Honestly, Anthem.
While I think it's a pinch silly oversimplification of things, it makes good arguments against central planning and for individuality and liberty.
It really struck a chord in an impressionable 16 year old.
Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?
71–80 of 1001 posts
Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?
#72A People’s History of the US
A Pattern Language
The Alphabet Vs The Goddess
Aloud: Voices From the Nuyorican Poets Cafe
The Fire Next Time
Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?
#73One book that changed me was reading Master and Margarita in Russian for the first time. It was the first book I started reading I could not put down until the end. Gained a lot of appreciation for literature at that time. The other book that I enjoyed and changed me was ‘The Wisdom of Insecurity’ by Alan Watts. I was a fan of Alan Watts works through his lectures already and it was wonderful to hear his ideas in wri…
[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?
#74I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran and the Inside Story of the Mafia, the Teamsters, and the Final Ride of Jimmy Hoffa
Amazing insights on the corruption of the USG/Nixon And the ties between the unions/cia/and the mafia.
Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?
#75Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People" - it changed how I approach teamwork and conversations. It made me aware of how my behaviour was limiting outcomes. :)
Frankly, it made me aware that I was being an asshole and that I should change.
However, it wasn't necessarily the book, but the course that I found really useful.
Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?
#76The Selfish Gene by Dawkins. The gene is the unit of replication, and this affects every process in this universe.
I enjoyed that and some of his other books, but it was The God Delusion that did it for me. Having been born in a religious society makes it hard to break out of needing to assume there is a god, but that book could give people enough explanation to drop that assumption.
I always think it's really interesting how our upbringings shape us. I'd never even heard of god until I was 4, when I must have heard the word mentioned, asked my dad what it mean, and it was explained to me as a thing up in the sky that some people believe in.
Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?
#77Game Theory and Strategy, Straffin (https://www.amazon.com/Game-Theory-Strategy-Mathematical-Lib...)
A great introduction.
Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?
#78Aristotle's Physics, Metaphysics, and De Anima.
Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?
#79"Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow"[1] by Yuval Noah Harari
Re: Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?
#80Design Patterns by the Gang of Four and Power Negotiating by Roger Dawson. They both showed me that there are advanced levels to things that can be learned.