If you are an Elon Musk fan, you might be wondering what books you should read. Luckily, there are plenty of great titles to choose from. Here are some of the most popular novels and books that the billionaire has written, plus some of the best ones you may not have heard of.
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is a classic play by Samuel Beckett. It’s a story about two men waiting for something, but nothing ever happens. This classic play has become one of the most influential works of twentieth-century drama. In addition to being a great drama, it’s also a cult classic.
The play is a tragicomedy in two acts. A very minimalist design is used, leaving the interpretation up to the audience. Throughout the play, the characters are left to wait for a machine that never shows up.
The name of the play comes from Samuel Beckett’s famous poem “Waiting for Godot.” Musk’s first boring machine was named after this play.
Superintelligence
Elon Musk is a successful business magnate who founded PayPal and SpaceX. He is also an avid reader. His reading list includes sci-fi classics and captivating biographies. Below are five books that Elon Musk recommends.
“Superintelligence” by Nick Bostrom explores the potential consequences of artificial intelligence surpassing human intelligence. In particular, the book examines the dangers of unchecked AI and questions whether it is necessary for humanity to survive.
Another book Elon Musk recommends is Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson. Ben Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Franklin was a self-improvement nerd who spent a whole hour each weekday developing his skills.
Atlas Shrugged
Elon Musk, the self-made visionary who founded Tesla and SpaceX, is an avid reader. He claims to have read at least one science fiction novel a day for as long as he can remember. But what books do he recommend? Well, he has 20 on his list.
The first book on the list is The Machine Stops by Douglas Adams, a science fiction short story about an engineer who is thrust into the abyss mid-trip after being thrown out of the wormhole by a rogue galaxy. While this may not be a book about rocket science, the story is definitely an exercise in escapism.
Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness
Howard Hughes was one of the most famous and successful businessmen in history. But he was also a self-destructive and psychopathic megalomaniac. It is believed that he was addicted to drugs and tranquilizers.
His life and madness were well-documented in his own words and by others, and a great book on the subject is available. Originally published under the title Empire: The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes, this is a readable, comprehensive, and well-researched look at this fascinating man.
In the first chapter, we learn about Hughes’s childhood and his early flight lessons. We then learn how he took control of the Hughes Tool Company. He then moves on to the aviation industry.
A Song of Ice and Fire
If you’re a fan of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, you’re probably eager to read the book that inspired it. You’re not alone. Millions of fans around the world are waiting for the final installment. However, you may have to wait a decade.
For those who haven’t seen the show yet, the book series has several works that explore the history of Westeros before Robert’s Rebellion. In A Song of Ice and Fire, you’ll meet characters who have names like Lucifer and Sauron. These characters are part of the backstory of the Seven Kingdoms.
The Complete Story of Civilization
The Complete Story of Civilization is an eleven volume set of history. Will Durant and his wife Ariel wrote it as a way to figure out how the world works and how it fits together. It took them four decades to complete it.
The storyline covers ancient civilizations and their civilization-related accomplishments. It also includes the construction of architectural wonders.
This core textbook is well-suited for read-alouds and independent reading. Each volume contains more than 300 pages. There are occasional black-and-white illustrations. They are laid out to allow for one chapter per week.
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is one of Elon Musk’s favorite books. He mentioned that the book was a touchstone for his philosophy of personal responsibility and technological solutionism.
Heinlein’s novel is a futuristic saga set on the Moon. It depicts a lunar colony struggling against an oppressive government. In the end, the citizens of the colony rebel and establish minimal government.
The novel also explores how technological advancements change our definition of technology, humanity, and free will. This novel is considered to be a prototype of libertarian science fiction.
