The Bill Gates Booklist

Bill Gates provides a bookshelf at his official site . In some cases, he provides a personal review. Click through via the link above, and click on the specific book.

flag

All Votes Add Books To This List

1	Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari 4.37 avg rating — 949,212 ratings score: 3,157, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 4.04 avg rating — 394,852 ratings score: 2,996, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell 4.19 avg rating — 751,403 ratings score: 2,588, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling 4.36 avg rating — 175,651 ratings score: 2,556, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins 4.33 avg rating — 8,175,649 ratings score: 2,064, and 22 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by Abhijit V. Banerjee 4.28 avg rating — 20,943 ratings score: 1,681, and 19 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 3.80 avg rating — 3,388,244 ratings score: 1,652, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 179,874 ratings score: 1,328, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight 4.47 avg rating — 272,539 ratings score: 1,269, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Capital in the Twenty First Century by Thomas Piketty 4.05 avg rating — 31,240 ratings score: 1,168, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee 4.33 avg rating — 98,999 ratings score: 1,127, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah 4.49 avg rating — 647,371 ratings score: 1,042, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond 3.93 avg rating — 70,325 ratings score: 1,027, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 27,898 ratings score: 1,020, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China by Ezra F. Vogel 4.45 avg rating — 3,182 ratings score: 1,010, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The Cost of Hope: A Memoir by Amanda Bennett (Goodreads Author) 3.72 avg rating — 1,576 ratings score: 971, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer (Goodreads Author) 3.88 avg rating — 87,859 ratings score: 949, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Educated by Tara Westover (Goodreads Author) 4.47 avg rating — 1,404,995 ratings score: 866, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (Book & DVD) by John Medina (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 33,265 ratings score: 825, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Feynman Lectures on Physics by Richard P. Feynman 4.61 avg rating — 7,644 ratings score: 824, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System from Crisis — and Themselves by Andrew Ross Sorkin 4.14 avg rating — 39,553 ratings score: 811, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker 4.38 avg rating — 170,934 ratings score: 783, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou 4.41 avg rating — 250,454 ratings score: 774, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo 3.98 avg rating — 108,312 ratings score: 737, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	A Separate Peace by John Knowles 3.59 avg rating — 214,422 ratings score: 669, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 168,553 ratings score: 669, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis 4.29 avg rating — 156,847 ratings score: 637, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough (Goodreads Author) 3.89 avg rating — 23,842 ratings score: 636, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins 4.11 avg rating — 6,730 ratings score: 594, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (Goodreads Author) 4.33 avg rating — 504,701 ratings score: 583, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman 3.69 avg rating — 101,803 ratings score: 576, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman 4.18 avg rating — 469,044 ratings score: 573, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 4.39 avg rating — 619,935 ratings score: 559, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger 4.42 avg rating — 76,547 ratings score: 544, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes And Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 130,396 ratings score: 528, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	POST CAPITALIST SOCY by Peter F. Drucker 4.05 avg rating — 387 ratings score: 515, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	The New Science of Strong Materials: Or Why You Don't Fall through the Floor (Princeton Science Library, 58) by J.E. Gordon 4.18 avg rating — 476 ratings score: 509, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Open by Andre Agassi 4.30 avg rating — 116,052 ratings score: 496, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck 4.09 avg rating — 141,309 ratings score: 482, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 203,053 ratings score: 461, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	The End of Poverty by Jeffrey D. Sachs 3.69 avg rating — 10,958 ratings score: 444, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee 4.36 avg rating — 47,041 ratings score: 437, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 4.01 avg rating — 244,088 ratings score: 434, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari 4.21 avg rating — 237,082 ratings score: 394, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder 4.19 avg rating — 83,502 ratings score: 393, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved by Kate Bowler 3.80 avg rating — 45,906 ratings score: 392, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker (Goodreads Author) 4.21 avg rating — 28,900 ratings score: 391, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Munroe (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 11,056 ratings score: 381, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	In Fed We Trust: Ben Bernanke's War on the Great Panic by David Wessel 3.73 avg rating — 1,023 ratings score: 377, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg 3.96 avg rating — 18,917 ratings score: 377, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Getting Better: Why Global Development Is Succeeding--And How We Can Improve the World Even More by Charles Kenny (Goodreads Author) 3.61 avg rating — 197 ratings score: 365, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Creating the Twentieth Century: Technical Innovations of 1867-1914 and Their Lasting Impact (Technical Revolutions and Their Lasting Impact) by Vaclav Smil 4.21 avg rating — 150 ratings score: 351, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems by Abhijit V. Banerjee 4.24 avg rating — 12,329 ratings score: 348, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond (Goodreads Author) 4.47 avg rating — 91,519 ratings score: 342, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines by Richard A. Muller 4.02 avg rating — 2,418 ratings score: 337, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson (Goodreads Author) 4.19 avg rating — 100,197 ratings score: 337, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance by Nouriel Roubini 3.84 avg rating — 2,781 ratings score: 336, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daron Acemoğlu 4.08 avg rating — 47,441 ratings score: 335, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments by George Johnson 3.59 avg rating — 1,234 ratings score: 334, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	Molecules At An Exhibition: Portraits of Intriguing Materials in Everyday Life by John Emsley 3.98 avg rating — 203 ratings score: 328, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Interventions: A Life in War and Peace by Kofi Annan 3.98 avg rating — 1,085 ratings score: 324, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time - A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics by Walter Lewin 4.25 avg rating — 3,745 ratings score: 323, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	Prime Movers of Globalization: The History and Impact of Diesel Engines and Gas Turbines by Vaclav Smil 3.88 avg rating — 119 ratings score: 310, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	House on Fire: The Fight to Eradicate Smallpox (Volume 21) (California/Milbank Books on Health and the Public) by William H. Foege 4.16 avg rating — 392 ratings score: 306, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language by Steven Pinker (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 21,496 ratings score: 293, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us by Claude M. Steele 3.93 avg rating — 5,557 ratings score: 292, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders 3.75 avg rating — 150,452 ratings score: 292, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	Japan's Dietary Transition and Its Impacts by Vaclav Smil 3.50 avg rating — 32 ratings score: 290, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	Showing Up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime by Bill Gates Sr. 3.75 avg rating — 1,077 ratings score: 289, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance 3.87 avg rating — 400,380 ratings score: 287, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 14,746 ratings score: 286, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	xkcd: volume 0 by Randall Munroe (Goodreads Author) 4.33 avg rating — 7,070 ratings score: 286, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	The Hair of the Dog: And Other Scientific Surprises by Karl Sabbagh 3.28 avg rating — 120 ratings score: 284, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander 4.52 avg rating — 104,591 ratings score: 281, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	Broken Genius: The Rise and Fall of William Shockley, Creator of the Electronic Age by Joel N. Shurkin 3.82 avg rating — 104 ratings score: 280, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	50 Physics Ideas You Really Need to Know by Joanne Baker 3.88 avg rating — 977 ratings score: 280, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed 4.02 avg rating — 15,275 ratings score: 278, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria 3.86 avg rating — 12,595 ratings score: 275, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World by Mark Miodownik 4.11 avg rating — 18,545 ratings score: 275, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	The Martian by Andy Weir (Goodreads Author) 4.41 avg rating — 1,070,123 ratings score: 265, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	String Theory: David Foster Wallace on Tennis by David Foster Wallace 4.17 avg rating — 4,163 ratings score: 260, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 286,501 ratings score: 259, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	Made in the USA: The Rise and Retreat of American Manufacturing by Vaclav Smil 3.75 avg rating — 422 ratings score: 258, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	Energy and Civilization: A History by Vaclav Smil 4.11 avg rating — 3,076 ratings score: 254, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War by Michael Dobbs (Goodreads Author) 4.23 avg rating — 3,935 ratings score: 252, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger by Marc Levinson 3.85 avg rating — 6,144 ratings score: 252, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	Titan II: A History Of A Cold War Missile Program by David K. Stumpf 3.97 avg rating — 38 ratings score: 249, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	Weather for Dummies by John D. Cox 3.76 avg rating — 251 ratings score: 248, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje 3.61 avg rating — 26,130 ratings score: 248, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	Wheels, Clocks, and Rockets: A History of Technology (Norton History of Science) by Donald Cardwell 3.74 avg rating — 38 ratings score: 244, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	The Computer and the Brain by John von Neumann 3.89 avg rating — 701 ratings score: 244, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food by Pamela C. Ronald 3.85 avg rating — 427 ratings score: 244, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	The Art of War by Sun Tzu 3.96 avg rating — 460,622 ratings score: 243, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	Why America Is Not a New Rome by Vaclav Smil 3.54 avg rating — 102 ratings score: 241, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 68,135 ratings score: 236, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	A Champion's Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis by Pete Sampras 3.65 avg rating — 2,001 ratings score: 233, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	Life of Pi by Yann Martel 3.93 avg rating — 1,577,404 ratings score: 233, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	A Nation of Wusses: How America's Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great by Ed Rendell 3.54 avg rating — 160 ratings score: 231, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	The Tinkerers: The Amateurs, DIYers, and Inventors Who Make America Great by Alec Foege 3.23 avg rating — 114 ratings score: 231, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky 4.04 avg rating — 5,450 ratings score: 227, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

← Previous 1 2 3 Next →

287 books · 198 voters · list created December 11th, 2012 by Richard (votes) .

