Shantaram - amazing.
Too amazing to be biographical; so classified as fiction http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&DB=loc...
Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
41–50 of 62 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#42One about the Roman statesman Cicero.
He was an idealist with huge character flaws, which makes him pretty interesting to start with. But he lived in a time when Rome was descending from Republican rule into autocracy - and both resisted and accidentally advanced the change.
On top of that it is pretty interesting reading for a geek - a poor reserved law scholar with speaking problems became one of the greatest orators of history and clawed his way to the top of one of the Roman system, partly due to his command of the minute details of the law.
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#43I 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.
I second this - I've never really found Steve Martin funny, but I thought his book was very interesting and different from most biographies in that it was about success achieved not through prodigious talent but just years and years of grinding it out and slowly improving.
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#44I must have read close to 50 biographies.
I love "Titan" about John D. Rockefeller (in many ways a hero of mine). and Losing my Virginity - Richard Branson (so honest and realistic).
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#45"Made in America" by Sam Walton turned out to be an unexpectedly good read.
"Let my people go surfing" by Yvon Chouinard (climber and founder of Patagonia) is an all-time favorite.
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#46"Yeager"
The biography of Chuck Yeager -- first test pilot to break the speed of sound. His description of going above 80,000 feet, the subsequent failure of the aircraft and what he does to regain control is chilling. The book's a good read. Direct and to the point -- like the man himself.
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#47The auto-biography of Benjamin Franklin! Incredibly relevant to entrepreneurship. http://www.earlyamerica.com/lives/franklin/ or http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/148
I would recommend other biographies over his autobiography. He flatters himself and omits too much.
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#48J Paul Getty - As I See It.
Carl Icahn (unofficial, out of print) - King Icahn
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#49One about the Roman statesman Cicero. He was an idealist with huge character flaws, which makes him pretty interesting to start with. But he lived in a time when Rome was descending from Republican rule into autocracy - and both resisted and accidentally advanced the change. On top of that it is pretty interesting reading for a geek - a poor reserved law scholar with speaking problems became one of the greatest orato…
I found Cato more interesting. The Cato vs Caesar rivalry almost has a good vs evil dynamic to it. A Caesar biography should be required reading.
On the subject of evil people, Mao's biography is great. It's hard to believe people so nuts exist, and that people will follow them.
Albert Speer's autobiography is also good.
Re: Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?
#50If you want to go philosophical, read Gandhi's My Expirements with Truth.
Again, with a guy like Gandhi you're going to understand better from a frank biography than his autobiography. He was a deeply flawed man in many respects.