Ask HN: Which books changed your life?

#1

Post by aadilrazvi » Thu, Jan 02, 2014, 6:43 PM UTC

What books inspired you? Changed your worldview?

Re: Ask HN: Which books changed your life?

#2

Post by sobbybutter » Thu, Jan 02, 2014, 7:08 PM UTC

Antifragile by Nassim Taleb

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

Il deserto dei tartari (The Tartar Steppe) by Dino Buzzati

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Re: Ask HN: Which books changed your life?

#3

Post by dmak » Thu, Jan 02, 2014, 7:09 PM UTC

Steve Job's book was very inspiring and motivational for me. The way he saw the world was very enlightening. Here's a video of what I thought was really profound for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYfNvmF0Bqw

Re: Ask HN: Which books changed your life?

#4

Post by dmak » Thu, Jan 02, 2014, 7:10 PM UTC

sobbybutter wrote: post #2

Antifragile by Nassim Taleb Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino Il deserto dei tartari (The Tartar Steppe) by Dino Buzzati How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

I second this book: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Re: Ask HN: Which books changed your life?

#5

Post by bensw » Thu, Jan 02, 2014, 7:13 PM UTC

Moral Mazes by Robert Jackall For Harmony And Strength by Thomas Rohlen

Re: Ask HN: Which books changed your life?

#6

Post by Nicholas_C » Thu, Jan 02, 2014, 7:26 PM UTC

dmak wrote: post #4

sobbybutter wrote: post #2

Antifragile by Nassim Taleb Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino Il deserto dei tartari (The Tartar Steppe) by Dino Buzzati How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

I second this book: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

After seeing this on so many Hacker News comments to threads like this I finally gave in and started to read it. It has definitely opened my eyes to how I interact with people and made me a lot more self aware.

Re: Ask HN: Which books changed your life?

#7

Post by johnatwork » Thu, Jan 02, 2014, 9:00 PM UTC

"Who moved my Cheese" (http://www.amazon.com/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-Amazing/dp/0399144...)

And in conjunction to that, this article "Someone is Coming to Eat You" (http://randsinrepose.com/archives/someone-is-coming-to-eat-y...)

Re: Ask HN: Which books changed your life?

#8

Post by DonGateley » Thu, Jan 02, 2014, 10:31 PM UTC

Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test - Tom Wolfe

Be Here Now - Ram Das

Whole Earth Catalog - Stewart Brand

Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace

Savage Continent - Keith Lowe

Forged - Bart D. Ehrman

Young Stalin - Simon Sebag Montefiore

Court of the Red Czar - Simon Sebag Montefiore

Re: Ask HN: Which books changed your life?

#9

Post by DonGateley » Thu, Jan 02, 2014, 10:33 PM UTC

Nicholas_C wrote: post #6

dmak wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I second this book: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

After seeing this on so many Hacker News comments to threads like this I finally gave in and started to read it. It has definitely opened my eyes to how I interact with people and made me a lot more self aware.

Warren Buffet credits it for much of his success. I don't much like the bastard but he learned his lessons well.

Re: Ask HN: Which books changed your life?

#10

Post by meerita » Fri, Jan 03, 2014, 10:55 AM UTC

In no particular order:

What Would Machiavelli Do? The Ends Justify the Meanness

1984

Farenheit 541

Foundation (all saga)

The Hobbit

The Lord of the Rings (all saga)

The Prince

De Bello Gallico and Other Commentaries

The Design of Everyday Things

The Riverworld (an entire saga of 5 books)

On the Good Life

Treatises on Friendship and Old Age

Asimov On Numbers

Asimov on Chemistry

The Roman Republic

And hundreds more I cannot list.