Blind Man's Bluff
Blind Man's Bluff by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drewby Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew
Shares rank 91 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
People recommend it for its detailed account of a secret US submarine program, including how the program was carried out and the Ivy Bells operation. No recurring complaints appear in the quotes.
People recommend it for its detailed account of a secret US submarine program, including how the program was carried out and the Ivy Bells operation. No recurring complaints appear in the quotes.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Uncovers details of a secret program
“"Blind Man's Bluff" was a really impressive piece of work, I once talked about it with someone who was involved with the program and he was astounded at how much Sontag had managed to find out.”
Comment from 2 Feb 2026 in “Declassifying JUMPSEAT: an American pioneer in space” Explains how the operation was done
“Has a good story of how it was done several decades ago.”
Comment from 21 Apr 2026 in “How a subsea cable is repaired” Covers the Ivy Bells operation
“the account in Blind Man's Bluff of Ivy Bells”
Comment from 29 Dec 2025 in “No it's not a Battleship”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Cliff Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| Blind Man's Bluffby Sherry Sontag and Christopher DrewThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Has a good story of how it was done several decades ago.”
“"Blind Man's Bluff" was a really impressive piece of work, I once talked about it with someone who was involved with the program and he was astounded at how much Sontag had managed to find out.”
“the account in Blind Man's Bluff of Ivy Bells”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.