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Tristan Harris Recommended Books
Tristan Harris has recommended 15 books. Browse the complete reading list with quotes and sources below.
Tristan Harris is the director and a co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology.
(Read more on Wikipedia)15 Books Recommended
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Technopoly
The Surrender of Culture to Technology
by Neil Postman
"I highly recommend." - Tristan Harris (Source)
Words That Work
It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear
by Frank Luntz
Tristan Harris mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast. (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Matt Mullenweg recommended this bookMatt Mullenweg
"[The author's] the linguistic head of the Republican Party." - Matt Mullenweg
Matt Mullenweg's recommendation of this book
Amusing Ourselves to Death
Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
by Neil Postman
"Written in 1982. It literally predicts everything that's going on now." - Tristan Harris (Source)
Also recommended by
5 people
Keith Rabois recommended this bookKeith Rabois
Keith Rabois recommended this book on a Medium blog post.
Keith Rabois's recommendation of this book 
Patrick Collison recommended this bookPatrick Collison
Patrick Collison labeled this book "substantially above average."
Patrick Collison's recommendation of this book - Matt Mullenweg recommended this book
Matt Mullenweg
"We’re kind of, like the title of the book, amusing ourselves to death. We’re so caught up in distractions and pleasure and entertainment that we might be missing out on the bigger things." - Matt Mullenweg
Matt Mullenweg's recommendation of this book 
Patrick O'Shaughnessy recommended this bookPatrick O'Shaughnessy
"This book has the best foreword I can recall. Read the entire thing." - Patrick O'Shaughnessy
Patrick O'Shaughnessy's recommendation of this book 
Michael Batnick recommended this bookMichael Batnick
"One of the best books on communication that I’ve ever read." - Michael Batnick
Michael Batnick's recommendation of this book
Wherever You Go, There You Are
Mindfulness Meditation In Everyday Life
by Jon Kabat-Zinn
"The point is that you will repeat our same mental habits everywhere we go." - Tristan Harris (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Rick Rubin recommended this bookRick Rubin
"It’s a great book if you’ve never meditated, and if you’ve been meditating for 50 years." - Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin's recommendation of this book
The 4-Hour Workweek
Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
by Tim Ferriss
Tristan Harris mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast. (Source)
Also recommended by
25 people
Eric Weinstein recommended this bookEric Weinstein
Eric Weinstein tweet about books that mattered enough to him.
Eric Weinstein's recommendation of this book 
Charles Poliquin recommended this bookCharles Poliquin
Charles Poliquin recommended this book in the "Tools of Titans" book.
Charles Poliquin's recommendation of this book 
Walter Isaacson recommended this bookWalter Isaacson
"[The author has] a great curiosity and [...] a great love for things." - Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson's recommendation of this book 
Daniel Pink recommended this bookDaniel Pink
Daniel Pink mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
Daniel Pink's recommendation of this book 
Blake Mycoskie recommended this bookBlake Mycoskie
"I read [this book] right when I started Toms. There’s so many things that I took from [it] that allowed Toms to have this incredible growth." - Blake Mycoskie
Blake Mycoskie's recommendation of this book 
David Heinemeier Hansson recommended this bookDavid Heinemeier Hansson
"My key takeaway from [this book] was the concept of lifestyle design." - DHH
David Heinemeier Hansson's recommendation of this book +19
More recommendations
- Marc Andreessen
"[The author] basically takes all of the time management and personal productivity theories of the last 20 to 30 years and pushes them to 11, to paraphrase 'Spinal Tap.'" - Marc Andreessen
- Jason Silva
"I was very affected by [this book]. I was like this guy has it figured out." - Jason Silva
- Mike Shinoda
"I do talk about [this book] quite a bit." - Mike Shinoda
- Mark Bell
"Taught me better ways to manage my time and the value of not making myself too busy." - Mark Bell
- Maurice Ashley
"Made me ditch the average life in search of one with complete flexibility and freedom to live life on my terms." - Maurice Ashley
- Tim Draper
"With this kind of time management and focus on the important things in life, people should be able to get 15 times as much done in a normal work week." - Tim Draper
- Derek Sivers
"Brilliant reversal of all of the 'how to manage all your crap' books." - Derek Sivers
- Rolf Potts
"Challenges the reader to seriously consider an essential–yet rarely asked–question: What do you really want from life?" - Rolf Potts
- A.J. Jacobs
A.J. Jacobs mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
- Caterina Fake
Caterina Fake mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
- Ev Williams
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile.
- Gary Keller
"This is a significant book." - Gary Keller
- Laura R Walker
"For those who struggle with productivity and taking control of their lives, [I give this book], of course!" - Laura R Walker
- Marc Goodman
One of Marc Goodman's most-gifted or recommended books.
