Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#541

Post by qudat » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 7:22 PM UTC

Amezarak wrote: post #444

ramesh31 wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Not because I remember anything about it, or believe anything it espouses, or even like it all that much, but because it's a useful filter for obnoxious people in meatspace. Nietzche fills this role for me. Thinking he was right is a big red flag. But not knowing of him makes your opinions on philosophy meaningless.

I find a good follow up question is oh? what do you think he's all about? And if they start talking about master/slave morality or the ubermensch, then change the subject and move on,

That's interesting because the Genealogy of Morality was his greatest contribution as far as I can tell.

Is there something in particular that feels most egregious about master/slave morality or do you have some reading attempting to reject the ideas?

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#542

Post by runjake » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 7:22 PM UTC

DonaldPShimoda wrote: post #364

runjake wrote: post #159

It changes all of the time, but one is Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach. Completely re-shaped my perceptions of reality. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusions_(Bach_novel) While I only made it halfway through, Atlas Shrugged had a big impact on me and my liberal, southern California upbringing, where I was under the assumption that certain things (food, healthcare, money, etc) were d…

I am also a fan of Illusions. :)

created: January 27, 2017

Very nice!

I feel like there could be a secret society around Illusions references.

(You'll understand if you read the book.)

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#543

Post by hermitcrab » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 7:23 PM UTC

bwb wrote: post #537

From The Holy Mountain by William Dalrymple https://shepherd.com/book/from-the-holy-mountain I read this in my early 20s and it had a huge impact in changing the course of my life, sending me traveling over a Christmas break, and changing my entire perspective. He is an amazing author and this book is beautiful.

He also does a very good history podcast, 'Empire': https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/empire/id1639561921

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#544

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 7:23 PM UTC

tb_technical wrote: post #142

"The best book I've ever read was Atlas Shrugged in 8th grade. Changed my life." Not because I remember anything about it, or believe anything it espouses, or even like it all that much, but because it's a useful filter for obnoxious people in meatspace. If someone I don't know too well asks me what my favorite book is, I say Atlas Shrugged. If they react inappropriately, I'll be cordial and treat them with respect,…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#545

Post by kstrauser » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 7:23 PM UTC

vundercind wrote: post #521

cactacea wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "The best book I've ever read was Atlas Shrugged in 8th grade. Changed my life." "huh, ok" > Really, I'm just looking for people who won't jump down my throat on a faux pas. I think you're dismissing the people such as myself that would note you as an idiot without comment and move on wanting nothing to do with you. Edit: tests and trick questions with people you just met is an ineffective way to navigate the world…

I am having trouble seeing how this doesn’t just, one way or another, filter for people unfamiliar with both the literary and philosophical merits of Atlas Shrugged. Possibility 1: A too-enthusiastic reaction. Filtered. Possibility 2: A too-negative reaction. Filtered. Possibility 3: a neutral-enough reaction to not get filtered, but at least some parts of their opinion just shifted toward the negative and wary. If n…

I agree. "Atlas Shrugged" isn't "Mein Kampf", but if someone told me MK was their favorite book, I'd back away slowly without stopping to figure whether they were making some clever commentary on open-mindedness and subtlety of thought. Now, if you told me you'd read Atlas Shrugged or Mein Kampf and found a nonzero set of ideas worth thinking through, at least to evaluate whether or why your own personal philosophy was able to determine they were bad ideas, let's have that conversation! But your favorite? Uh, I think my wife needed something in another room.

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#546

Post by xlii » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 7:24 PM UTC

When I’m asked about best book I always bring up „The Last Ringbearer” by Yeskov.

It’s a fanfic in LOTR universe, and it wasn’t very interesting when I was reading it but it revolved around a twist that helped me develop critical thinking skills.

In short and without too much of a spoiler - it’s about relativism of everything, including history and importance of narrative in shaping perspectives.

Somewhat similar to much later Indoctrination Theory in Mass Effect games.

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#547

Post by bee_rider » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 7:24 PM UTC

swasheck wrote: post #406

bee_rider wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is political, but it is also not a good book. Like, it has a gigantic monologue in the middle where one of the main characters just stands there and expounds on the theme of the book, for many pages. It is not well written. If somebody said they liked… some books by Heinlein or whatever, there’s a guy with some Political Opinions. But he can write . It is believable, picking a Heinlein book isn’t an obvious politi…

my feeling is that it's a "badge" book and by that i mean, you wear it as a badge in order to signal your fluency in pro/anti objectivism conversations. conversations about it remind me of my post-high school experiences with peers while discussing movies. people always chose apocalypse now, the crying game, or the usual suspects as the "best movie in recent memory" and the reasoning was generally because they wanted…

IMO a piece of fiction works better as a “badge” in this sense if it can be defended as a really good work of art in-and-of itself, without the message behind it. Part of the game is that being the one to obviously introduce ideology into the discussion is a bad opening move.

Like what if the other party doesn’t take the political bait and starts talking about train sex or whatever?

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#548

Post by WalterBright » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 7:24 PM UTC

aloisdg wrote: post #415

malthaus wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

a better strategy would be a follow-up question on how it changed their life i'm with the parent commenter here as i find your response very much telling on how you evaluate things and frankly, more idiotic than someone's life being changed, even by the "intended" interpretation of the book e.g. would you say that everyone who liked / was influenced by reading "mein kampf" is a nazi?

yes pretty much or at least a wanna be one. Who start reading "mein kampf" beside scholar anyway?

I read books that have contrary opinions to mine so I can understand their ideological underpinnings and mistakes.

People who only read things they agree with means they're blind to the problems with it, and fold like wet cardboard when they try to argue it.

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#549

Post by bityard » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 7:25 PM UTC

test1235 wrote: post #405

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #362

These threads often end up, with everyone trying to prove they are literary scholars. I prefer junky fantasy books. I'm really too old and cynical to give a damn what y'all think of me. I probably liked David Edding's Belgariad series, along with the Mallorean series, the most. I reread them, regularly, and go through all ten books, in a couple of weeks. They are an easy read. Also, Glen Cook's Black Company books ar…

I've probably read certain Discworld books more than a few times, if they fit under this category of 'junky'

I'm midway through my second reading through the Discworld series. Several years ago I discovered that they were just the right mix of interesting enough to read yet sedate enough to not raise my adrenaline that I could read them and reliably fall asleep within 5-15 minutes of going to bed. This was a godsend because prior to discovering this, it took my brain anywhere between 1-2 hours EVERY night to settle down enough to actually fall asleep, if it ever happened. Lifelong chronic insomnia solved!

(I'm not sure this is the glowing review that most authors aspire to, but here we are.)

Anyway, MOST Discworld books are well worth the time. A few are difficult to follow because Pratchett tried a bit too hard to rely on context. And he often reuses major plot points. But the narration and dialogue are more than clever enough to make up for any of these.

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#550

Post by mynameisash » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 7:25 PM UTC

purpleblue wrote: post #427

Catcher in the Rye was the right book for me at the right age. It really set a North Star for me as to what I wanted to be when I looked at myself in the mirror. Funny how as I grew older, I found myself understanding more and more about what the older characters were saying, without me sacrificing what made what Holden Caulfield ring so true to me. Fun fact: in university at the bookstore they had a written poll as…

Out of curiosity, when did you read it?

It's one of those books that everyone's heard about, but I find not many people have read. I myself hadn't read it until about six years ago (in my late 30s). I was underwhelmed by it. Maybe the book hit a lot harder when it came out than it does in modern times?