# The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll

40 Hacker News commenters recommended The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Readers recommend this gripping, fun true story of tracking a hacker, often named as the book that sparked their interest in computing and security.

## Why people recommend it

- Sparked interest in computing careers (6 comments): "I could probably put down Cuckoo's Egg too as an "inspiration" for me ultimately getting interested in computers and networking" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48279281)) "Your book the Cuckoo's Egg got me both (more) into IT, as well as helped my English proficiency go from basic to proficient." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48065463)) "He and his book are the cause of my switching from a very young PhD in thermodynamics career to going back to school for CS" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49444928))
- Fun, gripping, well-written page-turner (5 comments): "The only paperback book I've ever sat down and read in one sitting. Highly recommended if you've not read it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49445607)) "it was such a fun read. They really have a way with words" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49444951)) "Such a fantastically well-written book!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49459146))
- Favorite book, reread often (5 comments): "The only paperback book I've ever sat down and read in one sitting. Highly recommended if you've not read it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49445607)) "One of my favorite books is "The Cuckoo's Egg". I read it at least yearly." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49445801)) "Your book is one of my favourite books I've read, ever." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49446394))
- Formative reading when young (4 comments): "You captured my imagination as a teenager when I read The Cuckoo's Egg" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48067238)) "was formative for me when I was a kid getting into computers" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49406747)) "I also read your book as a child in the early 90s." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49473640))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amusing-ourselves-to-death.md): 36 recommend
- [The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/anxious-generation.md): 24 recommend
- [Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bullshit-jobs.md): 20 recommend
- [Enshittification by Cory Doctorow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/enshittification.md): 19 recommend
- [Sustainable Energy without the Hot Air by David MacKay](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sustainable-energy-without-the-hot-air.md): 19 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385249462?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780385249461) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll", https://hackerapproved.com/p/cuckoo-s-egg/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).