4 ms·

Ask HN: What biographies/memoirs to read in 2018?

16 points by saikatsg 9y ago

saikatsg 9y ago
'Shoe Dog' added in my list
spenrose 9y ago
Two works lauded by many that lived up to the hype for me by changing my understanding of science and the modern world are David Wootton's biography of Galileo: http://www.watcheroftheskies.org/ http://www.watcheroftheskies.org/ Janet Browne's biography of Darwin: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/nov/10/biography.highereducation https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/nov/10/biography.high...
sukhadatkeereo 9y ago
Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson is a gem.
koolhead17 9y ago
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
memoir2comment 9y ago
Shrill by Lindy West and Hunger by Roxane Gay. They are both memoirs by excellent women writers talking about being a woman and about being fat in American society.
danieltillett 9y ago
For one of interest to entrepreneurs that is not immediately obvious is the autobiography of Henry Bessemer [1]. The problems he faced (and solved) getting his inventions used still has value today [2]. 1. https://archive.org/details/sirhenrybessemer00bessuoft https://archive.org/details/sirhenrybessemer00bessuoft 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Bessemer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Bessemer
dasmoth 9y ago
“Skunk Works” by Ben Rich. It’s showing its age a little bit in places, but seems as pertinent as ever.
itamarst 9y ago
Biographies I enjoyed in 2017: "The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism" "Worldly Philosopher The Odyssey of Albert O. Hirschman"
SirLJ 9y ago
This one: "A Man for All Markets: From Las Vegas to Wall Street, How I Beat the Dealer and the Market" by Edward O. Thorp http://www.edwardothorp.com/books/a-man-for-all-markets/ http://www.edwardothorp.com/books/a-man-for-all-markets/
boysabr3 9y ago
I really liked: https://goo.gl/Wb8YoH https://goo.gl/Wb8YoH When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi - Goodreads https://goo.gl/gzGxAo https://goo.gl/gzGxAo Dying: A Memoir by Cory Taylor - Goodreads
throwaway636 9y ago
Here are few great ones http://cherrypick.club/post/QmxvZ1Bvc3QtLS00Ng== http://cherrypick.club/post/QmxvZ1Bvc3QtLS00Ng==

16 points by saikatsg 9y ago

'Shoe Dog' added in my list

Two works lauded by many that lived up to the hype for me by changing my understanding of science and the modern world are David Wootton's biography of Galileo: http://www.watcheroftheskies.org/ http://www.watcheroftheskies.org/ Janet Browne's biography of Darwin: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/nov/10/biography.highereducation https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/nov/10/biography.high...

sukhadatkeereo 9y ago

Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson is a gem.

koolhead17 9y ago

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

memoir2comment 9y ago

Shrill by Lindy West and Hunger by Roxane Gay. They are both memoirs by excellent women writers talking about being a woman and about being fat in American society.

danieltillett 9y ago

For one of interest to entrepreneurs that is not immediately obvious is the autobiography of Henry Bessemer [1]. The problems he faced (and solved) getting his inventions used still has value today [2]. 1. https://archive.org/details/sirhenrybessemer00bessuoft https://archive.org/details/sirhenrybessemer00bessuoft 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Bessemer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Bessemer

dasmoth 9y ago

“Skunk Works” by Ben Rich. It’s showing its age a little bit in places, but seems as pertinent as ever.

itamarst 9y ago

Biographies I enjoyed in 2017: "The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism" "Worldly Philosopher The Odyssey of Albert O. Hirschman"

SirLJ 9y ago

This one: "A Man for All Markets: From Las Vegas to Wall Street, How I Beat the Dealer and the Market" by Edward O. Thorp http://www.edwardothorp.com/books/a-man-for-all-markets/ http://www.edwardothorp.com/books/a-man-for-all-markets/

boysabr3 9y ago

I really liked: https://goo.gl/Wb8YoH https://goo.gl/Wb8YoH When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi - Goodreads https://goo.gl/gzGxAo https://goo.gl/gzGxAo Dying: A Memoir by Cory Taylor - Goodreads

throwaway636 9y ago

Here are few great ones http://cherrypick.club/post/QmxvZ1Bvc3QtLS00Ng== http://cherrypick.club/post/QmxvZ1Bvc3QtLS00Ng==