swap_horiz The Hard Thing About Hard Things Alternatives

1

Meditations

Meditations is a personal journal written by Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher. It offers insights in...

Philosophy Memoir Roman Stoicism

9.5 Brilliant

2

If This Is a Man

Primo Levi's 1947 memoir details his horrific experiences as an Italian Jewish chemist imprisoned in the Auschwitz conce...

Wwii Holocaust Memoir Jewish

9.4 Excellent

3

Night

Elie Wiesel's seminal 1960 memoir details his horrific experiences with his father in the Nazi German concentration camp...

Wwii Holocaust Memoir Jewish

9.2 Excellent

4

The Periodic Table

Primo Levi's 1975 memoir uses the chemical elements as a framework to reflect on his life as a chemist and his survival...

Chemistry Science Memoir Jewish

9.1 Excellent

5

When Breath Becomes Air

This 2016 memoir by Paul Kalanithi chronicles his life as a neurosurgeon and his battle with stage IV metastatic lung ca...

Terminal Medical Memoir Mortality

8.9 Great

6

Empire of Pain

Patrick Radden Keefe's 2021 investigative book chronicles the Sackler family's role in the opioid crisis and the marketi...

Business True Crime Keefe Sackler

8.9 Great

7

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

This 1985 biographical collection of anecdotes details the unconventional and humorous life of Nobel Prize-winning physi...

Physics Science Humor Memoir

8.9 Great

8

Bad Blood

John Carreyrou's 2018 book exposes the fraud of biotech startup Theranos, detailing how founder Elizabeth Holmes deceive...

Business Narrative True Crime Theranos

8.9 Great

9

Walden

Henry David Thoreau's 1854 memoir details his experiences living alone in a cabin near Walden Pond, reflecting on simple...

Philosophy American Memoir Thoreau

8.8 Great

10

Shoe Dog

This 2016 memoir by Nike co-founder Phil Knight chronicles the early, risky years of building the iconic global sportswe...

Business American Nike Memoir

8.7 Great

11

The Pianist

Originally published in 1946, this memoir by Wadysaw Szpilman details his survival as a Jewish musician in the Warsaw Gh...

Music Wwii Holocaust Memoir

8.7 Great

12

West with the Night

This 1942 memoir by Beryl Markham chronicles her adventurous life growing up in Kenya and her career as a pioneering avi...

Adventure Africa Aviation Memoir

8.7 Great

13

An Unquiet Mind

In her 1995 memoir, psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison recounts her personal struggle with bipolar disorder, blending cli...

Mental Health Medical Memoir Jamison

8.7 Great

14

Between the World and Me

Ta-Nehisi Coates's 2015 memoir, written as a letter to his teenage son, explores the harsh realities of being Black in A...

African American Social Memoir Race

8.7 Great

15

Born Standing Up

Steve Martin's 2007 memoir chronicles his intense early comedy career and the development of his groundbreaking, absurdi...

Martin American Comedy Memoir

8.7 Great

16

Creativity, Inc.

This 2014 business memoir by Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull explores the management philosophies and creative processes beh...

Business Tech Pixar Memoir

8.5 Great

17

The Everything Store

Brad Stone's 2013 biographical book details the founding and rapid corporate rise of Amazon under the leadership of its...

Amazon Business Tech Stone

8.2 Great

18

Hit Refresh

Published in 2017, this memoir by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella details his personal journey and his strategy for transfor...

Business Microsoft Tech Memoir

7.5 Good

19

Delivering Happiness

This 2010 business memoir by Tony Hsieh details his career as an internet entrepreneur and his efforts to build the corp...

Business American Memoir Hsieh

7.3 Good

20

Losing My Virginity

This 1998 autobiography by British entrepreneur Richard Branson details his business ventures and the creation of the Vi...

Business Entrepreneurship British Memoir

7.0 Good