Business Adventures
John Brooks
35 people recommended it in 8 threads, 2014–2019.
7 commenters pushed back on it — worth reading the threads.
What people on Hacker News said
A recommendation by Buffet and Gates, entertaining read with business principles built in (7/10)
I'd still recommend reading BA because the writing style is first rate (and unexpectedly funny).
I liked that it was written as a piece of journalism rather than a didactic exposition of vital business truth, as most other books in the genre have a tendency toward attempting.
Also the writing style was great, Brooks had a knack for making the players in these case studies colorfully come to life.
The comparisons to Michael Lewis are apt. It was most interesting for me to see how many of the same economic issues being discussed today (income inequality, intellectual property, corporate misconduct, the extraordinary power and influence of the banking industry, etc.) were discussed in nearly the exact same terms 50+ years ago.
Until this book, reading about businesses was one of the most boring things I could imagine. Some of it is dated, but there are also many valuable gems that still hold true 50 years later.
I now see that with a good storyteller, even seemingly boring subjects can be fascinating.
Where it comes up
- Bill Gates's Favorite Business Book 2014 · 15 recommendations
- The Best Business Book I’ve Ever Read (2014) 2015 · 14 recommendations
- What are the most indispensable books for indie hackers? 2019 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Books you read in 2016? 2016 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Books you read in 2015? 2015 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think? 2015 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days? 2015 · 1 recommendation
- The Best Books I Read in 2014 2014 · 1 recommendation