The five books
1. Mastery, Robert Greene
How the masters of a field got there: finding the work you are suited to, a long apprenticeship, and learning from mentors. "Whenever I'm asked for book suggestions, I always include Mastery in my top three recommendations," Huberman told Greene on his podcast.
2. The Creative Act, Rick Rubin
The music producer on where ideas come from and how to stay open to them. "I've now read three times from cover to cover, and I'm now reading it a fourth time," Huberman said when Rubin was his guest. "I cannot recommend it highly enough."
3. Outlive, Peter Attia
A doctor's manual for living longer and better: exercise, nutrition, sleep and emotional health, against the diseases that kill most of us. "This is a phenomenal book. I've read it cover to cover now three times," Huberman said, and he wrote the quote on its back jacket.
4. Longitude, Dava Sobel
The clockmaker who solved how to find a ship's position at sea. One of the books Huberman gave his students, with Mastery: "a wonderful story about the discovery of timekeeping devices at sea."
5. The 4-Hour Workweek, Tim Ferriss
Working on what matters and cutting the rest. "So much of how I ran my laboratory when I first became a professor was based on principles from The 4-Hour Workweek," he told Ferriss.
Common questions
What book does Andrew Huberman recommend most?
Mastery by Robert Greene. He says it is in his top three whenever he is asked.
Which book should I start with?
If you came to Huberman for health, Outlive. If you are deciding what to do with your working life, Mastery, the one he puts in his top three.
Can I listen to these books?
As episodes, yes. Ask the composer above for a 15-minute episode on what Outlive says about exercise, or on any book here, and say what you already know so it starts there.
More reading lists: books recommended by Elon Musk, Bill Gates' reading list, Steve Jobs' favorite books, Joe Rogan's book recommendations, Jordan Peterson's reading list, Charlie Kirk's book recommendations.