READING L.A.

J. Stephen Czuleger, Superior Court judge, Los Angeles County:

“Silicon Snake Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway,” by Clifford Stoll (Bantam/Doubleday).

“Stoll’s premise that computers don’t confer wisdom is a topic long overdue for discussion. I’ve observed that overreliance on computer technology stifles human creativity and isolates us from society.”

****

Joshua Fouts, manager of new technologies initiatives at the Annenberg School, USC:

“Infinity’s Shore,” by David Brin (Bantam/Doubleday).

“Brin postulates what it would be like if, in a millennium from now, chimps and dolphins had the same intellectual capacity as humans. The scenario is relevant to the bioscience issues that are being explored today.”

****

Rabbi Sally Olins, Temple B’Nai Hayim, Sherman Oaks:

“How Good Do We Have to Be?” by Harold F. Kushner (Little, Brown).

“Kushner reminds us that perfection is an ideal that we can strive for as long as we recognize that we can never attain it. Those who demand perfection in themselves or in others will inevitably be disappointed.”

****

Rob Steiner, landscape architect, Griffith & Steiner:

“Big Dreams: Into the Heart of California,” by Bill Barich (Vintage).

“A blend of documentary journalism, history and poetic description, it’s a wonderful evocation of the lesser known parts of our state.”