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Books About Elon Musk, Algorithms, and the Power of Reach

four books about Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson, Randy Kirk, Eric Berger and Faiz Siddiqui

Can celebrity override suppression ~ or does the algorithm always win?
Let’s talk about the weirdest genre in modern publishing: Books About Elon Musk.
Love him, hate him, or side-eye him from the shadows – Elon generates content just by existing.

What happens when the algorithm that controls discourse also controls the perception of books about the algorithm’s controller?

Can You Even Talk About Elon on X?
Some users report that posts about Elon –especially critical or analytical ones– seem to disappear or underperform. Others point out that even the most hyped biographies don’t stay long in the conversation unless they’re viral-adjacent. The algorithm wants memes, not manuscripts, the platforms reward attention, not information.

The Algorithm as Gatekeeper
Algorithms don’t just show us what’s popular… they shape what becomes popular.

Is this bad news for anyone trying to sell a critical book about someone like Elon Musk? You’re fighting:
• Platform self-interest (they want users to stay on-platform)
• Celebrity fatigue
• Real-time suppression of anything that might seem “critical,” “complex,” or just boring by engagement standards

Although there’s seemingly no shortage of breathless profiles and pop biographies, critical takes on Elon Musk remain surprisingly scarce. Whether that’s algorithmic favouritism, billionaire rivalry, or just reader appetite for myth making, it’s hard to say. Either way, we’ve rounded up a mix of books that cover Musk from multiple angles ~ from early SpaceX chaos to recent Twitter/X meltdowns ~ so you can read between the lines for yourself.
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Books on Musk from many angles...

Though I suspect there’s more to his story than written about in any of these books, here’s a starter pack of Elon-related reads, complete with affiliate links if you want to support indie sellers or your local dealer of weird niche biographies:

Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
The “official” biography, though not uncritical. Offers insight into Musk’s upbringing, companies, and contradictions.
Buy here (affiliated)

The Elon Musk Method: Business Principles from the World’s Most Powerful Entrepreneur by Randy Kirk
Why it ranks: Practical tips dressed in Musk’s mythology. Not critical, but digestible for fans and followers.
Buy here (affiliate link)

Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX by Eric Berger
Why it’s fascinating: This one focuses on SpaceX before it was a global player — chaos, near-bankruptcy, and Elon’s gamble that paid off.
Buy here (affiliate link)

When the Heavens Went on Sale by Ashlee Vance
Not just Musk—covers the wider space-tech explosion (and yes, Musk is in the mix).
Buy here (affiliated)

Hubris Maximus: The Shattering of Elon Musk by Faiz Siddiqui 
A highly anticipated (and possibly highly suppressed) title, out today (22/04/2025). The title says a lot on its own, but what’s more interesting is how rarely critical books about Musk break into the mainstream. Siddiqui writes for the Bezos-owned Washington Post, so you’d think he could pull some Amazon strings… but even there, the algorithm could have its own ideas. This one delves into the post-Twitter chaos and adds another sharp critique to the growing Musk canon. Let the rivalries roll on?
Buy here (affiliated)

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Final Thoughts: You’re Not Paranoid
It’s easy to feel like you’re shouting into the void when posting about books online ~ especially controversial ones. But that’s not you failing. That’s the system working as designed. All the more reason to post about more controversial books, as often as possible. (Watch this space, I’m being a tame hack rn, ideas > algorithms)

So keep shouting (strategically). Whisper in the right ears. Post a blog, then post again. The machine wants to distract you~but books are still the long game.
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Previously Discussed: A roundup of books that break down exactly how algorithms manipulate visibility, mood, and memory… including the ones the algo really doesn’t want you to read

Coming Next: List of books on the Kennedy Assassination

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n.b. Affiliate links help support small bookshops and independent creators. If you purchase through the above links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you ~ and it helps me keep my bookshop open. Many thanks for your support. You can also search anything on Amazon here and that might score me a sip of coffee 😉


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The Algorithm Hates Books

a book burning in library

How the rage machine swallows nuance and quietly punishes readers, writers, and sellers

Once upon a timeline, books were the centre of cultural discussion. Now? Scroll too fast and the algorithm might spit you out before you can finish the title. If you’re an author, bookseller, or reader trying to exist online (especially on platforms like X) you’ve probably felt it: the sense that long form thought is being quietly smothered.
And you’re not wrong.

The Invisible Algorithm

The X algorithm is designed not for depth but for “engagement.” But engagement doesn’t mean curiosity or thought… it means reaction. Rage. Conflict. Polarisation. It rewards the loudest, not the smartest.

Books don’t fit neatly into that system. They require time, attention, nuance. All things that slow a scroll. And so, they’re pushed aside by the system itself – maybe not out of malice, but out of misalignment.
But what happens when algorithms actively punish book content?

Shadowbanned by the Scroll Gods

Shadowbanning (or “limited visibility”) is real. Sellers and writers have reported posts vanishing from feeds, or being throttled without explanation. Even when people want to engage, they often don’t see the post.

If a book post doesn’t spark a hot take or a pile-on, it can be buried… no matter how good or relevant it is. A viral moment isn’t enough. You need sustained chatter, over time, across accounts. And that’s hard to fake or force – especially with niche or thoughtful material.

One Viral Post ≠ Sales

Even when a book does get discussed, it doesn’t always translate into sales. The algorithm might surface a controversial opinion about a book, not the book itself. The conversation spirals, the post trends… and nobody clicks the link.

This is where authors and sellers feel stuck. How do you sell a book when the system wants memes and meltdowns, not context or care?

The Machine Prefers Mayhem

Social platforms want you to stay on the platform. Clicking away to read a blog post? Buy a book? Watch a long interview? That’s friction. That’s bad for ad revenue. So instead, they feed the extremes and throttle the nuance.

