Ishmael
Ishmael by Daniel Quinnby Daniel Quinn
Shares rank 26 of 122 novels by recommenders
People recommend it as a thought-provoking novel that changes how you see human history and the world. Critics raised no recurring complaints in the quotes.
People recommend it as a thought-provoking novel that changes how you see human history and the world. Critics raised no recurring complaints in the quotes.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not 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: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 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
Changes how you see the world
“It's an amazing book. One of the few that actually changes how you see the world.”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Scandinavia's first farmers slaughtered hunter-gatherer population, DNA suggests” “I also wholeheartedly recommend it. I definitely felt the same after reading it.”
Comment from 11 Oct 2026 in “Scandinavia's first farmers slaughtered hunter-gatherer population, DNA suggests” Thought-provoking take on human history
“A thought provoking take on how broad stroke human history developed since the Bronze Age.”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” “This makes me think back to Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. Whether or not you agree with all his points I do think he has one very good point that’s worth reflecting on”
Comment from 29 Aug 2026 in “What we want is a hunter gatherer lifestyle with space age tools (2022)” Clever and remarkable book
“Quite a remarkable book that probably never would have been published without this.”
Comment from 7 May 2026 in “CNN founder Ted Turner, a pioneer of cable TV news, dies at 87” “it's a really clever book!”
Comment from 11 Oct 2026 in “Scandinavia's first farmers slaughtered hunter-gatherer population, DNA suggests”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Ishmaelby Daniel QuinnThis page | 7 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
6 of the 9 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It's an amazing book. One of the few that actually changes how you see the world.”
“I also wholeheartedly recommend it. I definitely felt the same after reading it.”
“it's a really clever book!”
“This makes me think back to Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. Whether or not you agree with all his points I do think he has one very good point that’s worth reflecting on”
“Quite a remarkable book that probably never would have been published without this.”
“A thought provoking take on how broad stroke human history developed since the Bronze Age.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.