House
by Tracy Kidder · first published 1985
89% recommend11% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Follows the design and construction of one house from start to finish, drawing readers into the people and process; valued by engineers and builders, and by those who enjoyed The Soul of a New Machine.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Tracy Kidder takes readers to the heart of the American Dream: the building of a family's first house with all its day-to-day frustrations, crises, tensions, challenges, and triumphs. From the first nail to the final coat of paint, blueprints to moving day, Pulitzer Prize -- winning author Tracy Kidder leads readers through the grand adventure of building an American dream.
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No, I have not built a house. However, I highly recommend you take a look at two books before you move earth. The first is "House" by Tracy Kidder. https://www.amazon.com/House-Tracy-Kidder/dp/0618001913 The second is "Renovation"…
on “Ask HN: Have you built a house?” ↗"House" by Tracy Kidder is such a fantastic book. Kidder does a great job pulling you into the story of the house and the folks involved with the process. My favorite scene (if I recall correctly) is one where…
on “Ask HN: Have you built a house?” ↗House looks like a fantastic book! Tracy Kidder is also the author of The Soul of a New Machine for which he won a Pulitzer. One of my all-time favorites.
on “Ask HN: Have you built a house?” ↗The first is "House" by Tracy Kidder. Shocked I hadn’t heard of this before. Ordered!
on “Ask HN: Have you built a house?” ↗For an interesting glimpse of a different trade, I recommend House, also by Tracy Kidder.
on “Reflecting on the Soul of a New Machine” ↗"House" by Tracy Kidder. It's non-fiction about the design and building of a house, but it all transfers to software development.
on “Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?” ↗Tracy Kidder is a wonderful writer. If you liked “The Soul of a New Machine” you might also like “House” which is on a totally different subject. Is it technical? Sort of. I think about it every time I work on my own house. It’s my favorite Kidder book, and I LOVED “The Soul of a New Machine.”
on “Ask HN: Examples of good technical writing?” ↗One of my favorite books by my favorite author. Tracy Kidder gets to the heart of everyone he profiles like no other. Strongly recommend his book House if you like Soul of a New Machine. Funny anecdote: I've read Soul of a new machine many times over the years, and love it dearly. I stayed with my aunt and uncle last year and somehow the topic of mini…
on “The Soul of an Old Machine” ↗…episode about religion in Vermont. I believe all of the above is public information about the named people. If I'm honest, I haven't yet read The Soul of a New Machine, but it's on my list. I did pick up House[0], also by Tracy Kidder and read it over the winter holidays a couple of years ago. I'm not sure exactly how I'd sum it up, so I'll leave that to the author, linked below. I've also read excerpts of…
on “I no longer build software” ↗