The Wager
The Wager by David Grannby David Grann
Shares rank 65 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
Commenters enjoyed it as one of their favorite reads of the year, mentioned alongside Pachinko.
Commenters enjoyed it as one of their favorite reads of the year, mentioned alongside Pachinko.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 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: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not 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
Enjoyed by readers this year
“I really enjoyed both the Wager and Pachinko.”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” Named among year's favorite reads
“My favorites this year, be genre:”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?”
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 | — | — |
| The Wagerby David GrannThis page | 4 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
2 of the 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I really enjoyed both the Wager and Pachinko.”
“My favorites this year, be genre:”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.