I throughly enjoyed this book, I am older than David but felt the same fascination the first time I used a Dragon 32K. I never mastered programming to the same degree but understand his enchantment. The book's underlying theme is understanding the interaction between the human and the computer not just the "human computer interface". The parallel between the PDP computer and the Internet should be compulsory reading for those (including my kids) who believe that the Internet just happened. I strongly recommend this book both for its literary merits and its insights into our recent history.

David Bennahum's "Extra Life" is one of the most touching, gripping, and interesting books I've read in a long time. The book is a personal account of the authors youth, his early descent into the world of drugs and alcohol, and how discovering the fascinating world of computers brought him out and changed his life forever. It was a powerful moment when the meaning of the book's title hit me.. like in video games, David was granted an "Extra Life", a chance to pull himself up by the bootstraps. Computers were the answer.

Perhaps I enjoyed this book so much because many of David's experiences hit very close to home -- while I was never did drugs or drank alcohol, and I am a bit younger than him (Pac Man instead of Pong), I found myself relating closely to Bennahum's memoirs. The similarities between us are scary, from our first computers (Atari 800), to our interviews with Microsoft later in life. "Extra Life" is the first book I've read that has hit the spirit of the computer programmer straight on the head. Finally, someone who shared the same passion for programming that I have! Bennahum expresses this passion eloquently.

"Extra Life" is a fascinating story, most likely the first of many personal experiences about growing up in the computer age we'll see in the future. After reading David's story, I had the strange urge to share my similar experiences. Personally, I can't wait to give this book to my parents to read, and I urge those parents who are curious -- and maybe a bit concerned -- about the hypnotic attachment their kids have with the computer to pick up a copy of "Extra Life" and read what that attachment is all about.

Cheers to David S. Bennahum on his first book. I can't wait for his next.

This is the best book about growing up with computers that I have ever read. David mixes wonderful self-storyline with historical home computer accuracy and creates a book that reads more like an entertaining novel than a traditional book about himself. While I am year younger than David (I am 30 now-12/98), I can relate to almost everything he talks about in the book. How early home computers captured my interest where nothing else could. I can honesyly say this is the first book I have read, cover to cover, in many years. Most books about computers, be it reference or history, usually tire by page 100. This is not that book. I ordered the book from Amazon less than a week ago and read it in less than 3 days. I could not put it down. David has done an excellent job putting this diary and story down on paper. Do yourself a favor and read this book! It may shed more light than you think on Generation-X, the Atari generation.