# Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym by Mark Divine

3 Hacker News commenters recommended Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym by Mark Divine and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 1 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend it for practical advice that is easy to read, though the writing is bland and some examples feel dated.

## Why people recommend it

- Useful, good advice (2 comments): "The writing style is pretty bland but it's easy to read and the only difference with most of self help books nowadays is that the advices are actually good." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48033959)) "it's still nothing more than a list of useful advices on the topic" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48010280))
- Easy to read (1 comments): "The writing style is pretty bland but it's easy to read and the only difference with most of self help books nowadays is that the advices are actually good." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48033959))
- Worth reading, strongly recommended (2 comments): "It's definitely worth reading. I can't recommend it enough." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48009624)) "Ultimately I think it's great and I recommend it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48017610))

## What people warn about

- Bland writing style (1 comments): "The writing style is pretty bland but it's easy to read and the only difference with most of self help books nowadays is that the advices are actually good." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48033959))
- Dated 1930s examples (2 comments): "He uses a lot of examples and aphorisms from the 1930s, which sometimes come off as a little bit quaint or folksy" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48013627)) "Some of the stories / aphorisms refer to things that just like, don't exist anymore." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48012762))
- Mostly a list of advice (1 comments): "it's still nothing more than a list of useful advices on the topic" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48010280))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie](https://hackerapproved.com/p/how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people.md): 67 recommend
- [Atomic Habits by James Clear](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atomic-habits.md): 20 recommend
- [The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr](https://hackerapproved.com/p/easy-way-to-stop-smoking.md): 9 recommend
- [Feeling Good by David Burns](https://hackerapproved.com/p/feeling-good.md): 8 recommend
- [The Art of Money Getting by P.T. Barnum](https://hackerapproved.com/p/art-of-money-getting.md): 8 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Talking+to+35+Strangers&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym by Mark Divine", https://hackerapproved.com/p/talking-to-35-strangers-at-the-gym/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).