Reading list · 12 books
Sahil Lavingia's reading list
Founder and CEO of Gumroad, early Pinterest employee, angel investor, and author of "The Minimalist Entrepreneur." Lavingia has publicly shared a list of the books he recommends most, with sci-fi and self-improvement featuring heavily.
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01
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Dale Carnegie
Lavingia puts it "at the top of my list, literally" as the book he recommends most.
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02
Isaac Asimov
He calls it his "#1 book recommendation," reflecting his love of grand-scale science fiction.
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03
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
Richard P. Feynman
One of his most-recommended books, for Feynman's playful first-principles curiosity.
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05
Derek Sivers
He recommends Sivers's short business memoir, fitting his minimalist-entrepreneur ethos.
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07
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari
Among his recommended reads for big-picture human history.
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08
Daniel Kahneman
On his list for its treatment of cognitive biases and decision-making.
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09
Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
A recommended Taleb title on risk and accountability.
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10
Douglas Hofstadter
A recommended deep read on minds, patterns, and self-reference.
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11
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Michelle Alexander
On his list among books on social justice and incarceration.
More on Sahil Lavingia's picks
Lavingia posted a public "books I recommend reading most" list (originally via Notion, shared on Twitter) and discusses books in interviews and tweets. His taste blends classic self-improvement, hard science fiction, popular science, and social commentary; he flags clear favorites at the top of his list.
