# The Doomsday Machine by Daniel Ellsberg

6 Hacker News commenters recommended The Doomsday Machine by Daniel Ellsberg and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a firsthand account by a former nuclear war planner of how close the world came to catastrophe, with readers warning it is a grim, distressing read.

## Why people recommend it

- Firsthand insider account of nuclear planning (2 comments): "it may be worth reading Ellsbergs' Doomsday Machine before you find comfort in the "chain of command."" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49314219)) "After reading Daniel Ellsberg's The Doomsday Machine, I'm surprised we as a species are still around." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49171038))
- Important and worth reading (2 comments): "Perrow's book is best combined with a reading of The Doomsday Machine" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47596480)) "A book I highly recommend, but personally found distressing to read" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49171621))

## What people warn about

- Distressing and anxiety-inducing to read (3 comments): "Highly recommended if you're feeling too happy and full of faith in humanity." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49900058)) "A book I highly recommend, but personally found distressing to read" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49171621)) "It'll help amp up your anxiety ;)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47262488))
- Describes nuclear planning as deeply disturbing (2 comments): "It depicted evil beyond any human project that had ever existed." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50208807)) "I could almost see these being darkly encouraging." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49900130))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams](https://hackerapproved.com/p/careless-people.md): 106 recommend
- [Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl](https://hackerapproved.com/p/man-s-search-for-meaning.md): 13 recommend
- [Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/surely-you-re-joking-mr-feynman.md): 11 recommend
- [Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell](https://hackerapproved.com/p/down-and-out-in-paris-and-london.md): 9 recommend
- [Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kitchen-confidential.md): 9 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1408889145?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9781408889145) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Doomsday Machine by Daniel Ellsberg", https://hackerapproved.com/p/doomsday-machine/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).