Factfulness by Hans Rosling
Interesting! I'll be looking at this one soon.
Ask HN: What book changed your life?
101–110 of 539 posts
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#102K&R
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#103Jacob’s Room, Virginia Woolf Before this book I generally did not read, unless it was a Star Trek branded airport novel. I had just got an iPad and was rummaging around the Project Gutenberg texts they’d dumped into iBooks. I chose it impulsively. This book set my brain and heart on fire and opened the world of literature for me. It’s very specific, though, and I can’t -recommend- it to anyone. There is little spackl…
I'll have to give Jacob's Room a read -- thanks!
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#104Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#105First and foremost: The Bible. Not the watered down "everybody goes to heaven" theology that most people subscribe to, but rather an evidence based approach that uses the Bible to interpret itself as it was designed to do. Secondarily, this book saved my life in the sense that it helped me understand my depression, a clinical depression so deep that my psychologist had never seen such a thing previously: Get Out of Y…
> evidence based approach that uses the Bible to interpret itself as it was designed to do
I don't understand what that means. But I do think Misquoting Jesus is one of the better biblical criticism books I've read, and can recommend it for interested folks. Your recommendation reminded me of that.
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#106First and foremost: The Bible. Not the watered down "everybody goes to heaven" theology that most people subscribe to, but rather an evidence based approach that uses the Bible to interpret itself as it was designed to do. Secondarily, this book saved my life in the sense that it helped me understand my depression, a clinical depression so deep that my psychologist had never seen such a thing previously: Get Out of Y…
> but rather an evidence based approach that uses the Bible to interpret itself as it was designed to do.
Can you expand? Did you create this approach yourself or just read the Bible directly?
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#107I think the only book I can recall having a direct impact on my conscious awareness was The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle[0]. The book is very easy to read and quite enjoyable with everything that it includes. I definitely recommend to check it out. [0]: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenme...
I was very skeptical about this book, and even while reading along I'd get the feeling of "uh, this is way out there wacko", but I decided to just take it at it's word and follow along. And now I am able to briefly enter a state of complete acceptance and feel pure love flowing through me, like the perfect hug from a perfect being that understands me in every way. The first time I actually teared up a bit, the feelin…
This state of being is a focus of Sam Harris' Waking Up book, and one he discusses in some of his initial podcast episodes. The beatific state achievable by meditation, deep prayer, or psychedelics sounds very therapeutic.
Note I'm not a Sam Harris acolyte, but I do appreciate his logic-first approach to understanding the world, the mind, current events, and life generally.
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#108It's trite but Crucial Conversations. I think the key is that you have to read it when you are trying to collaborate with someone and you can't seem to communicate. In that moment, the guidance is a serious level up. If read outside of that context you'll say "well, yeah, sure, duh." In situ, it will help you better communicate (speaking and listening).
I'll check it out!
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#109Cliché, but "Awaken the Giant Within" by Tony Robbins. It wasn't the book itself that changed my life, it was the exposure to all of the underlying ideas & philosophies that then significantly changed my life. I know many people can't stand the guy, but his book was really powerful for me at one point in my life. I got my shit together and started to understand the origins of many of the messages he promotes. I like…
I'll check it out!
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#110The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1]. - The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany - Thinking, Fast and Slow - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Crime and Punishment - The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York - Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies - The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future…
Thank you for the great recommendations!