Why We're Polarized
by Ezra Klein
“Summer’s almost over. If you have time to sneak in another book or two – here are a few I recommend.”
— Twitter/X
View all 7 mentions
How the World Really Works
“Vaclav Smil’s books are always phenomenal.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 6 mentions
An Elegant Defense
“Matt Richtel’s fascinating book about the immune system”
— Twitter/X
View all 5 mentions
The Lincoln Highway
“I recently published a list of books you might want to read this summer. Each of the writers took a meaty subject and made it compelling without sacrificing any complexity.”
— Twitter/X
View all 5 mentions
The Ministry for the Future
by Kim Stanley Robinson
“Summer’s almost over. If you have time to sneak in another book or two – here are a few I recommend.”
— Twitter/X
View all 5 mentions
The Power
“I recently published a list of books you might want to read this summer. Each of the writers took a meaty subject and made it compelling without sacrificing any complexity.”
— Twitter/X
View all 5 mentions
The Splendid and the Vile
by Erik Larson
“Sometimes history books end up feeling more relevant than their authors could have imagined. That’s the case with this brilliant account of the years 1940 and 1941, when English citizens spent almost every night huddled in basements and Tube stations as Germany tried to bomb them into submission.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 4 mentions
Under a White Sky
“The journalist @ElizKolbert has created a fascinating beat for herself covering humanity’s impact on nature and our attempts to control it. Her latest book is a good reminder that we need to watch out for the unforeseen effects of our actions.”
— Twitter/X
View all 4 mentions
A Gentleman in Moscow
by Amor Towles
“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.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 3 mentions
Project Hail Mary
by Andy Weir
“It’s a fun read, and I finished the whole thing in one weekend.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 3 mentions
The Gene
by Siddhartha Mukherjee
“More recently, I’ve gained a lot from reading a diverse set of books and authors including Under a White Sky by Elizabeth Kolbert, On Immunity by Eula Biss, The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee, and Eradication by Nancy Stepan.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 3 mentions
A Promised Land
“I am almost always interested in books about American presidents, and I especially loved A Promised Land. The memoir covers his early career up through the mission that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011. President Obama is unusually honest about his experience in the White House, including how isolating it is to be the person who ultimately calls the shots. It’s a fascinating look at what it’s like to steer a country through challenging times.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
Breath from Salt
“This book is truly uplifting. It documents a story of remarkable scientific innovation and how it has improved the lives of almost all cystic fibrosis patients and their families. This story is especially meaningful to me because I know families who’ve benefited from the new medicines described in this book. I suspect we’ll see many more books like this in the coming years, as biomedical miracles emerge from labs at an ever-greater pace.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
Eradication
“More recently, I’ve gained a lot from reading a diverse set of books and authors including Under a White Sky by Elizabeth Kolbert, On Immunity by Eula Biss, The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee, and Eradication by Nancy Stepan.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
Growth
“The newest of 39 brilliant books by one of my favorite thinkers.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
Hyperbole and a Half
“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.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
Lights Out
“An unflinching look at the mistakes and missteps made by GE’s leadership.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
Moonwalking with Einstein
by Joshua Foer
“I never thought much about whether I could improve my memory across a wider set of domains, but now I think I could, after reading [this book].”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
Numbers Don't Lie
by Vaclav Smil
“I unabashedly recommend this book to anyone who loves learning.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
On Immunity
“[I] had no idea how informative [this book] would be, even for someone like me who has been supporting and learning about vaccine research for many years.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
Range
by David Epstein
“I started following Epstein’s work after watching his fantastic 2014 TED talk on sports performance. In this fascinating book, he argues that although the world seems to demand more and more specialization—in your career, for example—what we actually need is more people “who start broad and embrace diverse experiences and perspectives while they progress.””
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
The Best We Could Do
“This powerful graphic novel explores parenthood and life during wartime.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
The Choice
“Melinda recommended that I read The Choice, and I’m glad she did. I think many people will find comfort right now from Dr. Edith Eva Eger's suggestions on how to handle difficult situations.”
— Twitter/X
View all 2 mentions
The Code Breaker
by Walter Isaacson
“I found the book to be valuable on a number of levels and will have more to say about it soon!”
