Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?

#281

Post by smnplk » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 2:47 AM UTC

old-gregg wrote: post #52

"The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany" by William L. Shirer. It's a classic history book of our century which, despite its title, primarily focuses on Hitler's raise to power in the early 30s and the long, painful and ultimately futile international attempts at avoiding WW2 in the late 30s. It's a book I wish everyone would read, particularly everyone in a public office and the media. It's…

There is also a good biography about Hitler from a historian called David Irving. He is the guy that studied the history of hitler and ww2 for decades. Although he is perceived as very controversial author, I think his books are the closest thing to the truth.

Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?

#282

Post by smnplk » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 2:48 AM UTC

jfoutz wrote: post #154

cyphar wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exploitation of the public's fear, promises to make the country great again, rejection by their own party once they figured out that they might come to power. Those spring to mind as examples.

He really doesn't have the rhetorical flair. Hitler was a monster, but that poem about mothers was very pretty. Trump is charismatic, but not really at that level.

What proof do you have that Hitler was a monster ?

Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?

#283

Post by KRuchan » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 2:55 AM UTC

"The Defining Decade" by Meg Jay to anyone in their twenties.

Shameless plug -I posted a summary here: https://rkirti.wordpress.com/2015/12/05/learnings-from-the-d...

Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?

#284

Post by nikmobi » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 2:55 AM UTC

steinsgate wrote: post #104

nikmobi wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I second this! I've recommended this to countless people. Did you guys find that a lot of people are really skeptical that a book can have such an impact? It certainly worked wonders for me as well.

I was skeptical at first too. But man, was I wrong! I have recommended it to about four or five friends so far. Only one read it till the end. And it didn't work so well on him, even though he reduced smoking. Did the book work on your friends who read it completely?

I have one other friend (the only one of them all to actually read) and it was just as effective for him as it was me. I'm now trying to get my sister to read it. The hard part seems to be getting people to pick it up and stick it through.

Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?

#285

Post by elwaz » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 2:56 AM UTC

gpestana wrote: post #83

The Art of Travel, by Alain de Botton https://g.co/kgs/3WZtk1 . I highly recommend it!

Second that and add: Status Anxiety

Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?

#286

Post by grandalf » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 2:57 AM UTC

myhf wrote: post #261

pavel_lishin wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's baffling that the same man who wrote the stories I loved can stand up and with a straight face tell everyone that gays aren't like us, and that gay marriage is destroying civilization. He literally said that, at a reading I attended. After telling us about the power of stories and humanity, he veered into that as a total non-sequitur.

It's not baffling. The same anti-gay, pro-genocide themes are present throughout most of Card's novels and short stories.

Examples please.

Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?

#287

Post by wdr1 » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 2:58 AM UTC

The Princess Bride.

I've given it away seven times & purchased it eight.

Like every book, it's different from the movie. I'm not going to say it's better than the movie, but I'm also not going say the movie is better either. Both are just so amazing in their own right that I adore them both.

Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?

#288

Post by grandalf » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 3:01 AM UTC

dbingham wrote: post #253

pavel_lishin wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's baffling that the same man who wrote the stories I loved can stand up and with a straight face tell everyone that gays aren't like us, and that gay marriage is destroying civilization. He literally said that, at a reading I attended. After telling us about the power of stories and humanity, he veered into that as a total non-sequitur.

Do you ever wonder if he's just... I dunno, trolling us? Or performing some strange social experiment he'll write about at the end of his life? I just don't understand how a man who wrote a book with such a thorough understanding of empathy can display so little of it in life.

I think it's useful to ignore the personal life of artists and just take the work at face value.

Surely a great many people who have accomplished amazing things are also deeply flawed (even reprehensible) humans.

Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?

#289

Post by sflicht » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 3:03 AM UTC

Huygens and Barrow, Newton and Hooke [1] by mathematician V. I. Arnol'd.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Huygens-Barrow-Newton-Hooke-quasicrys...

Re: Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?

#290

Post by seizethecheese » Mon, Aug 08, 2016, 3:10 AM UTC

pavel_lishin wrote: post #238

sneak wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Make an effort to pirate Ender's Game versus spending money on it; the author is a notorious bigot who uses his money to destroy equal human rights.

It's baffling that the same man who wrote the stories I loved can stand up and with a straight face tell everyone that gays aren't like us, and that gay marriage is destroying civilization. He literally said that, at a reading I attended. After telling us about the power of stories and humanity, he veered into that as a total non-sequitur.

It's almost like the quality of art and the artist's character are not related...