YC’s 2018 Summer Reading List

A post about summer reading on Hacker News inspired us to put a list together for 2018. Here’s what we’ve been reading.

“As in many of the best books of history I’ve read, the author (Caro) makes an argument larger than LBJ and tells a story that can’t be encompassed by any one person or sequence of events. His writing is some of the best I’ve read. His analysis of the man, his time, and the structure of power shifted the way I look at the world.” – Aaron Harris

“A powerful memoir about loss, grief, and the fluidity of sanity, obsession, and madness. Macdonald’s descriptions of the world and of her mind blur the line between poetry and prose.” – Aaron Harris

“The first book in a science fiction trilogy about a group of scientists who have given up on humanity and look to alien civilization to redefine human life on earth.” – Cadran Cowansage

“A two-book science fiction series about the collapse of society and one woman’s journey to survive and spread her new belief system.” – Cadran Cowansage

“A novel about a post-apocalyptic world where a man must coexist with genetically-engineered humans as he recounts the story of how the world imploded.” – Cadran Cowansage

“Solar is very clearly our next major source of energy. The problem with solar is that it’s only sunny during the day and not every day. Without the right policies in place and cheap energy storage we phase a risk that solar growth will very soon tap out.” – Gustaf Alstromer

“Science have already proven we can grow all kinds of animal protein in labs. This book is the founding story of a revolution that will how we eat and the planet forever.” – Gustaf Alstromer

“Elad Gil is maybe the most successful recent angel investor in Silicon Valley and have written the best blog for startup founders and I’ve been a follower of his writing since the beginning.” – Gustaf Alstromer

“Ursula LeGuin’s early scifi novel that succinctly explores the morality of absolute power, and the relation between our personal power and sense of responsibility for others. The setting is a drama between therapist and patient that begins to affect reality in strange ways.” – Joe Betts-Lacroix

“An intimate portrayal of the interior experience of a woman. Almost certainly autobiographical to some degree, it is a joy to follow her brilliant mind, and torturous to feel the conflicts between her wants and the realities of what she can have, both in her relationships and her political idealism.” – Joe Betts-Lacroix

“A pragmatic little book on how to handle interactions with people who have narcissistic personality disorder, a DSM-V classification fitting about 1% of the population. Useful even if all you learn from it is how to spot them.” – Joe Betts-Lacroix

“Book 2 of The Three Body Problem is great! I love the concept of a ‘wallfacer’ who has to solve a complex multi-year problem entirely in their own mind. First book was ok but long and confusing.” – Eric Migicovsky

“Features Jason De Leon’s book, Land of Open Graves. Does a really great job walking through how the US/Mexico border/immigration policies came to be the way they are now. Very moving podcast episode broken into three parts.” – Adele Gower

“This book does a nice job of repackaging Eastern philosophy concepts in words that appeal to the hyperational Westerner mindset.” – Daniel Gross

“If you like any form of endurance cardio, this book will be like crack candy for you. Warning: it’s fairly Gladwellian in style, which some may find displeasing.” – Daniel Gross

“It’s hard to rationally explain the benefits of this book, but I find that many who read it really enjoy it. It gets you in the mode of thinking long term. And it provides a powerful shared language with those who read it (‘play the infinite game’).” – Daniel Gross

“Like all American titans, John Paul Getty is a mixed bag. He’s by no means perfect, but he was an undeniable empire builder. If you enjoyed reading about JP Morgan or John Rockefeller, you’ll enjoy this one as well.” – Daniel Gross

“An awesome page turner based on a true story.” – Daniel Gross

“It is interesting to hear someone from no experience break into this small cottage industry of Venture Capital in Silicon Valley. Note: I’m a small LP in Backstage.” – Holly Liu

“Interesting book on how we make financial decisions that are far from rationale. Why we will walk an extra mile to save $4 on coffee but not even flinch when we lose $50 at the casinos.” – Holly Liu

“This is just a great summer favorite read from a while ago, told in a time where racial lines looked different, from the eyes of two perspectives with destinies that intertwine more than they know as they help each other tell their stories.” – Holly Liu

“Great infant book for first time parents. Written by a doctor after having kids so provides well balanced practical advice.” – Michael Seibel

“This is the VR dream I had as a kid – taken to the next step.” – Michael Seibel

“An interesting history of the largest talent agency in the world.” – Michael Seibel

“The book is the story of the collaboration between Danny Kahneman, the Nobel Prize winning psychologist and author with Amos Tversky – and the extraordinary way they forced economists to completely rethink how human beings actually make decisions.” – Geoff Ralston

“An incredible primary-source portrait on a brilliant (but obviously deeply flawed) individual. Broadly applicable thoughts.” – Sam Altman

“I first read this book years ago but it didn’t really resonate with me at the time. Last year, feeling somewhat despondent about the state of the world, I read the book again and found it to be tremendously helpful, the most important book I read all year.” – Paul Buchheit

“David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech at Kenyon College. Transcript here. A helpful reminder on the importance of monitoring your thoughts.” – Craig Cannon

“There’s been a wave of new writing and research on psychedelics since we released the podcast with Rosalind Watts on Psilocybin therapy. Pollan applies a healthy dose of science to a subject that’s often only described in woo-woo California terms.” – Craig Cannon

“One of my favorite reads in a long time. Captivating story that takes you play-by-play in Nike’s ascension from a 22 year old’s unfleshed idea to a huge national brand. Great portrayal of how far grit, relentlessness, and creativity can get you.” – Matt Bogrand