Ask HN: Is it worth reading through a book even if you don't understand it?

5 pointstictoc6y ago3 comments

There's that Asimov trope that he would read his college textbooks during the beginning of the course, i guess as a primer, for the material as it arose. I was wondering if it was worth doing that for subjects I am not familiar with. For example, I am reading Dynamic Hedging by Nassim Taleb, and it looks thick with financial stuff I don't know about. Should I just go through it, or should I have google handy by me and really digest it?

3 comments

3 comments · 3 top-level

kleer0016y ago

Absolutely! If the author has written it for a general audience there should always be something to glean from it. If it's for a technical audience, and it's too dense, one may want to find something a little more general interest in that subject before returning to said book.

It's also worth it to give up reading a book one started. Unless it's for school, then one should talk to an instructor or fellow students.

rahimnathwani6y ago

If you understand almost nothing in a book, then you probably won't get much out of it. If you can understand >=30%, maybe it's worth it.

- Before reading a book about calculus, know basic arithmetic operations and some algebra

- Before reading 'Dynamic Hedging', learn the basics of option pricing, e.g. by studying Hull (Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives)

tmaly6y ago

I think you can learn something from it.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Read_a_Book

The techniques in this book provide some insight on how you can approach your situation.

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