Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. HANDS DOWN!

Atlas Shrugged is definitely worth reading.

Ayn Rand: Atlas Shrugged

Thinking Fast and Slow - it helped me to understand cognitive biases.

the Hayes translation

Meditations - Marcus Aurelius

Try "Sapiens: A brief history of human kind". It teaches you about human history and more important, how we get there. Sometimes the author gets smart, seems like he doesn't believe in anything and human are bad for this planet. But it's worth it. Bill Gates recommended the book too.

I'm reading Sapiens right now. I wouldn't say "mind blown"

(Also Sapiens :)

The Design of Everyday Things

Selfish Gene

The Bible

Fooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

I enjoyed Fooled By Randomness.

I enjoyed The Fountainhead more than Atlas Shrugged, and usually recommend that anyone who is new to Rand start with it first.

+1 for this recommendation.

I'd second this one!

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson