pick this up all month but haven't had a chance to start it yet, it would be nice to prep myself if there is lingo or technical info I should know before I start to get the most out of it!

Sonia_Gonzalez wrote: ↑04 Jun 2023, 23:04 This seems like a very interesting book, but I feel the author or the reviewer excluded a large group of people by making it seem that only IT professionals will enjoy this book. I care about my internet safety (and my family's). Still, I lost interest when I felt that this was a technical book aimed at those who are constantly working with cybersecurity. Hopefully, someone will correct me and then I will read this book and enjoy it.

I agree. I think most people have some computer knowledge these days and understand the importance of cybersecurity. To limit the recommendation for the book to IT professionals would put off a lot of readers who may have sufficient knowledge to understand and appreciate the information provided in the book.

With the rate of internet scams, I feel every internet user should know more about cybersecurity which is one of the topics discussed in Espinosa's " The smartest person in the Room."

This book highlights the importance of cyber security and why it is helpful for internet users and their safety. I think more people should read this book and see why cybersecurity is essential.

I enjoyed the book, it is interesting because I work in the IT department of the company I work for and I understand the terms used, I think for some readers it may be difficult to understand but consulting the Internet is helpful to better understand. I will finish reading it soon and give additional comments.

The author, Christian Espinosa, has, as explicitly stated in the book, 30 years of experience in Cybersecurity. If he wanted to make this a technical book, I'm sure he would be able to do so with mastery. However, this was not the option he went with. Instead, he chose to make a book for whom he called:

people on the front lines of the cyberwar.

Those would include people in thecnical teams or their managers, but he also said the book is appropriate for people in search for an insight on onto this people's minds, as well.

Thus, he explains from the very beginning what he believes to be the main issue working in Cybersecurity from within: communication!

When the communication within your organization is improved, you will be better equipped to win the cybersecurity war

From this, he exposed his methods for improving communication, that are divided into steps which he explains individually.

In conclusion, he explains the importance of the theory he exposed, that should be applied united to deep self-criticism.

People skills and simple risk-based solutions would move the industry closer to winning the war than posturing and complexity.

I wouldn't recommend this book to people in the Cybersecurity area, or with anything but a basic level of knowledge in it, as it is for a somewhat outside viewer of the matter. However, for all others, this is definitely an interesting book. After the ascension of the internet, there is not even one person who is not submitted to the dangers of cybercrime, so knowing how to deal with or how the technical teams deal with it is essential.

Sonia_Gonzalez wrote: ↑04 Jun 2023, 23:04 This seems like a very interesting book, but I feel the author or the reviewer excluded a large group of people by making it seem that only IT professionals will enjoy this book. I care about my internet safety (and my family's). Still, I lost interest when I felt that this was a technical book aimed at those who are constantly working with cybersecurity. Hopefully, someone will correct me and then I will read this book and enjoy it.

I agree, I think reviewers should be extremely careful, because recommendations are, in my opinion, the focal part of a review. If I’m not an expert in everything IT and I see a reviewer saying it’s super technical and only IT experts can actually enjoy it, I lose interest in reading it.
I think even if you don’t understand everything about a more technical book, every book that gives new information to a reader is worth reading AND recommending to everyone

I am still working my way through this book and I’m enjoying it. That said - I work for a small tech company (I’m not technical). I feel as if non tech people can get something out of this book for sure. It’s about leadership and checking your ego at the door.