Reeeead All About It!
Extra, extra! The Siren is opening up her bookshelf, and this is the first stop.
In a field that changes every 15 minutes, books are still one of the best ways to slow down, actually think, and learn from people who have been in the trenches.
Welcome to Reeeead All About It!, my no-fluff take on the cybersecurity and IT books worth your time (and your highlighter).
First up: three very different reads. One burns the industry down, one lifts voices the industry overlooks, and one shows you the human side of hacking. Let's dive in.
1. Unpopular Opinion: Burning Down the Bullsh*t to Rebuild Cybersecurity
By Joshua Copeland (2025)
The vibe: Your most honest coworker finally wrote it all down.
If you have ever sat through a security awareness training that changed absolutely nothing, or watched a shiny tool get bought while the patching backlog grew, this book is for you. Copeland, a cybersecurity executive, Tulane professor, and Air Force veteran, built a following with his #unpopularopinion posts on LinkedIn. This book takes those hot takes and turns them into a full-on manifesto.
He goes after the industry's sacred cows: certification theater, fear-based vendor marketing, checkbox compliance, broken hiring practices, and leadership that burns out its own people. But he doesn't just roast. He gives you strategies for building stronger teams and a better security culture.
Why I love it:
It's short (about 148 pages) and conversational, so you can finish it in a weekend.
It gives you the language to push back on "security for show" at work.
The big theme hits home: if there's no business, there's no cybersecurity. Our job is to enable, not just block.
It made me also self reflect on how I show up in my day to day.
Best for: CISOs fighting for buy-in, analysts drowning in alerts, and anyone tired of cyber theater.
Siren's Take: Read it with a pen. You will underline things you have wanted to say in meetings for years.
2. Securing Our Future: Embracing The Resilience and Brilliance of Black Women in Cyber
By the Black Women in Cyber Collective (2024)
The vibe: A mentorship circle you can carry in your bag.
This one is personal for so many of us. Written by the Black Women in Cyber Collective, a group of Black women working across cybersecurity and data privacy, this book is a collection of real career journeys into cyber. Every chapter is a different path in, which is exactly the point: there is no one "right" way into this field.
Alongside the stories, you get practical tips on starting, building, and advancing a cyber career. It's also a call to action for more Black women to see themselves in this industry, because representation is not a "nice to have." Diverse teams see threats and solutions that homogeneous teams miss.
Why I love it:
Every story is a reminder that your background is an asset, not a detour.
It's honest about the hard parts, including feeling like the only one in the room.
It reads like advice from big sisters who already walked the path.
Best for: Career changers, students, early-career pros, and any leader who wants to build more inclusive teams.
Siren's Take: If you mentor anyone, buy two copies. Keep one, and gift the other.
3. Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker
By Kevin Mitnick with William L. Simon, foreword by Steve Wozniak (2011)
The vibe: A heist movie, except it all really happened.
The classic. Kevin Mitnick tells his own story, from teenage phone phreaker to the most wanted hacker in America. You follow him through years of slipping into phone company and corporate systems, living under fake identities, and staying one step ahead of the FBI, until his arrest in 1995 and roughly five years in federal prison. He later went legit and spent decades as a respected security consultant before his passing in 2023.
Here's the plot twist: the real star of this book isn't code. It's social engineering. Mitnick talked his way into more systems than he ever hacked his way into. A confident phone voice, a little insider lingo, and a helpful employee on the other end were often all it took.
Why I love it:
It's a page-turner, even if you've never opened a terminal.
It proves the human layer is the softest target, which is still true decades later.
Every security awareness program should borrow a story or two from it.
Best for: Anyone new to cyber, social engineering fans, and readers who want a fun entry point into hacker history.
Siren's Take: As someone loves learning about social engineering and physical pen testing, I can tell you the tricks have new packaging, but the playbook is the same. Read it, then go look at your help desk verification process.
The Quick Pick
If you want... | Grab this |
A wake-up call for the industry | Unpopular Opinion |
Inspiration and a real roadmap into cyber | Securing Our Future |
A thrilling true story about hacking humans | Ghost in the Wires |
More Pages Coming
This is just Chapter One. I'll be back with more cybersecurity and IT books, from career guides and leadership reads to deep technical dives and the fun stuff you can read on the train. Stay tuned for more reviews and reading suggestions.
Got a book you think belongs on this list? Drop it in the comments or send it my way. Until next time, keep reading, keep learning, and keep your shields up.
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