Ask HN: What is the best autobiography you have read? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What is the best autobiography you have read?

20 pointsbfoks27 comments

I'm currently reading Arnold Schwarzenegger’s and really enjoying it. Looking for some next recommendations.

The one that stands out to me the most because it's so quirky is Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman. And in second place I'd have to suggest Born Standing Up by Steve Martin.

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin is really a great read -- much of the short book focuses on the weird process of experimenting and refining as he developed a new style of comedy (at the time).

Honestly, Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman is probably the best book I've ever read. My dad recommended it to me and I was hooked, read it a couple times over.

That's a very bad question ! I get the feeling I will need to buy some books once this thread gets 100 answers :) I'm kind of biography / autobiography geek.

The one I really love is Benjamin Franklin Autobiography - truly fantastic read (I've read it twice already, it's about time for a 3rd one !)

I second Benjamin Franklin Autobiography and would like to add Andrew Carnegie Autobiography as well. Both great and in my opinion worth reading multiple times.

Julius Caesar "Gallic Wars" is certainly worth reading, translated from Latine to French, so probably, the English version is very good also.

In French, some of the best ones include Chateaubriand "Mémoires d'outre Tombe" (Memoirs from Beyond the Grave), the epic life story of a French writer from the American Independence war to the end of the French monarchy mid nineteen's century.

I read the tittle and my first thought was to recommend Schwarzenegger’s biography. It's a really inspiring trajectory, he chased every goal he wanted until achieve them.

Indeed, a really surprising man !

Even if you don't like him, I recommend reading Russell Brand's autobiography, titled "My Booky Wook" - a reference to A Clockwork Orange.

It's an interesting dive into a much-misunderstood character, going deep into his days of substance abuse, his convictions, and his relationship with his parents. It amazes me that someone with so many problems in their life has managed to find fame, friendship, and happiness.

The Miles Davis autobiography is really really good. It's a great primer in jazz history too, and how he'd helped shape it. I listened to all the records by Dizzy/Bird/etc while reading the book and it was sort of transformative experience. Highly recommended read.

It's crazy how he wasn't just a musical force in terms of writing music or transforming the genre itself, but how he consistently found/groomed some of the best musicians as part of his various bands. I suppose Joe Zawinul is somewhat similar in his Syndicate projects, consistently discovering the best musicians, especially bassists...

Richard Branson's "Losing my Virginity" is pretty cool.

Grothendieck's Récoltes et semailles (Harvest and planting)

One of the most underrated mathematicians of the 20th c.

Any particular link? I haven't been able to find a full translation

http://matematicas.unex.es/~navarro/res/

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

Bad Blood- Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of Theranos. - It is not a autobiography but I could not put it down.

Not really an autobiography, but something quite similar is George Lois's Damn Good Advice. Quick and read with great takeaways. I put together some notes on that book here: http://alvaroduran.com/damn-good-advice

Papillon and its sequel Banco by Henri Charrière are probably my favorites. Their authenticity is questionable as actual autobiography, but as novels they're fantastic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papillon_(book)

Not solely an autobiography but one I enjoyed reading the most recently was The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple by Jeff Guinn. Starts off with a deep dive into the Jones family and goes down the chilling path from there.

'The year of magical thinking' by Joan Didion is a beautiful account of what happens when life suddenly blows in your face.

Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys, by Michael Collins.

Read it originally 20 years ago. Re-read parts of it recently due to the anniversary, and it's still good.

Vibrations: A Memoir David Amram

American musician who worked with people like Kerouac, Miles Davis, Leonard Bernstein, Odetta, etc. Wrote 100s of compositions, operas, jazz pieces.

"Confessions" by Jean-Jacques Rousseau were pretty good.

I really enjoyed "The Summing Up" by Somerset Maugham

Just For Fun - The Story Of An Accidental Revolutionary.

- Report to Greco, Nikos Kazantzakis

Charlie Chaplin

Edith Stein

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