Books Recommended by David Heinemeier Hansson
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Turn the Ship Around!
A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders
L. David Marquet
Source: "A wonderful book about a naval [Admiral] that was running one of the worst performing U.S. nuclear submarines and turned it around to be the best performing U.S. submarine." - DHH
The Pathology of Normalcy
Erich Fromm
Source: "[The author] has touched on the idea that certain types of mental illness can be looked at in part as the sane reaction to an insane world." - DHH
1 recommender
Political Order and Political Decay
From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy
Francis Fukuyama
Source: "Traces back nation states all the way back to 4,000 years B.C. and goes through all the case studies of the rise of China and so forth." - DHH
2 recommenders
Give and Take
Why Helping Others Drives Our Success
Adam Grant
Source: "I almost gave up on the book immediately, but then I'd find a sentence that perked my interest, then read a little more." - DHH
Hate Inc.
Why Today’s Media Makes Us Despise One Another
Matt Taibbi
Source: "Telling the story of how TV, newspapers, and now the internet has reverted to the old partisan ways of the original media outlets." - DHH
1 recommender
I and Thou
Martin Buber
Source: "Treating humans as ends in themselves, not means to an end is perhaps the defining characteristic of humanism." - DHH
1 recommender
The Road to Wigan Pier
George Orwell
Source: "It’s amazing how much of the abusive ideology revealed in his account of the miners is still present in today’s gig economy." - DHH
3 recommenders
Drive
The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Daniel Pink
Source: "Takes some of those same ideas about motivations and rewards and extrapolates them in a little bit." - DHH
The Talent Code
Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How.
Daniel Coyle
Source: "Main complaint seems to be 'this is a layman's description of not-new ideas'. I'm just fine with that." - DHH
The Lost Writings
Franz Kafka
Source: "You're not here for a complete story, a narrative, but to bathe yourself in [the author]'s mind." - DHH
1 recommender
The Management Myth
Why the Experts Keep Getting it Wrong
Matthew Stewart
Source: "A funny mix of stories, but it's worth the trip for the historical account of scientific management alone." - DHH
1 recommender
The Myth of the Spoiled Child
Coddled Kids, Helicopter Parents, and Other Phony Crises
Alfie Kohn
Source: "A great book [...], which is even more specific about nurturing and supporting kids and so forth." - DHH
1 recommender
A Doll's House
Henrik Ibsen
Source: "Classic Danish play from the 19th century [...] Surprisingly relevant for today." - DHH
1 recommender
Escape from Freedom
Erich Fromm
Source: "One of my all-time top ten favorite books. Applies well in both business and politics." - DHH
1 recommender
Bullshit Jobs
A Theory
David Graeber
Source: "Essentially a victory lap of the original essay and the response it provoked." - DHH
1 recommender
A Guide to the Good Life
The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
William B. Irvine
Source: "An easy way to learn about [Stoicism] and recognize why this resonates." - DHH
Understanding Exposure
How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera
Bryan Peterson
Source: "Probably one of the first primers I read on [improving my photography]." - DHH
1 recommender
Punished by Rewards
The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes
Alfie Kohn
Source: "Outlines all the scientific research on why incentive systems don't work." - DHH
1 recommender
The Origins of Political Order
From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution
Francis Fukuyama
Source: "[This book and "Political Order and Political Decay" is] a fantastic two-part book." - DHH
2 recommenders
Either/Or
A Fragment of Life
Søren Kierkegaard
Source: "[The author]'s funny, he's straight forward (even when sarcastic), he's INTERESTING." - DHH
2 recommenders
20 books
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