Read the Christian Bible. Even if you are not religious its worthwhile to read it from cover to cover.
I'm hindu but don't find any harm in learning about other religions.
Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?
51–60 of 70 posts
Re: Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?
#52Jurassic Park if you haven't yet.
Haha it's my favorite movie but I never read the book.
Re: Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?
#53Everything in this thread is good. You’ve got a list that will last you years. Get thee to a library!
Yeah! I never expected this good of a response.
Re: Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?
#54I would have benefitted from reading “Ego is the Enemy” and any title on mindfulness from Jon Kabat Zinn. But at that age I was probably too hot headed and insane and immature to actually read them. Sigh. So instead I learned everything the hard way.
Re: Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?
#55Jurassic Park if you haven't yet.
There’s an audiobook in Spotify. I can’t recommend it enough.
Re: Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?
#56Why not buy three?
1. Should be Required reading for any rising senior at High School- Psychocybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz. I got this for my 43 birthday and you will have a huge head start over others.
2. Flow- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi masterclass in writing exposition. Essentially how to find happiness in everything in life
3. The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime- cringy title but packed with practical nuggets on how to earn a living and create wealth outside of the scripted 9-5/30 years of employment. Very in your face but I am trying hard to apply what this book teaches.
Good luck!
Re: Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?
#57Without doubts - "Animal Farm" and "1984" from Orwell.
I'll double down on this one. Easy, quick read. Pick it up at the local library and you can finish it in the day, or you can find an audio book on YouTube. Keep in mind that Orwell wrote this during WWII, before much of what he describes took place in full effect in the soviet union.
If anyone knows a capitalist equivalent, I'd be very interested.
Re: Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?
#58The Last Lecture is a must read - esp at 18 y/o. Some great life lessons and an all around great story.
Re: Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?
#59Read “ The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists”. It’s ultimately a work of fiction but there are some mind fuck ideas and perspective shifts there that are worth toying around with as a young man and searching for your own balance between his ideas and your vision of yourself.
Re: Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?
#60How to Take Smart Notes by Sonke Ahrens.
For 150 pages it is so well written. The method has the potential to change your life at 18.