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Jason Fried books: every book Jason Fried wrote and recommended
Across 3 podcasts. Every show Jason Fried appears on, in one place — not just one.
Books by Jason Fried
Jason Fried is the co-founder of 37signals, an American web software company based in Chicago originally established as a web design firm. Appearing on podcasts including My First Million, Never Enough, and How I Write, Fried shared insights on business, writing, and literature. He recommended Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot, highlighting a short passage that offers a poetic perspective on how small human arguments are within the vast scale of the universe. Fried also recommended Ernest Hemingway's classic novel The Old Man and the Sea, praising its message about chasing things that ultimately end up destroying you. Additionally, he enthusiastically recommended Richard Powers's novel The Overstory, noting how it blew him away with its beautiful prose and its interconnected narrative following several Americans whose lives are linked through trees. Finally, Fried discussed Scott Belsky's book The Messy Middle to describe the difficult and challenging intermediate phases of running a business over an extended period.
Books recommended by Jason Fried
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The Overstory
The Overstory by Richard Powers is a sweeping, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that intertwines the lives of several Americans whose fates are connected to trees and environmental activism.
Recommended“and the other book I read which blew me away recently was called the over story”
Where to get it
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Pale Blue Dot
Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space by Carl Sagan offers a profound philosophical reflection on humanity's place in the universe, inspired by the famous photograph of Earth taken from the edge of the solar system.
Recommended“have you um read that great passage from Carl Sean the pale blue dot what's he say no I mean it's one of the most beautiful I'm not going to say it because I want you to read it I want you to have the experience of read it's short it's a paragraph it is one of the most beautiful”
Where to get it
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The Old Man and the Sea
The Old Man and the Sea is a classic novella by Ernest Hemingway about an aging Cuban fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream.
Recommended“one was uh the old man in the sea which is the classic Hemingway book which I really really liked primarily for the message”
Where to get it
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The messy middle
The Messy Middle by Scott Belsky is a practical business guide that offers strategies for navigating the turbulent, uncertain phase of building a company or creative project after the initial excitement has faded and before ultimate success is achieved.
Discussed“you know like Scott Scott bsky wrote a book called the messy middle”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Years Of Founder WISDOM In 55 Minutes (ft. Jason Fried) | My First Million | 2024-06-05 | 2 |
| Building a Software Company and Saying 'No' to Millions with Jason Fried. | Never Enough | 2024-05-31 | 2 |
| How Writing Helped Jason Fried Build an 8-Figure Business | How I Write | 2024-05-22 | 1 |
Other mentions (4: passing, ad reads, own books)
“Remote we kind of did. But but It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work Rework and Getting Real.”
“The the best editor I've ever worked with was on Rework. Okay. Um Rick Hogan was our editor-in-chief”
“So, Getting Real was in the early days. I think we published that in 2006 maybe. I don't remember exactly when that was, but it was pretty early on.”
“That's what Getting Real was. It was a series of recipes for how we think about building software.”