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Ask HN: What book changed your life?

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Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?

#392

Post by teekert »

rammy1234 wrote: post #248
teekert wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It also helped me a lot. It taught me the ethics of rational self interest. It helps me to this day when I discuss my salary for example. Also, relationships work better when you know what you want, you have to give your partner the chance to do something for you every now and then, that works best when you have personality. I struggled with this. To be able to say I love you one must first be able to say I. For me t…

Personally for me Fountainhead by Ayn Rand was transformative. Creators need to be respected and identified. Great Leaders often have this knack of reading people and using them appropriately.

For me Fountainhead was not about leadership, Roark is not really a leader, right? That is more Dagny in Atlas Shrugged. For me Fountainhead is about that line where he doesn’t care about the honor or money of having build that housing project, it’s about him having build that housing project. And about staying true to yourself, and knowing who that self is. It’s about not just being accepting but being proud of yourself, and not because others think you’re worthwhile, but because you yourself do. It’s about intrinsic motivation.

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?

#393

Post by leobg »

How I love and hate these threats. I know I will read them. And I also know that afterwards, my Voice Dream Reader library is going to be filled with weeks worth of new books. Weeks worth in the sense that I would need weeks to read everything if I did nothing else and never slept and could digest 24/7. Oh that dread!

Anyway, my top candidate. Surely has been mentioned already:

- Peter Thiel, Zero to One. Has been worth literally millions to me. I wish I had read it sooner. Then again, “The student is ready, the teacher appears”. When you read something might be just as important as what you read.

Thanks for the thread.

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?

#394

Post by discardedrefuse »

armitron wrote: post #306
screye wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kingkiller moves the fantasy fiction genre past its LOTR-esque roots. Every word is a joy to read. I haven't read anything else that brings as big a smile on my face. Kingkiller's literary qualities are head and shoulders above anything in fantasy fiction. Every word, every metaphor and every description is chosen with care, so as to convey the exact emotion that the author wants you to feel. I hope the final book co…

I found Rothfuss comically bad as a writer and Kingkiller #1 nothing more than superficial wish fulfillment aimed at teens that were bullied at school. Not that Sanderson is much better.

THANK YOU! I thought Name of the Wind was satire at first. It features all the classic neckbeard tropes. Including hits like:

* The other kids don't like Kvothe because he's so much smarter than them.

* The girl Kvothe crushes on has friend-zoned him...

* Because, of course, this girl only dates Chads.

* Though all the other girls fawn over him, Kvothe is too gentlemanly to take advantage of them.

* Kvothe uses "my lady" unironically and, even in a fantasy novel, makes it sound cringe-worthy.

Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?

#396

Post by sixstringtheory »

So many great books I’ve enjoyed are mentioned here. And it’s hard to pick just one that’s changed my life, many have.

But in the interest of variety in this thread, I’ll throw out Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It inspired me to go deeper in my beloved cooking practice towards growing food and hunting, and through all that I’ve found much gratitude for and understanding of life and what humanity has gone through to get us to this point.

Over a decade later and I’m still working towards a simpler and more fulfilling lifestyle.

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