Hidden Order: How Adaptation Builds Complexity (Helix Books)
John Holland
The book begins with a bunch of statistical formulas, but don't let that throw you. This is an extremely readable book on the nature and structure of complex adaptive systems. It explains how complexity evolves from chaos, and it uses clear, precise language that anyone can understand. It takes a complex subject and makes it easily understandable. It can bring up up to speed on this topic quickly.