- Mike Maples, Jr.
"If you want to live life on your own terms, this is your blueprint." - Mike Maples, Jr.
- Lewis Howes
"I've only probably read 4 books cover to cover. [This is one of them.]" - Lewis Howes
- Jodie Cook
"Life and work are reimagined and built back from scratch, in a way optimised for freedom and enjoyment." - Jodie Cook
- Brian Dean
"This book created thousands of entrepreneurs over the last 15 years… including me." - Brian Dean
- Michael Hyatt
Michael Hyatt recommended this book on his website.
- Marc Andreessen
Finite and Infinite Games
by James Carse
"About life and how to [...] navigate in a more improvisational way." - Tristan Harris (Source)
Also recommended by
9 people
Kevin Kelly recommended this bookKevin Kelly
"Gave me a mathematical framework for my own spirituality." - Kevin Kelly
Kevin Kelly's recommendation of this book 
Stewart Brand recommended this bookStewart Brand
"A fundamental interest is gamification – thinking of things in game terms and designing things in gaming terms is one of the profound things that civilization has done for a very long time." - Stewart Brand
Stewart Brand's recommendation of this book 
Simon Sinek recommended this bookSimon Sinek
"Defines these two kinds of games." - Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek's recommendation of this book 
Graham Duncan recommended this bookGraham Duncan
"I like [this book] which has been going around a lot." - Graham Duncan
Graham Duncan's recommendation of this book 
Jane McGonigal recommended this bookJane McGonigal
"It’s basically a book about games, but then it turns out it’s about the meaning of life." - Jane McGonigal
Jane McGonigal's recommendation of this book 
Tobi Lütke recommended this bookTobi Lütke
"It came up in twice today in different meetings." - Tobi Lütke
Tobi Lütke's recommendation of this book +3
More recommendations
- Daniel Gross
"Gets you in the mode of thinking long term. And it provides a powerful shared language with those who read it." - Daniel Gross
- Patrick O'Shaughnessy
"I absolutely loved it." - Patrick O'Shaughnessy
- Ryan Shea
Ryan Shea recommended this book on his website.
- Daniel Gross
Don't Shoot the Dog!
The New Art of Teaching and Training
by Karen Pryor
"Amazing book." - Tristan Harris (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Tim Ferriss recommended this bookTim Ferriss
"There are principles in this that you can take away, even if you have no interest in training a dog, having a dog, or dogs in general." - Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss's recommendation of this book
1984
by George Orwell
"[The author]'s dark vision." - Tristan Harris (Source)
Also recommended by
13 people
Jordan Peterson recommended this bookJordan Peterson
Recommended on Jordan Peterson's website.
Jordan Peterson's recommendation of this book 
J. Cole recommended this bookJ. Cole
J. Cole mentioned reading this book on The Fayetteville Observer.
J. Cole's recommendation of this book 
Emma Watson recommended this bookEmma Watson
On the "books read" section of Emma Watson's GoodReads profile.
Emma Watson's recommendation of this book 
Noam Chomsky recommended this bookNoam Chomsky
On the "Top 100 Books Referenced by Noam Chomsky" list.
Noam Chomsky's recommendation of this book 
Richard Branson recommended this bookRichard Branson
Richard Branson recommended this book on his "70 must-read books" blog post.
Richard Branson's recommendation of this book - Matt Mullenweg recommended this book
Matt Mullenweg
Matt Mullenweg mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
Matt Mullenweg's recommendation of this book +7
More recommendations
- Christopher Hitchens
"We were all expected to read Animal Farm and [this book], which had been placed on the syllabus as part of the curriculum of the Cold War." - Christopher Hitchens
- Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia recommended this book on Notion.
- Jenn Im
"Highly recommend." - Jenn Im
- Winston Churchill
One of Winston Churchill's favorite books.
- Diane Rehm
"Examines the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance and government repression." - Diane Rehm
- Anna Akana
Anna Akana recommended this book on Twitter.
- Brad Delong
Brad Delong recommended this book in his website.
