I highly recommend Born Standing Up by Steve Martin if you're at all into comedy. One of the more enjoyable books I read recently. I'd say it was entirely unrelated to Hacker News, but pmarca did paraphrase it in his talk at SuS.
Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
11–20 of 62 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#12Ray Monk's biography of Wittgenstein is superb if you have the slightest interest in him.
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#13Craig Venter's autobiography was intriguing. It would be especially good if you were already familiar with Biology and DNA. I ripped through it and reading it was quite enjoyable.
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#14These might not be biographies but they are good non fiction.
It's not about the bike, my journey back to life. - Lance Armstrong
Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman! - R. Feynman
Into thin air - J. Krakauer
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#15If 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?
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#16Shantaram - amazing.
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#17Lincoln's War Cabinet by Hendrick Burton - learn to surround yourself with ideas you don't necessarily agree with and be influenced by the most unlikely minds
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#18Lincoln's War Cabinet by Hendrick Burton - learn to surround yourself with ideas you don't necessarily agree with and be influenced by the most unlikely minds
>"Lincoln's War Cabinet by Hendrick Burton - learn to surround yourself with ideas you don't necessarily agree with and be influenced by the most unlikely minds"
"Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin explores the same topic, specifically how Lincoln made up his cabinet from talented rivals.
Apparently Obama referred to this book (reference http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/05/obama-propos...) which made me curious enough to buy it. It is a great read and a fascinating study in leadership.
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#19The auto-biography of Benjamin Franklin! Incredibly relevant to entrepreneurship.
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#20John Forbes Nash: "A Beautiful Mind" by Sylvia Nasir Richard Feynman: "Genius" by James Gleick "The Passion of Ayn Rand" by Barbara Brandon "John Adams" and "Truman" by David McCullough "Lincoln the Unknown" by Dale Carnegie
I second the recommendation of Genius. It is incredibly rich and stands up well to rereading.