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Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?

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Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?

#31

Post by colinplamondon »

The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie- there's an unmistakably personal feel to it, as if Carnegie is sitting right there imparting the lessons and stories of his life to you and you alone. He's an incredible writer and it shines through in every page.

Free download link (don't you love the public domain?): http://manybooks.net/titles/carnegiea1797617976-8.html

Richard Branson's autobiography, Losing My Virginity, is also a great read even discounting the perfect title- together, Branson and Carnegie really drive home the importance of taking risks and leveraging up at every opportunity.

Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?

#32

Post by lux »

Not that it's an actual autobiography, but "Journey to the End of the Night" by Louis Ferdinand Celine was based closely on his own life and was really something to read, albeit a tough something to get through at times.

I was warned that it would be difficult to relate to as a "modern-day young democrat" and in my case at least, they were right. I've since bought two more of his books though (all of which seem to be fairly autobiographical) and can't wait to read them as well now.

A word of caution: Not very inspiring material, just interesting literature. And it definitely had a profound influence on many subsequent authors.

Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?

#34

Post by visakhcr »

gaika wrote: post #15
visakhcr wrote: post #2

If you want to go philosophical, read Gandhi's My Expirements with Truth.

Not just philosophical, very practical. PG's "lies we tell kids" is just scratching the problem that Gandhi dedicated his whole life: can you live in a society and always tell the truth and only truth?

Very true. He has noted that he had told only one lie in his life. You can find his famous quotes here.

http://thinkexist.com/quotes/mahatma_gandhi/

Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?

#35

Post by herdrick »

http://www.biographicon.com

http://www.biographicon.com/view/lypys/Democritus

http://www.biographicon.com/view/r8r22/Hypatia_of_Alexandria

http://www.biographicon.com/view/4yf4i/Ethan_Allen - a good start on the New England rebel. One of my favorite books is this entertaining work on the amazing life of Allen: http://www.amazon.com/Ethan-Allen-Charles-Albert-Jellison/dp...

http://www.biographicon.com/view/hhnvz/Johnny_Ramone

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