Tags: bill-gates

2 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (198)

Richard 2559 books
296 friends

Charles 27 books
0 friends

Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) 546 books
368 friends

Jim 6308 books
151 friends

Aubrey 2295 books
114 friends

Shawky 104 books
177 friends

Sam 409 books
84 friends

Sahil 632 books
69 friends

More voters…

Post a comment »
Comments Showing 1-8 of 8 (8 new)

date

newest »

message 1: by Jim (new)

Dec 15, 2012 04:14AM

Interesting that Vacal Smil authored a half a dozen + books on his list. I had never heard of him.

reply | flag

message 2: by Annette (new)

Jul 24, 2017 10:25PM

Daily ,I read bill gates review on the books he read .His thoughts are precious,man . He inspires me to read Non Fiction which is not my cup of tea ,

reply | flag

message 3: by Prince (new)

Oct 30, 2017 08:48PM

Just curious: are you updating this list?

reply | flag

message 4: by Mitchell (last edited Mar 09, 2021 11:41AM) (new)

Feb 25, 2021 10:28AM

https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books#AllR... has 135 books. This list has 276 books. Perhaps a lot of the books on this list should be removed. Or not. Apparently the current url doesn't have the full list of books that have been suggested.

reply | flag

message 5: by Mitchell (last edited Feb 25, 2021 01:19PM) (new)

Feb 25, 2021 11:03AM

The bottom of the current list:
Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air
Work Hard. Be Nice.: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America
Super Freakonomics
In FED We Trust: Ben Bernanke's War on the Great Panic
Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food
Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment
Liberating Learning: Technology, Politics, and the Future of American Education
Energy Transitions: History, Requirements, Prospects

Energy Myths and Realities: Bringing Science to the Energy Policy Debate
Why America Is Not a New Rome
The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves
Jim Grant: UNICEF Visionary
Stretching the School Dollar: How Schools and Districts Can Save Money While Serving Students Best
Educational Economics: Where Do School Funds Go?
Getting Better: Why Global Development Is Succeeding--And How We Can Improve the World Even More
Polio: An American Story

House on Fire: The Fight to Eradicate Smallpox
Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America's Schools
The New Science of Strong Materials: Or Why You Don't Fall Through the Floor
Where Good Ideas Come from: The Natural History of Innovation
Prime Movers of Globalization: The History and Impact of Diesel Engines and Gas Turbines
Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty
Change.edu: Rebooting for the New Talent Economy

The Man Who Fed the World: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Norman Borlang and His Battle to End World Hunger
That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back
For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time - A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics
The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
The Cost of Hope: A Memoir
Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

reply | flag

message 6: by Mitchell (new)

Feb 25, 2021 11:08AM

Looking at the wayback machine https://web.archive.org/web/20150203071119/https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books

clearly the current list on the website is not complete - so deleting to match the current list wouldn't make sense

reply | flag

message 7: by Mitchell (new)

Feb 27, 2021 07:18PM

From 2015-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20150102145001/https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books

How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region
The Rosie Effect
The Fever: How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Business Adventures

Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises
The Rosie Project
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
Reinventing American Health Care: How the Affordable Care Act will Improve our Terribly Complex, Blatantly Unjust, Outrageously Expensive, Grossly Inefficient, Error Prone System
The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism
Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization

The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End Poverty
The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality
Women, Poverty, and AIDS: Sex, Drugs, and Structural Violence
To Repair the World: Paul Farmer Speaks to the Next Generation
The Uses of Haiti
Reimagining Global Health: An Introduction

Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights and the New War on the Poor
Partner to the Poor: A Paul Farmer Reader
In the Company of the Poor: Conversations with Dr. Paul Farmer and Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez
Global Health in Times of Violence
AIDS and Accusation: Haiti and the Geography of Blame

The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and Our Gamble over Earth's Future
The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger
The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?
Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled by African Development Statistics
Why Does College Cost So Much?
The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy

The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914
Engineers of Victory: The Making of the War Machine That Defeated the Nazis
Harvesting the Biosphere: What We Have Taken from Nature
Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail—But Some Don't
The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A Story of Steam, Industry, and Invention

Value-Added Measures in Education: What Every Educator Needs to Know
Interventions: A Life in War and Peace
One Billion Hungry: Can We Feed the World?
Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China
The City That Became Safe: New York's Lessons for Urban Crime and Its Control
This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly

Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2012
Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food
A World-Class Education
Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses
Why Capitalism?
Reinventing Fire: Bold Business Solutions for the New Energy Era

