6 Best Go Programming Books Ranked by Reviews

Though many programming languages have been in use for decades, there are a few that — comparatively — have only just arrived to the world of tech. Go is one of these languages, having been designed for general programming purposes with efficiency in mind. It still has a long way to go before it rivals the popularity of C++ or even PHP, but it’s proving to be a very useful tool for more professional programmers as time goes on. Anyone looking to hit “go” on learning this language should check out the 6 best Go programming books based on Amazon reviews!

As usual, this list will rank books based on the amount of reviews they received alongside their 5-star average. It will also cover books with a major focus on Go, so don’t expect any “compilation” books on this list!

List of The Best Go Programming Books Ranked by Amazon Reviews

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Introducing Go is a book designed for newcomers to Go that have a basic understanding of programming fundamentals. Overall reviews are positive as a result, though some argue that it might be a bit too complicated for pure beginners — and yet, they also note that it’s not complex enough for veterans. Still, what’s there is very comprehensive, and it can easily fulfill its purpose as an introduction to the language. It’s also one of the cheapest options on this list, so there’s no harm in using it as a primer before diving into a more advanced resource later on.

Reviews: Out of 142 total reviews, 58% gave this book 5 stars

List Price: $24.99 Paperback, $21,99 Digital

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Head First Go is another beginner-friendly resource for learning the language. It doesn’t cover as many bases as some reviewers would like, but many of them argue that it’s still one of the best books they’ve found on Go. Head First Go is structured in a way that anyone can follow along as they please, and the way it’s formatted allows readers to easily take in new pieces of information at their own pace. Even if it isn’t the most comprehensive resource, it’s one of the best places to start your journey with Go.

Readers should be aware that this book is somewhat outdated. While a publication date of 2019 might not seem too long, the version of Go covered in this resource is no longer supported. This is unfortunately the case for most books on this list — if not all of them — so choose each item on this list with caution.

Reviews: Out of 145 total reviews, 82% gave this book 5 stars

List Price: $59.99 Paperback, $50.99 Digital

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For a resource that covers more than just Go, this offering by Katherine Cox-Buday how to master the language alongside concurrency techniques. WhileConcurrency in Go mostly covers how the language is used for these techniques, reviewers stated that it stands as another fantastic resource for any first-time programmers out there.

Some readers seem to be conflicted on how they feel about the book’s writing style, but most are very pleased with the results. If you want to dig deeper into the world of programming even outside of which languages you learn or use, Concurrency in Go is one of the best resources you can find.

Reviews: Out of 166 total reviews, 72% gave this book 5 stars

List Price: $49.99 Paperback, $42.99 Digital

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In another case of using Go for deeper purposes,Black Hat Go explores how the language can be used in the hands of hackers. It covers a great deal of content and ideas while exploring interactions with other languages such as MySQL.

However, reviewers seem to be conflicted on how useful the book actually is in the long run. Some praise its lessons and presentations while others condemn its code structures and vague instructions. It might not be the best choice for everyone, but Black Hat Go is definitely a resource to consider — especially if you embrace the “Hacker” part of HackerNoon.

Reviews: Out of 183 total reviews, 78% gave this book 5 stars

List Price: $39.95 Paperback, $23.99 Digital

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Learning Go, despite its name, is a better resource for more moderately experienced programmers. It goes over some of the best practices a coder can follow with Go, and it still manages to cover the basics of the language fairly well. Reviewers almost universally agree, however, that this is certainly not a book for beginners.

Even those with prior experience found it to be somewhat difficult to get through. It’s one of the more recent items on this list, so it should prove more modern than its competitors, but any lack of prior knowledge on Go can make this book a difficult choice to recommend.

Reviews: Out of 305 total reviews, 76% gave this book 5 stars

List Price: $59.99 Paperback, $50.99 Digital

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Rounding off this list about the Go programming language is the aptly-named resource by Alan Donovan and Brian Kernighan.The Go Programming Language is one of the most comprehensive resources you’ll find on Go, even with its publication date of 2015. Reviewers agree that the information within is fantastic.

Where this book falls short is its presentation, with many readers arguing that either the presentation or the writing style was too much of a mess to follow along with. A few of these complaints are centered around the digital version of this book, so consider checking out a physical copy instead — if you can afford it.

Reviews: Out of 1,232 total reviews, 81% gave this book 5 stars

List Price: $39.99 Paperback, $31.99 Digital

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What to Look For When Choosing The Best Go Programming Book For You

Though Go is constantly updated, it’s still not as widespread of a language as others out there. Even outdated books can be useful resources as long as they cover a wide variety of content. Just be sure that you can comprehend what you find in the first place!

If you want a closer look at a wider variety of languages, check out the best SQL Books and Java books based on reviews!