What book have you given as a gift?
Which book have you found so compelling that you've gifted it to others? This could be a technical book, business-related, a self-help guide, or any other genre. I first posed this question eight years ago and received some fantastic responses.
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12243611
The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study
it’s the Red Pill of diet and nutrition
(not for everyone)
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
This is the first book that clearly made me realize that anyone can be very successful at any task that they pick. Talent is important but it's not the only and most important characteristic to success. People aren't born to succeed. They can and do learn how to do it. It's a learned process, not a God given gift.
A Wild Ride Through the Night by Walter Moers
Plot summary: "The story begins with 12-year-old Gustave, captain of the Aventure as he attempts to escape the deadly Siamese Twins Tornado. When the storm finally catches up with his crew, everyone is killed except Gustave, who meets Death, and his crazy sister Dementia. After the wicked siblings play dice for Gustave's soul, Death gives him six seemingly impossible tasks in order to stay alive. In one night, he must face six giants, rescue a damsel in distress from the clutches of a dragon, make himself conspicuous amidst a forest of evil spirits, encounter the Most Monstrous of all Monsters, and even meet himself." [0]
In addition the book has great illustrations from Gustave Doré.
[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wild_Ride_Through_the_Night
1. Winnie the Pooh to kids on their third or fourth or fifth birthday.
2. The Mythical Man Month to non-tech bosses.
3. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress to girlfriends (it's a test).
4. "Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To" to 70+ old friend (single) and 70+ old sister (single).
How to Win Friends and Influence People
If you give it to someone, be very careful about who you give it to. I've given it to several different people that needed some self-confidence boosting, but one of them ended up using some of the lessons from it in some devious ways.
The Three Body Problem (Liu Cixin) for my best friend. It's some of the best sci-fi I read.
The Courange to Be Disliked (Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga) to a friend that was struggling with social anxiety.
Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life — William Finnegan — (2015)
Depends on the audience. Generally, it's always "Getting Things Done" and "So Good They Can't Ignore You". For fellow programmers it's "Clean Coder" and "The Pragmatic Programmer". And I always wish my managers and tech leads read "The Mythical Man-Month".
Beyond Doer and Done to_ Recognition Theory, Intersubjectivity and the Third - Jessica Benjamin - (2017, Routledge)
The Therapeutic Relationship - Petruska Clarkson - (2003, Wiley)
Love's Executioner & Other Tales of Psychotherapy - Irvin D. Yalom - (2012, Basic Books)
Beautiful Chaos - Robert M. Drake - (2014, Vintage Wild)
Tao Te Ching - short enough to be read by anyone in one sitting and potentially very meaningful
The Way to Love by Anthony Demello. Fits in your pocket and almost zen like koans. Little meditations on happiness and suffering without pushing too much religion down your throat.
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi. Corny name, but generally good advice for people who don't have an interest in personal finance. I buy it for friends when they get engaged.
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.
"Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet" Julian Assange.
"Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Conquest of Darkess." Warren Carroll
Poems for the lost, because I'm lost too. By exurbia.
Excellent book, some poems go very deep but most of them are just funny (at least for me).
Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman
Great stories on how to amplify the teams' collective impact.
An omnibus edition of A Wizard of Earthsea, containing all the books and short stories.
Labyrinths - Jorge Borges (I've gifted this many times)
Duino Elegies - Rainer Rilke, translated by Robert Hunter
Gave my nephew the Hitchhiker's Guide and Surely You're Joking this past xmas.
I've given a few:
* the hard thing about hard things (by Horowitz)
* climate wars (dwyer)
* ender's game
The Art of Computer Programming boxed set.
Intelligent investor — Benjamin graham
* The Chronicles of Amber (10 volumes)
* CODE - Microsoft Press
* Snowcrash
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
The Magicians, Lev Grossman
A Wizard of Earthsea
A Business and its Beliefs
Conquest of Mind