# On Killing by Dave Grossman

3 Hacker News commenters recommended On Killing by Dave Grossman and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a classic on the psychology of killing; the most common caveat is that it leans on S.L.A. Marshall's dubious work.

## Why people recommend it

- Seen as a classic (1 comments): ""On Killing" by Dave Grossman is a classic." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47756463))
- Concrete psychological model open to testing (1 comments): "The psychological model it presents is concrete enough for anyone to present evidence against it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47521106))
- Explains parades and ritual (1 comments): "if you read "On Killing" by Grossman, parades etc are almost like an ancient Greek purification ritual." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47260158))

## What people warn about

- Relies on dubious S.L.A. Marshall work (1 comments): "it relies on SLA Marshall's dubious work, and several other examples it uses are difficult to take seriously" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47494732))
- Some examples hard to take seriously (1 comments): "it relies on SLA Marshall's dubious work, and several other examples it uses are difficult to take seriously" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47494732))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cuckoo-s-egg.md): 40 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

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316040932?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780316040938) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "On Killing by Dave Grossman", https://hackerapproved.com/p/on-killing/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).