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Ask HN: What book had a big impact on you as a child or teenager?

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Re: Ask HN: What book had a big impact on you as a child or teenager?

#61

Post by wruza »

The City and the Stars, Arthur C. Clarke.

I also grew up with three full-sized bookcases mostly filled with all sorts of sci-fi and adventures by my granddad. But when I think of a book, this one always comes to mind first.

Unlike other sci-fi I’ve read before it, this novel had this out-of-usual-limits existential mystery and background dread, mostly unresolvable by its very nature and built into the plot almost immediately so that you have to re-realize it, as if you were at a therapist. I’ve read books with galactic wars, dark corners of space, empires, horrors, strange alien encounters, but only this one touched me so deep.

From non-fiction, it was “from basic to assembly” (noname, can’t find it) and few years later some 80386 system programming manual. I remember another book on assembly in between, it was dark blue.

Re: Ask HN: What book had a big impact on you as a child or teenager?

#62

Post by thorin »

I guess it was the hobbit that got me into reading (even more than I already was) and into computers as it came with the c64 adventure game which my godparents had. Every time we went there I got some computer time as they'd bought it for "office work", but I played scuba dive, the hobbit, manic miner, hunchback etc. It also led to reading the lord of the rings, which felt like a massive achievement at the time. I've just read the fellowship of the ring to my kids and it was a fun (though slow) experience.

As am adult The Stranger - Camus and The Old Man and the Sea had a big impact, I think because you can read and get the whole experience in a single sitting.

Re: Ask HN: What book had a big impact on you as a child or teenager?

#63

Post by openquery »

Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture.

A great, short read that gives you a very gentle introduction to the world of pure mathematics following the life of Uncle Petros, a mathematical prodigy who devoted his life to trying to solve Goldbach's Conjecture.

Ironically, this is one of the main reasons I didn't study mathematics.

Re: Ask HN: What book had a big impact on you as a child or teenager?

#64

Post by graycat »

For kids, other than science and engineering:

Intimacy

(1) Knowledge. Give knowledge of yourself, what do like, don't like, want, believe, think, plan.

Notice that another person who stands off doesn't give such knowledge.

(2) Caring. Care about the other person, monitor their life, reach out to help them.

Notice how common it is for others just to give you their middle finger.

(3) Respect. Grant credibility, honor, pride, praise.

Notice how others may give you contempt and insults, try to manipulate, take advantage.

(4) Responsiveness. Monitor what they do, listen to what they say, use those two to think about their lives, and do respond appropriately.

Notice how others can not respond, just ignore, turn away.

(5) Affection. It's basic, involves physical contact, especially with facial contact, hand holding, hugging, and apparently is universal at least in all mammels.

Notice how others avoid physical contact.

Uh, as a teen boy dating a teen girls, mostly interested in (1)--(5) or just some anatomy lessons? With some girls, it's easier to have sex or even marriage than much or anything in (1)--(5).

By their teens, maybe boys/girls could benefit from realizing (1)--(5).

That's my "book" for kids!

Re: Ask HN: What book had a big impact on you as a child or teenager?

#65

Post by rayxi271828 »

As a teenager, I was fortunate that my Dad bought me a copy of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey.

Quote: Be Proactive is about taking responsibility for your life. Proactive people recognize that they are “response-able.” They don’t blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. They know they can choose their behavior.

While it may be common sense/doh-so-obvious today, this was such a mind-blowing reframe for the teenage me back then, and it shaped me immeasurably as a person for the better, for the 30+ years that follow.

Re: Ask HN: What book had a big impact on you as a child or teenager?

#67

Post by sumo89 »

The His Dark Materials was probably the first books I got really in to and some of the only books I've ever re-read. I read a couple of others by the same author but wasn't grabbed as much. I think I was around 13 at the time. Harry Potter were probably some of the first "long" books that I ever read but I wasn't a huge fan and gave up by the third. I'd say those along with random Discworld and assorted fantasy books planted the seeds of enjoying reading but it did go hand in hand with sitting next to my mum and enjoying the experience. Taking a book on holiday and sitting in the sun reading rather than just playing on my gameboy, which happened too but without bans on screen time more like just encouragement to join in the reading activity. Maybe bad battery lives and non-backlit screens helped too. One book that's always stuck in my memory since is Freakonomics. I read it when I was a teenager and the very logical thinking hit a real nerve. I know the book has had controversy since but I can't say I took away any specific example of "Sumo wrestlers like to cheat" or whatever, but the way of thinking it encouraged has definitely stuck with me. My partner read some Malcolm Gladwell books when she was younger and she was definitely a fan for a similar reason. I think they're a load of tosh with generous leaps of logic but I can understand the appeal of something that encourages you to look beyond the obvious.

Re: Ask HN: What book had a big impact on you as a child or teenager?

#68

Post by oliwarner »

Stretching the mental legs of young readers has value so having a few series of quick, punchy, engaging literary trash is a good thing.

When I was a kid, Point Horror, Goosebumps and various adventure books were the reading gym that gave me the stamina for the books I actually enjoyed (Tolkien, Pullman, and so much Pratchett).

I'm going through this with my daughter now. We still lean on thriller subjects but there is so much more choice. Goodreads is great for finding subgenres of interest and then similar books to ones that hit the mark.

But use your local library. Pick up random books co-read opening chapters, and review the style and quality together. Use your judgement and public reviews to bin out the real trash and slowly but surely give then confidence to pick up real literature.

Forcing your kid to grind through a book rarely goes well but if you really want to push it, taking it in turns to read aloud can inject enough performative energy to carry it.

Re: Ask HN: What book had a big impact on you as a child or teenager?

#69

Post by kstenerud »

vatys wrote: post #49
jesterson wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My goodness, did you write those by using your memory?

I’ll guess yes, since Fahrenheit 451 is by Bradbury. Great list, though.

Whoops! I don't know why, but I'd always thought it was by Heinlein...
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