Y Hacker News Books

Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life? ↗

The books people recommended

2020-12-24 · 84 points · 138 comments · 84 books named by at least one person here and at least 3 people overall. The number on the left is how many people named it in this thread.

  1. 5

    The Pragmatic Programmer

    Andrew Hunt and David Thomas

    5 here · 102 all-time · #26 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.8 out of 5, 3,644 ratings on Amazon
  2. 5The Art of Doing Science and Engineering

    The Art of Doing Science and Engineering

    Richard Hamming

    5 here · 14 all-time · #467 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 1,311 ratings on Amazon
  3. 4

    The Lord of the Rings

    J.R.R. Tolkien

    4 here · 114 all-time · #18 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.9 out of 5, 14,620 ratings on Amazon
  4. 4

    No More Mr. Nice Guy

    Robert Glover

    4 here · 23 all-time · #265 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 17,153 ratings on Amazon
  5. 4Blink

    Blink

    Malcolm Gladwell

    4 here · 17 all-time · #375 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 14,166 ratings on Amazon
  6. 3

    Dune

    Frank Herbert

    3 here · 250 all-time · #3 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 104,032 ratings on Amazon
  7. 3

    Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

    Richard Feynman

    3 here · 90 all-time · #35 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 13,344 ratings on Amazon
  8. 3Models

    Models

    Mark Manson

    3 here · 11 all-time · #614 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 8,395 ratings on Amazon
  9. 3Commodore 64 Programmers Reference Guide

    Commodore 64 Programmers Reference Guide

    3 here · 5 all-time · #1476 overall

  10. 2

    Thinking, Fast and Slow

    Daniel Kahneman

    2 here · 178 all-time · #6 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 48,679 ratings on Amazon
  11. 2

    How to Win Friends and Influence People

    Dale Carnegie

    2 here · 175 all-time · #8 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 106,505 ratings on Amazon
  12. 2

    Atlas Shrugged

    Ayn Rand

    2 here · 173 all-time · #9 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 22,012 ratings on Amazon
  13. 2

    The C Programming Language

    Brian Kernighan, Dennis Ritchie

    2 here · 124 all-time · #15 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 182 ratings on Amazon
  14. 2

    Nonviolent Communication

    Marshall B. Rosenberg

    2 here · 47 all-time · #92 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 12,436 ratings on Amazon
  15. 2

    12 Rules for Life

    Jordan Peterson

    2 here · 47 all-time · #95 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 85,667 ratings on Amazon
  16. 2What Do You Care What Other People Think?

    What Do You Care What Other People Think?

    Richard Feynman

    2 here · 11 all-time · #575 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 2,654 ratings on Amazon
  17. 2The Easy Way to Stop Smoking

    The Easy Way to Stop Smoking

    Allen Carr

    2 here · 9 all-time · #771 overall

  18. 2The Way of the Superior Man

    The Way of the Superior Man

    David Deida

    2 here · 6 all-time · #1155 overall

  19. 1

    Gödel, Escher, Bach

    Douglas Hofstadter

    1 here · 347 all-time · #1 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 2,713 ratings on Amazon
  20. 1

    Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

    Robert Pirsig

    1 here · 193 all-time · #5 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 13,921 ratings on Amazon
  21. 1

    Neuromancer

    William Gibson

    1 here · 117 all-time · #17 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 20,213 ratings on Amazon
  22. 1

    Black Swan

    Nassim Nicholas Taleb

    1 here · 110 all-time · #19 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 8,277 ratings on Amazon
  23. 1

    Code Complete

    Steve McConnell

    1 here · 108 all-time · #22 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 1,353 ratings on Amazon
  24. 1

    The Fountainhead

    Ayn Rand

    1 here · 90 all-time · #36 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 12,667 ratings on Amazon
  25. 1

    Never Split the Difference

    Chris Voss

    1 here · 62 all-time · #60 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 51,660 ratings on Amazon
  26. 1

