Mein Kampf
by Adolf Hitler · first published 1925
3% recommend87% neutral10% critical
Why HN recommends it
Read as a primary source for understanding how Hitler thought and how propaganda and scapegoating work, and to see him as a human being. Suits critical readers who want to engage with detestable ideas firsthand.
Common criticism: Several call it turgid, boring prose that is a struggle to finish
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
1925 autobiographical book "My Struggle" (USA: "My Battle") by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler On April 1, 1924, because of the sentence handed down by the People's Court of Munich, I had to begin that day, serving my term in the fortress at Landsberg on the Lech. Thus, after years of uninterrupted work, I was afforded for the first time an opportunity to embark on a task insisted upon by many and felt to be serviceable to the movement by myself. Therefore, I resolved not only to set forth, in two volumes, the object of our movement, but also to draw a picture of its development. From this m
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Everyone should read Mein Kampf, a book which set out Hitler's world view and one which as we know had dreadful consequences affecting every person on this planet.
on “Is Donald Trump a fascist? A historian of fascism weighs in” ↗…yourself as master race ... hmmm ... natural hierarchies pretty much. Also why do they have such a big following under the right extremists and white supremacists in the US? Edit: I would recommend Hitler's Mein Kampf and Marx and Engels "A Manifest of a Communist Party" for you.
on “The New York Times' first article about Hitler's rise is stunning” ↗Mein Kampf is worth at least a skim, because it demonstrates that Hitler was a human being. History positions him as an inhuman monster, and rightly so metaphorically. We are conditioned to think that he was uniquely…
on “The Lindy Effect” ↗That's like saying "I've never eaten lettuce, but I know I don't like it just from looking at it." What a weird, sheltered approach to life; you should broaden your horizons a bit and read, say, Mein Kampf. Developing critical skills is essential for anyone and it's totally reasonable to read something even when you know you will disagree.
on “Yahoo scanned customer emails for US intelligence” ↗…quite a religious establishment.[1] They have all the major brands represented.[2] There's even a atheist chaplain.[3] This looks less like theology and more like Stanford's administrative bloat. As for Mein Kampf,[4] it's useful to read it again today, along with a biography of Putin to understand where the Ukraine mess came from. There's an "our destiny is to rule the world" mindset. It's back. [1] https://orsl.stanford.edu/…
on “Stanford student may need to ‘acknowledge harm’ for reading ‘Mein Kampf’” ↗I firmly believe that "Mein Kampf" is a must-read book for any civilized person. It is very educational, best read together with Tanya Savicheva's diary [1] [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanya_Savicheva
on “Texas lawmaker wants to know what books on race, sexuality are in schools” ↗I've read Mein Kampf. No, I didn't turn into Nazi. Very interesting insight into a mind of a very misguided person.
on “Dr. Seuss books deemed offensive will be delisted from eBay” ↗I think everyone should read Mein Kampf. I think it should be promoted in every school, assigned as coursework in at least one course in every curriculum. You can encourage people to read and understand even the most detestable ideas. You should…
on “The Futility of Censorship” ↗…good book / audiobook packs. It also takes curiosity and critical thinking to actively seek out, discover and evaluate works of others. I would also recommend reading important and banned books like Mein Kampf, Das Kapital, The Bible, The Quran, The Communist Manifesto, Heart of Darkness, Brave New World, Catch-22, Crime and Punishment, Howl, Fahrenheit 451, The Satanic Verses, Ulysses, Uncle Tom’s Cabin and…
on “Ask HN: Are books worth it?” ↗I recommend reading Orwell's review of Mein Kampf https://carnegiecouncil-media.storage.googleapis.com/files/v...
on “The Scientists Take Over: George Orwell Reviews “That Hideous Strength” (1945)” ↗> Nobody actually reads Mein Kampf ... It was (and still is) about the personality cult of a strong man and his message of power via blaming and oppression of minority groups, not the actual words themselves. That's precisely why people…
on “Dr. Seuss books deemed offensive will be delisted from eBay” ↗…power. They started rounding them all up as traitors. Thousands were put in jail or summarily executed. The police came to search Orwell's wife's hotel room in the middle of the night and found a copy of Mein Kampf, which given the circumstances, was incredibly incriminating. But apparently they found other political books and luckily for her, decided it wasn't incriminating. I have no idea how. I thought the book…
on “George Orwell’s 1940 Review of Mein Kampf” ↗Mein Kampf IS a rant. I recommend people read it so you can understand how people like that think. This is also a valid reason for reading Lolita (although at least Lolita is well written).
on “In Its Purest Form” ↗This comment is a helpful way to understand Mein Kampf and whether it means its readers are Nazis. graemep on 4/15/2025 Mein Kampf IS a rant. I recommend people read it so you can understand how people like that think.
on “Show HN: Books mentioned on Hacker News in 2025” ↗There's no hatred against Jewish people, not widespread enough to be notable at least - the book Mein Kampf talks about this imagined persecution though, I recommend it. I know you need to have the last word, and as I don't wish to engage further with people that have your ultimately hateful views, please go…
on “DHS Quits Granting Green Cards–Almost” ↗