Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?

Douglas Hofstadter's "Gödel, Escher, Bach"

after reading this book I've gotten much better at picking my battles.

totally right on that one, it goes to every area of life

One of the best read of mine, "Who is John Galt ?"

Atlas Shrugged. It clarifies the moral benefit of a selfish honest creative pursuit of money. It seriously improves your workday to feel faintly heroic about it.

"Don't make me think", "Thinking fast and slow" and "Designed for use" come to mind.

It's certainly a very useful book (even for it's flaws) for it's detail on cognitive phycology and human biases. It certainly improved my personal and professional life.

I agree with others on the "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius.

"Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius (several translations, worth comparing for even more insight) -- this is a man who understood duty and getting things done!

Personally: "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius

I too have been recommending this book quite a bit for new UI developers.

This should be a required reading for anyone who does UI design. It helps explain why items you interact with subconsciously frustrate you and why product simplicity is typically better than more features.

The Bible.

Founders at Work was phenomenal.

Coders At Work and Founders At Work. Immensely inspirational.

"1984" by George Orwell

Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" changed me when I was younger.

Hackers & Masters of Doom are two of my favourite books.

Gun Germs and Steel