If I were to name one, it would be "The Black Swan", by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
You hear all the time about how unlikely it is for someone to succeed as a startup. Or how the Democrats have a 65% chance of winning. Or even how statistically speaking, it's safer to fly than to drive.
After going through that book, my perception on randomness was changed forever.
Have you read the Taleb's previous book, "Fooled by Randomness"? I was completely blown away by it. I didn't find "Black Swan" to be anywhere near as interesting, but that could just be because I read it second.
Yup, I did read his Fooled by Randomness before I read this one. That one blew me away too. The Black Swan succeeded in in being even more impressive though, and I think it covered quite a bit of new ground.
The Black Swan is longer, and has a bit more technical coverage. I liked that, but I've heard from others that it gets in the way of the main point about how to deal with randomness.
Regardless, both books are insanely good. Worth the time and money for sure.
Same here, I liked FBR better than BS. Taleb himself says he 'no longer likes' his first book (FBR), but then the guy's a bit of a contrarian, to put it mildly.
I should add that a few traders I know recommend FBR as the first book a new recruit should read.
You hear all the time about how unlikely it is for someone to succeed as a startup. Or how the Democrats have a 65% chance of winning. Or even how statistically speaking, it's safer to fly than to drive.
After going through that book, my perception on randomness was changed forever.