Top Data books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite Data books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of Data

Understanding the concepts of Data starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

The Elements of Statistical Learning: Data Mining, Inference, and Prediction, Second Edition

This book describes the important ideas in a variety of fields such as medicine, biology, finance, and marketing in a common conceptual framework. While the approach is statistical, the emphasis is on concepts rather than mathematics. Many examples are given, with a liberal use of colour graphics. It is a valuable resource for statisticians and anyone interested in data mining in science or in…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Better Data Visualizations

Now more than ever, content must be visual if it is to travel far. Readers everywhere are overwhelmed with a flow of data, news, and text. Visuals can cut through the noise and make it easier for readers to recognize and recall information. Yet many researchers were never taught how to present their work visually.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data

The best-selling author of Naked Economics defies the odds with a book about statistics that you’ll welcome and enjoy. Once considered tedious, the field of statistics is rapidly evolving into a discipline Hal Varian, chief economist at Google, has actually called “sexy.” ...

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Business UnIntelligence: Insight and Innovation Beyond Analytics and Big Data

Business intelligence (BI) used to be so simple in theory anyway. Integrate and copy data from your transactional systems into a specialized relational database, apply BI reporting and query tools and add business users. Job done. No longer. ...

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Database Internals: A Deep Dive Into How Distributed Data Systems Work

When it comes to choosing, using, and maintaining a database, understanding its internals is essential. But with so many distributed databases and tools available today, it’s often difficult to understand what each one offers and how they differ. With this practical guide, Alex Petrov guides developers through the concepts behind modern database and storage engine internals.
Throughout the …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals

Don't simply show your data—tell a story with it! Storytelling with Data teaches you the fundamentals of data visualization and how to communicate effectively with data. You'll discover the power of storytelling and the way to make data a pivotal point in your story. ...

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Additional Data Reading

These books are not required for you to learn Data, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

Data Science for BusinesS

Based on an MBA course Provost has taught at New York University over the past ten years, Data Science for Business provides examples of real-world business problems to illustrate these principles. You’ll not only learn how to improve communication between business stakeholders and data scientists, but also how participate intelligently in your company’s data science projects. You’ll also disc…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster

If you’re involved with a startup, analytics help you find your way to the right product and market before the money runs out. But with a flood of information available, where do you start? ...

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Weapons of Math Destruction

Weapons of Math Destruction is a 2016 American book about the societal impact of algorithms, written by Cathy O'Neil. It explores how some big data algorithms are increasingly used in ways that reinforce preexisting inequality.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think

A revelatory exploration of the hottest trend in technology and the dramatic impact it will have on the economy, science, and society at large.Which paint color is most likely to tell you that a used car is in good shape? How can officials identify the most dangerous New York City manholes before they explode? ...

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Data Science for Business: What You Need to Know about Data Mining and Data-Analytic Thinking

Written by renowned data science experts Foster Provost and Tom Fawcett, Data Science for Business introduces the fundamental principles of data science, and walks you through the "data-analytic thinking" necessary for extracting useful knowledge and business value from the data you collect. ...

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The Art of Statistics: How to Learn from Data

A statistical national treasure' Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2'Required reading for all politicians, journalists, medics and anyone who tries to influence people (or is influenced) by statistics. A tour de force' Popular ScienceDo busier hospitals have higher survival rates? How many trees are there on the planet? ...

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

Augment your Data books

There is no better source of accountability and motivation than having a personal mentor. What used to be impossible to find is now just two clicks away! All mentors are vetted & hands-on!

Only 1 Spot Left

Need help with data science and machine learning skills? I can guide you to the next level. Together, we'll create a personalized plan based on your unique goals and needs. Whether you want to build a strong portfolio of projects, improve your programming skills, or advance your career to the …

$390 / month

Only 2 Spots Left

I am an Engineering Manager at DoorDash, ex-Uber, ex-Google. I started my career as software engineer, and have been in the tech industry for 10+ years. Macro economy within the industry has changed overtime, whereas the key factors affecting career growth haven't changed much. I am happy to chat about …

$240 / month

Only 3 Spots Left

✅ Top Mentor 👋 Hey, I'm Mert, 5+ years of experience in AI and Data Science - and I've been right where you are in the tech world. I started in a non-technical role in Turkey, and the journey to where I am today, working with NLP tech and generative …

$180 / month

Only 1 Spot Left

I am a Software Engineer with very deep knowledge of back-end systems, cloud infrastructure, databases, data engineering, and building data-driven products and services. I've been coding since my school days and have spent a good part of the last decade and a half writing code. I'm a self-taught programmer, and …

$150 / month

Only 2 Spots Left

With over 12 years of professional experience, the last 7 working in Corporate America, I have experience as a Presales/Solutions Engineer, Project Manager, and Front-end developer. Throughout my career, I had the opportunity to mentor a diverse range of professionals in technology in the US, Europe and Brazil, especially people …

$240 / month


Sunny Zhu refers to herself as the bridge between people and data and as a “statistics geek”. She has been engaged in a broad range of analytical works across diversified industries to empower companies to turn data insights into solid business decisions. Working for a decade in data analytics, she …

$180 / month

Browse all Data mentors

Still not convinced?
Don’t just take our word for it

We’ve already delivered 1-on-1 mentorship to thousands of students, professionals, managers and executives. Even better, they’ve left an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for our mentors.

Find a Data mentor
  • "Naz is an amazing person and a wonderful mentor. She is supportive and knowledgeable with extensive practical experience. Having been a manager at Netflix, she also knows a ton about working with teams at scale. Highly recommended."

  • "Brandon has been supporting me with a software engineering job hunt and has provided amazing value with his industry knowledge, tips unique to my situation and support as I prepared for my interviews and applications."

  • "Sandrina helped me improve as an engineer. Looking back, I took a huge step, beyond my expectations."