Which book have you found so compelling that you've gifted it to others? This could be a technical book, business-related, a self-help guide, or any other genre. I first posed this question eight years ago and received some fantastic responses.
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12243611
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study
it’s the Red Pill of diet and nutrition (not for everyone)
This is the first book that clearly made me realize that anyone can be very successful at any task that they pick. Talent is important but it's not the only and most important characteristic to success. People aren't born to succeed. They can and do learn how to do it. It's a learned process, not a God given gift.
Plot summary: "The story begins with 12-year-old Gustave, captain of the Aventure as he attempts to escape the deadly Siamese Twins Tornado. When the storm finally catches up with his crew, everyone is killed except Gustave, who meets Death, and his crazy sister Dementia. After the wicked siblings play dice for Gustave's soul, Death gives him six seemingly impossible tasks in order to stay alive. In one night, he must face six giants, rescue a damsel in distress from the clutches of a dragon, make himself conspicuous amidst a forest of evil spirits, encounter the Most Monstrous of all Monsters, and even meet himself." [0]
In addition the book has great illustrations from Gustave Doré.
[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wild_Ride_Through_the_Night
Thanks, I've been looking for something like this book.
If you give it to someone, be very careful about who you give it to. I've given it to several different people that needed some self-confidence boosting, but one of them ended up using some of the lessons from it in some devious ways.
The Courange to Be Disliked (Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga) to a friend that was struggling with social anxiety.
My takeaways after reading it were not to surf, but rather, the importance of uncertainty, taking risks and how transformative the power of obsession really is.