— Twitter/X
View all 2 mentions
The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness
“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 re-focus each day, this is a great place to start.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
The Martian
by Andy Weir
“He reminded me a lot of Mark Watney, the protagonist in The Martian. The two books deal with similar themes about how people work together in challenging situations, although the big difference with Project Hail Mary is that not all of the collaborators are human.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
The New Jim Crow
by Michelle Alexander
“Offers an eye-opening look into how the criminal justice system unfairly targets communities of color, and especially Black communities.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
The Overstory
“This is one of the most unusual novels I’ve read in years. The Overstory follows the lives of nine people and examines their connection with trees. Some of the characters come together over the course of the book, while others stay on their own. Even though the book takes a pretty extreme view towards the need to protect forests, I was moved by each character’s passion for their cause and finished the book eager to learn more about trees.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
The Ride of a Lifetime
by Robert Iger
“A short, readable book with smart insights, and along the way he crosses paths with some colorful characters.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
The Rosie Project
“Anyone who occasionally gets overly logical will identify with the hero. [...] one of the most profound novels I’ve read in a long time.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
The Spy and the Traitor
by Ben Macintyre
“Every bit as exciting as my favorite spy novels.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
The Vital Question
“One of those original thinkers who makes you say: More people should know about this guy’s work.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
What If?
“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.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
xkcd
“This is one of two Randall Munroe books I’ve read, and it is (by design) the funnier of the pair.”
— Gatesnotes.com
View all 2 mentions
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
by Yuval Noah Harari
“A guide to worrying in the 21st century.”
— Gatesnotes.com
A Full Life
by Jimmy Carter
“A quick, condensed tour of [Jimmy Carter]’s fascinating life.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Academically Adrift
“Raises some fundamental and surprising questions about the quality of U.S. undergraduate education.”
— Gatesnotes.com
An American Marriage
“A moving look at how incarceration changes relationships.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Army of None
“The book I had been waiting for. I can’t recommend it highly enough.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Awakening Joy
“Even if you don’t read many inspirational books, try this is one.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Bad Blood
by John Carreyrou
“I couldn’t put down this thriller with a tragic ending.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Becoming Steve Jobs
by Brent Schlender
“Has me thinking of my old friend. A true visionary.”
— Twitter/X
Behind the Beautiful Forevers
by Katherine Boo
“If you want to read an unvarnished, first-hand account of life in one of India’s slums you should pick up [this book].”
— Gatesnotes.com
Believe Me
“If you have seen Eddie’s stuff and you like it [...] I promise you’ll love this book.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Biology
“An email from my younger self. In 2008 I wanted a bunch of science textbooks.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Blueprint
by Nicholas A. Christakis
“Explains that humans have evolved to work together and be social.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Born a Crime
by Trevor Noah
“Trevor Noah’s funny and moving account of growing up in South Africa.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
by Thomas Piketty
“A 700-page treatise on economics translated from French.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Chemical, Biochemical, and Engineering Thermodynamics
“An email from my younger self. In 2008 I wanted a bunch of science textbooks.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Chemistry
“An email from my younger self. In 2008 I wanted a bunch of science textbooks.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Class Warfare
“Shows just how difficult it is going to be to improve education.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Cloud Atlas
by David Mitchell
“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 inter-related 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.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Educated: A Memoir
by Tara Westover
“I thought I was pretty good at teaching myself—until I read [this book]. Her ability to learn on her own blows mine right out of the water.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Energy
by Vaclav Smil
“There is no author whose books I look forward to more than Vaclav Smil.”
— Amazon.com
Evicted
by Matthew Desmond
“Gave me a better sense of what it is like to be very poor in this country than anything else I have read.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
by Hans Rosling
“A fantastic book, and I hope a lot of people read it.”
— Gatesnotes.com
For the Love of Physics
“Helps you appreciate that physics is pretty basic stuff.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Guns, Germs, and Steel
by Jared Diamond
“Fascinating.... Lays a foundation for understanding human history.”
— Amazon.com
Hamnet
“O’Farrell has built her story on two facts we know to be true about “The Bard”: his son Hamnet died at the age of 11, and a couple years later, Shakespeare wrote a tragedy called Hamlet. I especially enjoyed reading about his wife, Anne, who is imagined here as an almost supernatural figure.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Hillbilly Elegy
by J.D. Vance
“I came away with new insights into the multifaceted cultural and family dynamics that contribute to poverty.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Hit Refresh
“Has charted a course for making the most of the opportunities created by technology while also facing up to the hard questions.”
— Amazon.com
Homo Deus
by Yuval Noah Harari
“A thoughtful look at what may be in store for humanity.”
— Gatesnotes.com
How Asia Works
by Joe Studwell
“A good read for anyone who wants to understand what actually determines whether a developing economy will succeed.”
— Gatesnotes.com
How Not to Be Wrong
by Jordan Ellenberg
“On the surface it’s about math, but it’s really about how much math plays into our daily lives without our even knowing it.”
— Gatesnotes.com
How to Lie with Statistics
by Darrell Huff
“A great introduction to the use of statistics, and a great refresher for anyone who’s already well versed in it.”
