# The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre

3 Hacker News commenters recommended The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 1 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Commenters call it incredibly gripping, with a true story of courage and perseverance that is hard to believe.

## Why people recommend it

- Gripping true story (1 comments): "It's incredibly gripping and at times hard to believe the courage and perseverance of the people involved but it was real." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46245358))
- Courage and perseverance of people (1 comments): "It's incredibly gripping and at times hard to believe the courage and perseverance of the people involved but it was real." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46245358))

## 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/0241186668?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780241186664) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre", https://hackerapproved.com/p/spy-and-the-traitor/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).