    Tao Te Ching

    Lao Tzu

    1 here · 53 all-time · #76 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 1,771 ratings on Amazon
  27. 1

    The Alchemist

    Paulo Coelho

    1 here · 52 all-time · #77 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 184,313 ratings on Amazon
  28. 1

    Influence

    Robert Cialdini

    1 here · 50 all-time · #84 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 13,065 ratings on Amazon
  29. 1

    Animal Farm

    George Orwell

    1 here · 48 all-time · #90 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 94,716 ratings on Amazon
  30. 1

    The Demon-Haunted World

    Carl Sagan

    1 here · 45 all-time · #99 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 7,776 ratings on Amazon
  31. 1

    Nineteen Eighty-Four

    George Orwell

    1 here · 43 all-time · #108 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 15,224 ratings on Amazon
  32. 1The Cuckoo's Egg

    The Cuckoo's Egg

    Clifford Stoll

    1 here · 39 all-time · #124 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 3,286 ratings on Amazon
  33. 1

    The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

    Robert A. Heinlein

    1 here · 38 all-time · #127 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 9,404 ratings on Amazon
  34. 1Endurance

    Endurance

    Alfred Lansing

    1 here · 37 all-time · #135 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.8 out of 5, 27,447 ratings on Amazon
  35. 1

    How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

    Scott Adams

    1 here · 36 all-time · #143 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 7,596 ratings on Amazon
  36. 1

    Rich Dad Poor Dad

    Robert Kiyosaki

    1 here · 35 all-time · #148 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 108,495 ratings on Amazon
  37. 1

    The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

    Mark Manson

    1 here · 34 all-time · #156 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 162,044 ratings on Amazon
  38. 1

    The Intelligent Investor

    Benjamin Graham

    1 here · 33 all-time · #169 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 52,344 ratings on Amazon
  39. 1

    The Illuminatus! Trilogy

    Robert Shea, Robert Anton Wilson

    1 here · 30 all-time · #192 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 1,268 ratings on Amazon
  40. 1

    The Dictator's Handbook

    Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith

    1 here · 29 all-time · #196 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 2,461 ratings on Amazon
  41. 1

    Fahrenheit 451

    Ray Bradbury

    1 here · 28 all-time · #199 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 61,227 ratings on Amazon
  42. 1

    The Iliad

    Homer

    1 here · 28 all-time · #201 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 5,214 ratings on Amazon
  43. 1

    Atomic Habits

    James Clear

    1 here · 25 all-time · #238 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.8 out of 5, 149,902 ratings on Amazon
  44. 1

    The Sirens of Titan

    Kurt Vonnegut

    1 here · 23 all-time · #257 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 8,999 ratings on Amazon
  45. 1Malazan Book of the Fallen

    Malazan Book of the Fallen

    Steven Erikson

    1 here · 18 all-time · #344 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 16,649 ratings on Amazon
  46. 1The Mind Illuminated

    The Mind Illuminated

    Culadasa

    1 here · 18 all-time · #356 overall

    Buy on Amazon3.5 out of 5, 2 ratings on Amazon
  47. 1The Stranger

    The Stranger

    Albert Camus

    1 here · 15 all-time · #416 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 12,720 ratings on Amazon
  48. 1The Book of Mormon

    The Book of Mormon

    Joseph Smith

    1 here · 15 all-time · #419 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 2,494 ratings on Amazon
  49. 1The Wisdom of Insecurity

    The Wisdom of Insecurity

    Alan Watts

    1 here · 15 all-time · #423 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 6,892 ratings on Amazon
  50. 1Small Gods

    Small Gods

    Terry Pratchett

    1 here · 14 all-time · #466 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 9,536 ratings on Amazon
  51. 1The Mysterious Island

    The Mysterious Island

    Jules Verne

    1 here · 13 all-time · #495 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 932 ratings on Amazon
  52. 1The Silmarillion