- Christopher Hitchens
Metaphors We Live By
by George Lakoff
"Talked about the power of grounding metaphor." - Tristan Harris (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Nick Szabo recommended this bookNick Szabo
"[One] of the most important books I’ve read." - Nick Szabo
Nick Szabo's recommendation of this book - Patrick O'Shaughnessy recommended this book
Patrick O'Shaughnessy
"Intense, but it is the best book I’ve read about how we learn and communicate." - Patrick O'Shaughnessy
Patrick O'Shaughnessy's recommendation of this book
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
Violate Them at Your Own Risk
by Al Ries
"Was a profound book for me." - Tristan Harris (Source)
Also recommended by
3 people- Tim Ferriss recommended this book
Tim Ferriss
"I have reread this before every product launch that I have done." - Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss's recommendation of this book 
Brian Armstrong recommended this bookBrian Armstrong
"Most brands try to do and be too much, but the customer can only remember you for one thing." - Brian Armstrong
Brian Armstrong's recommendation of this book 
Chase Jarvis recommended this bookChase Jarvis
"A classic." - Chase Jarvis
Chase Jarvis's recommendation of this book
Winners Take All
The Elite Charade of Changing the World
by Anand Giridharadas
"We keep looking for these win-win solutions but sometimes we have to lose a little bit so that everybody wins. And that’s not a good message for capitalists because that’s not how we like to roll." - Tristan Harris (Source)
Also recommended by
4 people
Vinod Khosla recommended this bookVinod Khosla
"While today’s rich and powerful are fighting for equality and justice, [this book] argues that it is being done in a way that will preserve their position at the top of society." - Vinod Khosla
Vinod Khosla's recommendation of this book 
Alexis Ohanian recommended this bookAlexis Ohanian
"I'm ready to be excommunicated from the VC world: I enjoyed [this] book." - Alexis Ohanian
Alexis Ohanian's recommendation of this book 
Jason Calacanis recommended this bookJason Calacanis
"A good read." - Jason Calacanis
Jason Calacanis's recommendation of this book 
Kat Cole recommended this bookKat Cole
"Great book!" - Kat Cole
Kat Cole's recommendation of this book
Brave New World
by Aldous Huxley
"Slightly older and less well known [than 1984] but equally chilling vision." - Tristan Harris (Source)
Also recommended by
9 people- Jordan Peterson recommended this book
Jordan Peterson
Recommended on Jordan Peterson's website.
Jordan Peterson's recommendation of this book 
Yuval Noah Harari recommended this bookYuval Noah Harari
"The best science fiction book ever, definitely the most prescient." - Yuval Noah Harari
Yuval Noah Harari's recommendation of this book - Matt Mullenweg recommended this book
Matt Mullenweg
Matt Mullenweg mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
Matt Mullenweg's recommendation of this book - Stewart Brand recommended this book
Stewart Brand
Stewart Brand recommended this book on his "Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization" blog post.
Stewart Brand's recommendation of this book 
Sam Altman recommended this bookSam Altman
This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf.
Sam Altman's recommendation of this book 
Christopher Hitchens recommended this bookChristopher Hitchens
"In [this book], one can often detect strong hints of a vicarious approval of what is ostensibly being satirized." - Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens's recommendation of this book +3
More recommendations
- Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia recommended this book on Notion.
- Winston Churchill
One of Winston Churchill's favorite books.
- PewDiePie
"I love this book. I think it's a masterpiece." - PewDiePie
- Sahil Lavingia
Bury the Chains
Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire's Slaves
by Adam Hochschild
"A great book [...] about the British abolition of slavery." - Tristan Harris (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Jack Kornfield recommended this bookJack Kornfield
"Wonderful book [...], about the ending of slavery in the British Empire." - Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield's recommendation of this book
The Attention Merchants
The Epic Struggle to Get Inside Our Heads
by Tim Wu
"Must read." - Tristan Harris (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Brianne Kimmel recommended this bookBrianne Kimmel
"Highly recommend [this] book." - Brianne Kimmel
Brianne Kimmel's recommendation of this book 
Trung Phan recommended this bookTrung Phan
"About the Digital Ads industry." - Trung Phan
Trung Phan's recommendation of this book
The Coming Wave
Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma
by Mustafa Suleyman
"A brave wake-up call... Indispensable reading." - Tristan Harris (Source)
Also recommended by
7 people
Alain de Botton recommended this bookAlain de Botton
"An extraordinary and necessary book . . . One leaves energized and thrilled to be alive right now." - Alain de Botton
Alain de Botton's recommendation of this book 
Al Gore recommended this bookAl Gore
"Deeply researched and highly relevant." - Al Gore
Al Gore's recommendation of this book 
Bill Gates recommended this bookBill Gates
"An excellent guide for navigating unprecedented times." - Bill Gates
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book 
Eric Schmidt recommended this bookEric Schmidt
"Extraordinary... Utterly unmissable." - Eric Schmidt
Eric Schmidt's recommendation of this book 
Stephen Fry recommended this bookStephen Fry
"Deeply rewarding and consistently astonishing." - Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry's recommendation of this book - Yuval Noah Harari recommended this book
Yuval Noah Harari
"A fascinating, well-written, and important book." - Yuval Noah Harari
Yuval Noah Harari's recommendation of this book +1
More recommendations
- Daniel Kahneman
"Essential reading." - Daniel Kahneman
- Daniel Kahneman
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Richard Reis
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
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Anurag Ramdasan
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