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Shane Parrish's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books Shane Parrish recommends? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Shane Parrish's favorite book recommendations of all time. At Shortform, we know books. Our book guides are the best in the world. Learn why.

Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope book cover1

Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope

Mark Manson

4.1
From the author of the international mega-bestseller The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck comes a counterintuitive guide to the problems of hope.

We live in an interesting time. Materially, everything is the best it’s ever been—we are freer, healthier and wealthier than any people in human history. Yet, somehow everything seems to be irreparably and horribly f*cked—the planet is warming, government
Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life book cover2

Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life

Nir Eyal

4.1
You sit down at your desk to work on an important project, but a notification on your phone interrupts your morning. Later, as you're about to get back to work, a colleague taps you on the shoulder to chat. At home, screens get in the way of quality time with your family. Another day goes by, and once again, your most important personal and professional goals are put on hold.

What would be possibl
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams book cover3

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

Matthew Walker

4.6
Why We Sleep is an important and fascinating book…Walker taught me a lot about this basic activity that every person on Earth needs. I suspect his book will do the same for you.” —Bill Gates

A New York Times bestseller and international sensation, this “stimulating and important book” (Financial Times) is a fascinating dive into the purpose and power of slumber.

With two appearances on CBS This Mor
The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming book cover4

The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming

David Wallace-Wells

4.3
It is worse, much worse, than you think. If your anxiety about global warming is dominated by fears of sea-level rise, you are barely scratching the surface of what terrors are possible. In California, wildfires now rage year-round, destroying thousands of homes. Across the US, "500-year" storms pummel communities month after month, and floods displace tens of millions annually.

This is only a prev
5

Why Don't We Learn from History?

B. H. Liddell Hart, Giles Laurén

4.1
Preface
Foreword
Part 1: History & truth
Part 2: Government & freedom
Part 3: War & peace
Conclusions
"A must read for both the people & the leaders of ALL the dictatorial regimes around the world (democracies would also surely benefit). A book for all times to come. His understanding & explanation of where the real power lies is outstanding. What s breathtaking is how relevent his arguments are to
The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon book cover6

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

Brad Stone

4.3
The definitive story of Amazon.com, one of the most successful companies in the world, and of its driven, brilliant founder, Jeff Bezos.

Amazon.com started off delivering books through the mail. But its visionary founder, Jeff Bezos, wasn't content with being a bookseller. He wanted Amazon to become the everything store, offering limitless selection and seductive convenience at disruptively low pri
Small Fry: A Memoir book cover7

Small Fry: A Memoir

Lisa Brennan-Jobs

4.3
Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models book cover8

Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models

Gabriel Weinberg, Lauren McCann

4.3
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller!

"You can't really know anything if you just remember isolated facts. If the facts don't hang together on a latticework of theory, you don't have them in a usable form. You've got to have models in your head."
- Charlie Munger, investor, vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway

The world's greatest problem-solvers, forecasters, and decision-makers all rely on a set of fram