Eichmann in Jerusalem
Eichmann in Jerusalem by Hannah Arendtby Hannah Arendt
Shares rank 51 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
Recommended as an important philosophical work on the banality of evil, drawn from the Eichmann trial. Main caveat: critics say it contains factual errors and that its ideas were not novel.
Recommended as an important philosophical work on the banality of evil, drawn from the Eichmann trial. Main caveat: critics say it contains factual errors and that its ideas were not novel.
8 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 63%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, 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
Important work on the banality of evil
“Hannah Arendt wrote the fantastic "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil" about exactly this observation.”
Comment from 2 Jan 2026 in “I'm a developer for a major food delivery app” “It's a really important and recognized philosophical work, even if it's not perfect.”
Comment from 18 May 2026 in “Actually, Democracy Dies in H.R.” “is highly regarded reading on this subject”
Comment from 27 Nov 2025 in “The Nerd Reich – Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy” - Comment from 14 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations”
Highly regarded on its subject
“It's a really important and recognized philosophical work, even if it's not perfect.”
Comment from 18 May 2026 in “Actually, Democracy Dies in H.R.” “is highly regarded reading on this subject”
Comment from 27 Nov 2025 in “The Nerd Reich – Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy”
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 Clifford 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 | — | — |
| Eichmann in Jerusalemby Hannah ArendtThis page | 5 | 3 | 63% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
10 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Ardent's book is a journalistic work not something that is proven or widely accepted”
“I don't think the book would've been nearly as successful without the Eichmann vehicle, the ideas presented were not novel.”
“It's a really important and recognized philosophical work, even if it's not perfect.”
“Arendt her book is BS as she only attended about six weeks of the trial”
“Unfortunately she had the wool pulled over her eyes by her primary subject.”
“Hannah Arendt wrote the fantastic "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil" about exactly this observation.”
“It's creative nonfiction -- a literary telling of a factual event.”
“full of factual errors and misunderstandings”
“the book examines the "banality of evil"”
“is highly regarded reading on this subject”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.