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Bill Gates Shares His Summer Reading Picks
Tech pioneer, co-founder of Microsoft, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and author Bill Gates is an avid reader who has become known for his excellent book recommendations. As he has for several years now, he's once again sharing his summer reading recommendations with his fellow readers.
You can also get Gates' book recommendations throughout the year and see all the other books on his shelf by following him here.
You can also get Gates' book recommendations throughout the year and see all the other books on his shelf by following him here.
Most of my conversations and meetings these days are about COVID-19 and how we can stem the tide. But I’m also often asked about what I am reading—either because people want to learn more about pandemics, or because they are looking for a distraction. So, in addition to the five new book reviews I always write for my summer book list, I included a number of other recommendations. I hope you find something that catches your interest.
This book is partly a memoir and partly a guide to processing trauma. Eger was only 16 years old when she and her family got sent to Auschwitz. After surviving unbelievable horrors, she moved to the United States and became a therapist. Her unique background gives her amazing insight, and I think many people will find comfort right now from her suggestions on how to handle difficult situations.
This is the kind of novel you’ll think and talk about for a long time after you finish it. The plot is a bit hard to explain, because it involves six interrelated stories that take place centuries apart (including one I particularly loved about a young American doctor on a sailing ship in the South Pacific in the mid-1800s). But if you’re in the mood for a really compelling tale about the best and worst of humanity, I think you’ll find yourself as engrossed in it as I was.
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
by Robert Iger
by Robert Iger
This is one of the best business books I’ve read in several years. Iger does a terrific job explaining what it’s really like to be the CEO of a large company. Whether you’re looking for business insights or just an entertaining read, I think anyone would enjoy his stories about overseeing Disney during one of the most transformative times in its history.
We’re living through an unprecedented time right now. But if you’re looking for a historical comparison, the 1918 influenza pandemic is as close as you’re going to get. Barry will teach you almost everything you need to know about one of the deadliest outbreaks in human history. Even though 1918 was a very different time from today, The Great Influenza is a good reminder that we’re still dealing with many of the same challenges.
Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems
by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo
by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo
Banerjee and Duflo won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences last year, and they’re two of the smartest economists working today. Fortunately for us, they’re also very good at making economics accessible to the average person. Their newest book takes on inequality and political divisions by focusing on policy debates that are at the forefront in wealthy countries like the United States.
For years, I was a skeptic about meditation. Now I do it as often as I can—three times a week, if time allows. Andy’s book and the app he created, Headspace, are what made me a convert. Andy, a former Buddhist monk, offers lots of helpful metaphors to explain potentially tricky concepts in meditation. At a time when we all could use a few minutes to de-stress and refocus each day, this is a great place to start.
If you’re looking to work on a new skill, you could do worse than learning to memorize things. Foer is a science writer who got interested in how memory works, and why some people seem to have an amazing ability to recall facts. He takes you inside the U.S. Memory Championship—yes, that’s a real thing—and introduces you to the techniques that, amazingly, allowed him to win the contest one year.
You may remember the movie from a few years ago, when Matt Damon—playing a botanist who’s been stranded on Mars—sets aside his fear and says, “I’m going to science the s--- out of this.” We’re doing the same thing with the novel coronavirus.
The main character in this novel is living through a situation that now feels very relatable: He can’t leave the building he’s living in. But he’s not stuck there because of a disease; it’s 1922, and he’s a Russian count who’s serving a life sentence under house arrest in a hotel. I thought it was a fun, clever, and surprisingly upbeat story about making the best of your surroundings.
All three of the Rosie novels made me laugh out loud. They’re about a genetics professor with Asperger’s syndrome who (in the first book) goes looking for a wife and then (in the second and third books) starts a family. Ultimately the story is about getting inside the mind and heart of someone a lot of people see as odd, and discovering that he isn’t really that different from anybody else. Melinda got me started on these books, and I’m glad she did.
I don’t read a lot of comics or graphic novels, but I’ve really enjoyed the few that I have picked up. The best ones combine amazing storytelling with striking visuals. In her memoir The Best We Could Do, for example, Thi Bui gains a new appreciation for what her parents—who survived the Vietnam War—went through. It’s a deeply personal book that explores what it means to be a parent and a refugee.
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
by Allie Brosh
by Allie Brosh
On the lighter side is Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things that Happened, by Allie Brosh. You will rip through it in three hours, tops. But you’ll wish it went on longer, because it’s funny and smart as hell. I must have read Melinda a dozen hilarious passages out loud.
Finally, I love the way that former NASA engineer Randall Munroe turns offbeat science lessons into super-engaging comics. The two books of his that I’ve read and highly recommend are What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions and xkcd: volume 0. I also have Randall’s latest book, How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, on my bookshelf and hope to read it soon. If you’ve read it, let me know what you think in the comments.
Which of these recommendations piques your interest? Let's talk books in the comments!
Check out more recent articles, including:
A New Season of Reading: The Hot Books of Summer
'Beach Read' Author Emily Henry Picks 11 Rom-Coms for the Perfect Escape
Authors Offer Their Summer Reading Recommendations
Check out more recent articles, including:
A New Season of Reading: The Hot Books of Summer
'Beach Read' Author Emily Henry Picks 11 Rom-Coms for the Perfect Escape
Authors Offer Their Summer Reading Recommendations
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Mindi
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Jul 18, 2020 08:24AM
I loved Hyperbole and a Half too! Fun times.
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I love Mr. Gates summer reading lists! I have always found a gem or two that were previously overlooked thanks to his sharing with us all. He must have been a great boss. Please consider a White House run!Thanks
I just finished Hyperbole and a Half, and I agree. It is absolutely hilarious, and I wish it were longer.
Anthony wrote: "i couldn't care less"If you didn't care at all you wouldn't have read the list or commented....
Have read "the gentleman in moscow" and love it thoroughly.intrigued by The Choice and will definitely read The Ride of a Lifetime
Malcolm wrote: "Anthony wrote: "i couldn't care less"If you didn't care at all you wouldn't have read the list or commented...."
That’s not true. I wanted to see how weird of books he’d recommend
I want readers to read my Book ofShort Stories.Please help
Thanks for sharing! I've now expanded my reading list. The realistic goal I've set myself is reading 12 books per year. For 2020 I'll easily reach my target :)
Thanks for sharing your reading list! I love that you have read the Rosie project books - I loved those too. Very light and fun and gives you hope for humanity. :) The Choice was one of my favorite books. I actually joined a FB Live she did and she answered one of my questions! It was incredible. She has such an amazing strength and profound attitude in the face of despair that I think many of us now could benefit from adopting.
Thank you for your business book recommendations as well. I will check them out. Best to you from your neighbor in Issaquah.
