5 Must-Read Books for the Budding Data Scientist

Getting started in the exciting field of data science can be a bit overwhelming. There are so many new tools, groundbreaking applications and innovative ways to explore data that even experts in the field don’t have it all figured out. But for budding data scientists, understanding this complex field may be just a few pages away. These highly acclaimed books explain the basics of big data and beyond with predictive analysis, illuminating information, applications and even potential threats, offering a comprehensive introduction to the field. Consider this an essential reading list for the aspiring data scientist.

Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think

This book provides a highly detailed introduction to the emerging science of big data, while also uncovering some of the most pressing issues related to both its current and future applications. Exploring big data in business, health, politics and more, you’ll learn all about how big data is transforming the way we process the information around us.

Automate This: How Algorithms Came to Rule Our World

Automate This, Christopher Steiner explains how algorithms are increasingly being used to tackle high-level tasks that were once achieved only by humans with advanced training, including medical diagnosis and foreign policy analysis.

Doing Data Science: Straight Talk from the Frontline

Doing Data Science is an ideal read for budding data scientists who are just getting started in the field. Based on Columbia University’s Introduction to Data Science class, this book will teach you to see through the popular hype around “big data,” and it will give you the knowledge and insights you need to hit the ground running in this fast-growing field. Study the book’s chapters for lectures from leading data scientists from Google, Microsoft and eBay as they share case studies and code for analysis, algorithms, modeling, visualization and more.

Privacy in the Age of Big Data: Recognizing Threats, Defending Your Rights, and Protecting Your Family

Big data can predict what you’ll buy at the grocery store, the spread of disease and even when you’ll die. The power to tell the future with seemingly incomprehensible quantities of data is truly astounding; but, is it all just a little too personal? In a world where practically every move can increasingly be predicted, it’s difficult to maintain a sense of privacy. 

Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die

Predictive Analytics offers tangible and easy-to-understand insights into the complex world of data analysis. Read this book to find out how institutions are increasingly predicting human behavior – whether you’re going to click, buy, lie, or die, as the title suggests. Predictive Analytics also shares the “why” and the “how” of behavior prediction – highlighting the many ways in which predictive analysis is able to improve healthcare, fight crime and boost sales – all through the careful analysis of big data