Summer Reading Recommendations From Bill Gates
Microsoft founder turned global force for good Bill Gates reads a lot, finishing about one book every week.
On his “Gates Notes” blog, Gates offers his recommendations for five books for summer reading.
“Some of these books helped me better understand what it’s like to grow up outside the mainstream: as a child of mixed race in apartheid South Africa, as a young man trying to escape his impoverished life in rural Appalachia, or as the son of a peanut farmer in Plains, Georgia,” he wrote.
“I hope you’ll find that others make you think deeper about what it means to truly connect with other people and to have purpose in your life. And all of them will transport you somewhere else—whether you’re sitting on a beach towel or on your own couch.”
Gates’s picks are:
Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah. A memoir from the South African host of The Daily Show.
The Heart, by Maylis de Kerangal. A poetic exploration of grief.
Hillbilly Elegy, by J.D. Vance. A close look at the disadvantaged world of poor white Appalachia.
Homo Deus, by Yuval Noah Harari. The provocative follow-up to Harrari’s Sapiens, Homo Deus argues that the principles that have organized society will undergo a huge shift in the 21st century.
A Full Life, by Jimmy Carter. A look at the former presidents improbable rise to the world’s highest office.