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Ask HN: Thought-Provoking Books

17 points Agraillo | 3 comments | 13 Dec 25 13:05 UTC | HN request time: 0.755s | source

I read many non-fiction books, but recently noticed that only a few qualify as truly heavy, thought-provoking reads, that you literally can't finish in a manageable time because you keep telling yourself, "Wait a minute," then stop to Google something, run an experiment, or just think deeply. My current example (still unfinished) is "Moonwalking with Einstein" by Joshua Foer. It's mind-blowing - the entire memory universe around us that I never properly explored before.
1. tomfox2 ◴[13 Dec 25 15:42 UTC] No.46255345[source]▶
I feel the same way. The last time I read Kevin Kelly's Out of Control, I had a similar experience — constantly searching for materials, adding supporting arguments, and feeling as if I had retained nothing after just one read.
replies(1): >>46255848 #
2. Agraillo ◴[13 Dec 25 16:39 UTC] No.46255848[source]▶
After reading the description, I'd say this is one of those books that interprets phenomena around us in a novel way, without claiming we should jump off "the shoulders of giants." There have been several like it in my reading history, but since I can't name them instantly, they probably weren't that thought-provoking.
replies(1): >>46265271 #
3. tomfox2 ◴[14 Dec 25 18:09 UTC] No.46265271[source]▶
Books that offer profound inspiration are truly treasures of human civilization, but nowadays, it's rare to find a physical book that makes you want to read it in one sitting, unable to put it down.