The result: books struggle for oxygen. Writers burn out trying to “market themselves.” Bookshops drown in silence while trolls trend effortlessly.
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What Can Be Done?

1. Blog anyway. Search engines still love substance. People still find things off-platform.
2. Diversify your reach. Don’t rely on X. Use newsletters, videos, or wherever people are still allowed to think.
3. Name the problem. Meta-commentary is content. Talk about the suppression itself. You’re not imagining it ~ and others are noticing too.
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“The algorithm wants heat, not light. But books are still a slow fire.”
Let’s make space for them ~ together and stop the algorithm from making us all boring…
Follow this link for recommended reads about algorithms.

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Inside the Mind of Orwell: A Look at the Original Nineteen Eighty-Four Manuscript

Ever wanted to peer over George Orwell’s shoulder as he crafted one of the most chilling visions of the future? This facsimile edition of his original Nineteen Eighty-Four manuscript lets you do just that.

In the margins, you can see his mind working: crossed-out lines, rewritten phrases, even entire paragraphs restructured. The physicality of it is intense… this wasn’t typed and backspaced, it was scratched out in pen, built line by line in longhand while Orwell battled illness and isolation on the Isle of Jura.

Holding this book feels like holding a piece of literary archaeology especially because it’s one of the few surviving Orwell manuscripts – he destroyed or lost many of them. The original is held by the John Hay Library at Brown University in the US, this a facsimile of that, it’s an artefact of literary and cultural power. It’s basically the blueprint for modern dystopia.


There doesn’t seem to be a copy of this beautifully reproduced facsimile on Amazon right now, but here’s a link to a few lovely version’s of the novel, you can really help me out by buying through this link as i could get a small commission.
Amazon affiliate link for a clothbound classic
Amazon affiliate Jura Edition
Amazon affiliate link to paperback version
Amazon affiliate link to hardback edition
Amazon affiliate link to George Orwell boxset
I could be persuaded to part with mine.


This is more than a collector’s piece – it’s a keyhole into the soul of a writer whose warnings feel more urgent than ever.

Please check out my other blogs, here’s one on mushroom books, and if you’re feeling especially sorry for this micro business in this difficult economic climate please consider using my Amazon Affiliate link if you are purchasing from them instead of me… and this applies to everything not just books.

If you want to look at my current catalogue it’s on Abe but bear in mind this is a tiny fraction of my stock as it’s not humanly possible to list it all.

Feel free to contact me if you are looking for special items that maybe more ephemeral.

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Books That Mushroomed My Mind: A Fungal Reading List

There’s something about mushrooms ~ quiet, mysterious, essential ~ that makes them irresistible. Whether you’re a forager, a dreamer, or just fungus-curious, here’s a selection of mushroom-inspired books that have taken root in my mind over time.

These are affiliate links, which means if you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you (thank you for helping a small business in this difficult economic climate!).

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1. Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake

A poetic, mind-expanding journey into the fungal kingdom. Sheldrake explores how fungi shape our world and challenge our ideas of individuality. There is now an illustrated version. Also: the author grew mushrooms on his own book. Iconic.
Affiliate link to Entangled Life on Amazon… but you can buy this one from me on Abe books too if it’s still available.

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2. Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets

A fungi classic. Stamets dives deep into how mushrooms can help save the world – from restoring ecosystems to creating sustainable technologies.
Affiliate link to Mycelium Running

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3. The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

An anthropological look at the matsutake mushroom and its unexpected role in post-capitalist survival. Beautifully written and strangely comforting.
Affiliate link to The Mushroom at the End of the World

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4. Collins Complete Guide to British Mushrooms and Toadstools

Ideal for UK foragers. A clear, practical guide with photos and habitat info. Pop it in your rucksack and head to the woods.
Affiliate link to Collins Guide

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5. Mushrooms by Roger Phillips

The mushroom guide that serious foragers swear by. It’s chunky, detailed, and beautifully photographed.
Affiliate link to Roger Phillips’ Mushrooms

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6. Kew – The Magic of Mushrooms: Fungi in folklore, superstition and traditional medicine (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)

A dreamy and practical journey through the folklore and medicinal use of mushrooms. Great for folklorists, and mushroom healers alike.
Affiliate link to The Magic of Mushrooms

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7. Fictional Fungi: A Bonus Pick

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a gothic horror with mycelial surprises. If you like your fungi spooky, this one’s for you.
Affiliate link to Mexican Gothic

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I’ll be adding to this list as I come across more fungal treasures. Feel free to share your favourites with me on Twitter or Instagram!
Let’s keep the mushroom conversation growing.

…and for any other Mushroom books like Fungarium pictured above or any other books in general – if you want to help our bookshop please consider using our affiliate link to search anything in Amazon ~ I will love you forever….

more blogs

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2020 – what the what?

The Challenges of Transitioning Online

The pandemic was an incredibly challenging time for independent businesses, and Border Bookshop was no exception. Even before 2020, we faced difficulties with declining footfall and rising costs, compounded by high-interest rates on loans. When lockdowns made in-person shopping impossible, we had to make the difficult decision to shift our stock online while also physically moving all of the stock to an alternative premises to continue serving our customers.

While we’ve made progress, moving thousands of books, comics, and magazines to an online database has been an immense task. Years later, we’re still not even halfway through cataloguing everything. This means there are countless single-issue comics, vintage magazines, and unique treasures that aren’t yet listed online.

For now, the best way to discover what we have is to reach out to us directly. If you’re hunting for something specific or curious about our stock, just send us an email. We’re always happy to help you find what you’re looking for, even if it takes a little extra time.

Thank you for your ongoing support—it means everything to us as we navigate these challenges and work toward preserving the magic of our collection.

Border Books
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