    The Silmarillion

    J.R.R. Tolkien

    1 here · 11 all-time · #573 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 24,821 ratings on Amazon
  53. 1Bullshit Jobs

    Bullshit Jobs

    David Graeber

    1 here · 11 all-time · #585 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 3,291 ratings on Amazon
  54. 1The Three Musketeers

    The Three Musketeers

    Alexandre Dumas

    1 here · 10 all-time · #645 overall

  55. 1The Elephant in the Brain

    The Elephant in the Brain

    Kevin Simler, Robin Hanson

    1 here · 10 all-time · #661 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 1,746 ratings on Amazon
  56. 1Six Pillars of Self-Esteem

    Six Pillars of Self-Esteem

    Nathaniel Branden

    1 here · 10 all-time · #672 overall

  57. 1The Moral Animal

    The Moral Animal

    Robert Wright

    1 here · 9 all-time · #700 overall

  58. 1The Fifth Discipline

    The Fifth Discipline

    Peter Senge

    1 here · 9 all-time · #731 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 2,564 ratings on Amazon
  59. 1A Wild Sheep Chase

    A Wild Sheep Chase

    Haruki Murakami

    1 here · 9 all-time · #738 overall

  60. 1Pale Blue Dot

    Pale Blue Dot

    Carl Sagan

    1 here · 7 all-time · #918 overall

  61. 1Fall; or, Dodge in Hell

    Fall; or, Dodge in Hell

    Neal Stephenson

    1 here · 7 all-time · #947 overall

  62. 1The Charisma Myth

    The Charisma Myth

    Olivia Fox Cabane

    1 here · 7 all-time · #951 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 4,001 ratings on Amazon
  63. 1The New Testament

    The New Testament

    NT Wright

    1 here · 7 all-time · #965 overall

  64. 1The Art of Loving

    The Art of Loving

    Erich Fromm

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1085 overall

  65. 1Ecology of the Planted Aquarium

    Ecology of the Planted Aquarium

    Diana Walstad

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1105 overall

  66. 1Brain Rules for Baby

    Brain Rules for Baby

    John Medina

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1135 overall

  67. 1Capitalist Realism

    Capitalist Realism

    Mark Fisher

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1198 overall

  68. 1Tropic of Cancer

    Tropic of Cancer

    Henry Miller

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1206 overall

  69. 1To Have or to Be

    To Have or to Be

    Erich Fromm

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1293 overall

  70. 1Of Human Bondage

    Of Human Bondage

    W. Somerset Maugham

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1332 overall

  71. 1Mort

    Mort

    Terry Pratchett

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1417 overall

  72. 1Journey to the End of the Night

    Journey to the End of the Night

    Louis-Ferdinand Céline

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1435 overall

  73. 1The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read

    The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read

    Philippa Perry

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1610 overall

  74. 1Guide for the perplexed

    Guide for the perplexed

    E. F. Schumacher

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1693 overall

  75. 1The Splendid and the Vile

    The Splendid and the Vile

    Erik Larson

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1694 overall

  76. 1Black Like Me

    Black Like Me

    John Howard Griffin

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1790 overall

  77. 1The Friendly Orange Glow

    The Friendly Orange Glow

    Brian Dear

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1925 overall

  78. 1The Holy Quran

    The Holy Quran

    1 here · 3 all-time · #1974 overall

  79. 1Masters of Deception

    Masters of Deception

    Michele Slatalla

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2135 overall

  80. 1Aion

    Aion

    Carl Jung

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2240 overall

  81. 1Come As You Are

    Come As You Are

    Emily Nagoski

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2245 overall

  82. 1Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny

    Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny

    Robert Wright

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2265 overall

  83. 1Bhagvad Gita

    Bhagvad Gita

    A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2266 overall

  84. 1Eleven Minutes

    Eleven Minutes

    Paulo Coelho

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2530 overall