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All of these are novels. In my 20s I felt guilty and frivolous for reading fiction, but eventually I realized I could learn a lot more walking in a protagonist'
by bmpafa 8y ago
All of these are novels. In my 20s I felt guilty and frivolous for reading fiction, but eventually I realized I could learn a lot more walking in a protagonist's shoes than I could reading self help etc.
'My Struggle' by knausgard. Lengthy but worth it, even if you only read book 1. On face it's just the angst of some middle class writer, but following him into the recesses of his own introspection is really something.
The borderlands trilogy, Cormac McCarthy. This guy tackles major existential questions in his fairly simple (but dark) stories. it'd help to have basic grasp of Spanish for these books
And maybe my favorite book, Lullabies for little criminals by Heather O'Neill. It's about a little girl who's being raised by a junky and is coerced into prostitution. Obviously a very dark premise, but the way the protagonist experiences it made me think a lot about resilience, relative hardship,etc.
- gajjanag 8y agoFiction is in general severely underrated among STEM people today, with many arguing for how it is a waste of time, etc. I was fortunate enough to grow up in an environment where I had good access to it, and a healthy level of support for my interest. THe thing I find funny about this is that many of the "STEM legends" such as von Neumann, Ulam, Einstein and others had read a lot of classical literature. Einstein himself is quoted saying: "Dostoevsky gives me more than any scientist, more than Gauss." I just make sure I give this quote only when there are no number theorists in the room. Sure, if one just confines oneself to the "popular" works on a standard YA list, it may be reasonable to conclude that some fiction is not worth reading for a STEM person. However, the classics are classics for a reason after all. Moreover, it is also not implausible that a discerning eye can find plenty of great worth in modern authors as well, something the parent has done.
- internetman55 8y agoIf someone in real life told me that fiction is not worth the time, I'd instantly write him off as at best a moron who has mastered some technical skills. Edit: he may manage to become not a moron in the future, I just mean that I would proceed under the assumption that he is at this time a moron.
- trentmb 8y agoI wish I had the discipline to read more. Even when I finally get myself to sit down with a book I always find myself zoning out.
- iamben 8y agoYeah, I feel you. Used to read a huge amount. Found myself zoning out and reaching for my phone to check (ironically) HN, or my email. Solved by turning my phone off and leaving it in another room. Checking it becomes more effort than not checking it - habit quickly broken.
- bmpafa 8y agoI had the same problem. I've been doing 100% audiobooks for several years now and I'll never go back. I can work through a regular length book in a week w/ retention on par with regular book reading.
- coleifer 8y agoI am a literature major working as a software engineer, and I agree! Humanity has a very long history of story-telling. Often stories can tell us more than rational argument, since they hook-up with our intuition (rather than logic). This isn't to say there aren't laws in the Universe, but that the way we understand things is often emotional and intuitive. A good story can say so much about the human experience.
- billfruit 8y agoPerhaps on a similar vein, I recommend Montaignes Essays, even though it is not fiction, he lets you peek into his deepest thoughts, is a masterful lesson in understanding one's own self and other people.
- fluxic 8y agoLullabies for little criminals is an INCREDIBLE book.
- asavadatti 8y agoDid you mean The Border Trilogy? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6163.The_Border_Trilogy https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6163.The_Border_Trilogy
- bmpafa 8y agoack, yes. thank you!