Boyd
#720 of 2,654 all-time
Boyd
Robert Coram
9 people recommended it in 7 threads, 2015–2025.
2 commenters pushed back on it — worth reading the threads.
What people on Hacker News said
Boyd tells the story about a brilliant but petulant air force pilot who rewrote the guidelines of US military aviation.
The thing about Boyd that really resonated with me was. 1) Realizing that he was better at something than everyone else around him. 2) Figuring out what it was that was making him better. 3) Reducing it to practice, so it could be taught to others and refined to become even better.
John Boyd's dedication to his ideals is inspiring. The retrospective that comes from seeing an inspiring life, with all its trade-offs and inevitable end, was life changing.
I'm about 2/3's of the way through and its a great read about the guy who revolutionized fighter pilot tactics and made a number of other big contributions.
I like “Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War” but not strictly necessary to read an entire biography).
It's a total hagiography with some dubious historical claims, but a fun and interesting read nonetheless.
Where it comes up
- Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things 2025 · 3 recommendations
- Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams? 2019 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer? 2019 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life? 2018 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Any recommended books on developing mental models? 2017 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift? 2016 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life? 2015 · 1 recommendation