You can’t hold it, you can’t smell it, and unfortunately, you can’t toss it into the air in handfuls, but Bitcoin is a type of currency—currency for the future, we’ll say. It’s digital and operates independently of a central bank. Its circulation and transferral of funds is regulated using encryption techniques. And here’s a little context: Bitcoin is so important that it’s been compared to the Internet in the 1980s. Just take a moment to consider the shift that has occurred between pre-Internet life and today. Can you imagine life without Netflix? Maybe. Google? Didn’t think so. See, that’s big. And so is Bitcoin. Bitcoin is also relevant—to you. Whether you’re rebellious, skeptical, or distracted by bigger things, find your profile below and be paired with your ideal guide to cypherpunk money.

1.Bitcoin for the rebel: Digital Gold by Nathaniel Popper

Bitcoin is the rebel way to pay. It differs radically from the cash system that we know today in two important ways: its basis is an open-source code (anyone can download it) and it has no central authority. Banks and government control? Sayonara, dudes. In fact, this is how Bitcoin came to be: a bunch of rebel geeks sought to establish a currency beyond the state’s control. This book by Nathaniel Popper will show you why Bitcoin is even more rebellious than dining and dashing.

2.Bitcoin book for the skeptic: The Age of Cryptocurrency – Paul Vigna & Michael J. Casey

In the payment systems familiar to us today, there’s always a middleman, be it in the form of banks or credit card companies. We trust that the middleman’s fees are fair, and that our data is secure. But conniving credit card companies and sneaky crooks siphon off funds and can really screw us over. How can we make things more secure, more fair and more simple? Bitcoin can help. The Age of Cryptocurrency explains how.

3.Bitcoin book for the philosopher: Coined by Kabir Sehgal

We would be remiss if we didn’t scope out the breadth and depth of debate surrounding the value of currency in the first place. How is it that we’ve moved from trading goats and geese to coins and banknotes and now, electronic pulses? Bitcoin is in the business of changing the way we think about money; it’s not so difficult to wrap our heads around Bitcoin as much as what it represents. Curl up and get philosophical about the future of money with this book. So there you have it: our picks to help you better understand the future of money. Whether you’re a rebel spirit, a truth-seeking skeptic, or a dreamy philosopher: we hope we’ve tickled your fancy and inspired you to decipher a difficult, but important concept. And if what they say is true and money does make the world go ‘round, then you’re all the better for your Bitcoin literacy—we’ll put our money on that!

Original article: https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/bitcoin-everyone-3-books-show-bitcoin-relevant