The Art of Being Unreasonable: Lessons in Unconventional Thinking
Science Business: The Promise, the Reality, and the Future of Biotech
A Nation of Wusses: How America's Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great
Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You on the Road to Real Happiness
Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything
The Cost of Hope: A Memoir

The Hunger Games
Steve Jobs
Finance and the Good Society
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity

Unlocking Energy Innovation: How America Can Build a Low-Cost, Low-Carbon Energy System
The Cat's Table
The Time of Our Lives: A conversation about America; Who we are, where we've been, and where we need to go now, to recapture the American dream
Titan II: A History Of A Cold War Missile Program
Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World
The Manhattan Project: The Making of the Atomic Bomb

The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World
Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think
The Age of Austerity: How Scarcity Will Remake American Politics
The Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update
Why Don't Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom
For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time - A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics

That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back
50 Physics Ideas You Really Need to Know
The Changing Body: Health, Nutrition, and Human Development in the Western World Since 1700
The Computer and the Brain
World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse
Giant Molecules: From Nylon to Nanotubes

Taming the Beloved Beast: How Medical Technology Costs Are Destroying Our Health Care How Medical Technology Costs Are Destroying Our Health Care System System
Unlocking the Gates: How and Why Leading Universities Are Opening Up Access to Their Courses
On Intelligence
Retiree Health Plans in the Public Sector: Is There a Funding Crisis?
How to Spend $50 Billion to Make the World a Better Place

How to Run the World: Charting a Course to the Next Renaissance
Global Warming: The Complete Briefing
Giving It All Away: The Doris Buffett Story
Frank Stewart's Bridge Club
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
The Dragon's Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa

What Does China Think?
Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty
Prime Movers of Globalization: The History and Impact of Diesel Engines and Gas Turbines
The Plundered Planet: How to Reconcile Prosperity With Nature
Where Good Ideas Come from: The Natural History of Innovation
The New Science of Strong Materials: Or Why You Don't Fall Through the Floor

The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time
A Champion's Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis
Memoirs: A Twentieth Century Journey In Science And Politics
Outliers: The Story of Success
Weather for Dummies

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War
Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America's Schools
Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World
Health Care Will Not Reform Itself: A User's Guide to Refocusing and Reforming American Health Care
Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration

13 Things That Don't Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time
Epidemics And Pandemics: Their Impacts On Human History
Molecules at an Exhibition: Portraits of Intriguing Materials in Everyday Life
A Guide to the Elements
The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments
Dirt And Disease: Polio Before F.D.R.

The Grid: A Journey Through the Heart of Our Electrified World
Beyond the Crash: Overcoming the First Crisis of Globalization
The Foundation: A Great American Secret: How Private Wealth Is Changing the World
Who’s Teaching Your Children?: Why the Teacher Crisis Is Worse Than You Think and What Can Be Done About It
The Making of a Tropical Disease: A Short History of Malaria
Priorities in Health: Disease Control Priorities Companion Volume

Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World
Wheels, Clocks, and Rockets: A History of Technology
The Post-American World
A Life Decoded: My Genome: My Life
Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger
The Catcher in the Rye

Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System from Crisis — and Themselves
The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
The Feynman Lectures on Physics - Vol. I, II & III Bundle
Showing Up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime

Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines
Physics for Dummies
Open
Give $Mart: Philanthropy That Gets Results
Einstein: His Life and Universe
Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance

Creating the Twentieth Century: Technical Innovations of 1867-1914 and Their Lasting Impact
Broken Genius: The Rise and Fall of William Shockley, Creator of the Electronic Age
Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
A Separate Peace
Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver
Tropical Infectious Diseases: Principles, Pathogens and Practice

Smallpox: The Death of a Disease: The Inside Story of Eradicating a Worldwide Killer
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
House on Fire: The Fight to Eradicate Smallpox
Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors
Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries
The Earth's Biosphere: Evolution, Dynamics, and Change

Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution – and How It Can Renew America
Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present
The End of Poverty
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

Global Catastrophes and Trends: The Next 50 Years
Enriching the Earth: Fritz Haber, Carl Bosch, and the Transformation of World Food Production
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Polio: An American Story
Getting Better: Why Global Development Is Succeeding--And How We Can Improve the World Even More
Stretching the School Dollar: How Schools and Districts Can Save Money While Serving Students Best

Educational Economics: Where Do School Funds Go?
Jim Grant: UNICEF Visionary
The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves
Why America Is Not a New Rome
Energy Myths and Realities: Bringing Science to the Energy Policy Debate

reply | flag

message 8: by Helaquist (new)

Mar 08, 2021 11:38PM

Mitchell wrote: "From 2015-01 https://web.archive.org/web/201501021...

How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region
[book:The Rosie Effe..."

thank you very much for the update! :)

reply | flag