— Gatesnotes.com
In FED We Trust
“If someone wants to understand what happened during what they call the 'Great Panic,' this is one of the books they should be read.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Interventions
by Kofi Annan
“For anybody who wants to understand the complexities of the role of the Secretary General, this book is an illuminating read.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Jim Grant
“The amazing story of Jim Grant, whose influence in making vaccines widely available in the developing world is credited with saving the lives of 25 million children.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Leonardo da Vinci
by Walter Isaacson
“Sheds light on every facet of [Leonardo da Vinci]’s life.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Liberating Learning
“Looks at current efforts to use technology for online learning and to measure achievement.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Life Is What You Make It
“Peter Buffett writes about the values he absorbed growing up as one of three children of Warren Buffett and the late Susan Buffett.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Lincoln in the Bardo
by George Saunders
“Despite being a work of fiction, it offered fresh insight that made me rethink parts of [Abraham Lincoln's] life.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Measure What Matters
by John Doerr
“I’d recommend [John Doerr]’s book for anyone interested in becoming a better manager.”
— Amazon.com
Mendeleyev's Dream
“A fascinating look at how science develops and how human curiosity has evolved over the millennia.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Mindset
by Carol S. Dweck
“Dweck and her research have helped my foundation colleagues and me understand more about the attitudes and habits that allow some students to persevere in school despite big challenges.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Mountains Beyond Mountains
by Tracy Kidder
“List of books Bill Gates read in 2011.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Nuclear and Particle Physics
“An email from my younger self. In 2008 I wanted a bunch of science textbooks.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Only the Paranoid Survive
“[This] basic theme is in the culture of Microsoft.”
— Charlierose.com
Origin Story
“Lifelong learners will appreciate this book about the history of everything.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Physical Geology
“Part of the joy of reading it is that you get into subjects you probably learned about in elementary school—like plate tectonics and volcanoes—but in way more depth, which makes them even more interesting.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Physics for Scientists and Engineers
“An email from my younger self. In 2008 I wanted a bunch of science textbooks.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Polio
“Influenced the decision that Melinda and I made to make polio eradication the top priority of the foundation, as well as my own personal priority.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Poor Charlie's Almanack
by Charlie Munger
“List of books Bill Gates read in 2011.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Poor Numbers
“Makes a strong case that a lot of GDP measurements we thought were accurate are far from it.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Prepared
“Offers amazing tips on preparing kids for college, a career, and life.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Preventable
“I’m excited to see @devisridhar‘s book in paperback. Her way of thinking about preparing for the next pandemic is one we should all pay attention to.”
— Twitter/X
Principles
by Ray Dalio
“Ray Dalio has provided me with invaluable guidance and insights that are now available to you in Principles.”
— Amazon.com
Radical Inclusion
“When I first met @dsengeh in 2011, I was blown away by his intellect, his ambition, and his sense of humor. His new book is a must-read for anyone who wants to help create a truly inclusive world.”
— Twitter/X
Reinventing American Health Care
by Ezekiel J. Emanuel
“Makes the case for why the U.S. health care system needed reform and how Obamacare sets out to fix the problems.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
by Yuval Noah Harari
“I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a fun, engaging look at early human history.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Seveneves
by Neal Stephenson
“Belongs in the subgenre of hard science fiction, which means it emphasizes scientific accuracy.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Shoe Dog
by Phil Knight
“A refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Speed & Scale
“I read a lot of great books this year—including John Doerr’s latest about climate change”
— Gatesnotes.com
Stranger in a Strange Land
by Robert A. Heinlein
“One of my favorite sci-fi novels of all time.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Stress Test
by Timothy F. Geithner
“The former Treasury Secretary's front-row view of the financial crisis.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Structure of Materials
“An email from my younger self. In 2008 I wanted a bunch of science textbooks.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Stuff Matters
by Mark Miodownik
“Read this book and you’ll never look at a pencil or razor the same way.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Surrender
“A super fun read about how a boy from the suburbs of Dublin grew up to become a world-famous rock star and philanthropist.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Sustainable Energy
“If someone wants an overall view of how energy gets used, where it comes from, and the challenges in switching to new sources, this is the book to read.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Tap Dancing to Work
“A compilation of forty-plus years’ worth of coverage of Warren [Buffett] by the writers of Fortune.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Tarzan of the Apes
“I read every book by Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert Heinlein.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Atmosphere
“Although it’s intended as a textbook for a college-level course, it’s quite accessible for anyone who’s motivated to learn about how the Earth’s climate works.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Basics of Crystallography and Diffraction
“An email from my younger self. In 2008 I wanted a bunch of science textbooks.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Bet
“Gave me new perspective on why so many big challenges get bogged down in political battles rather than being focused on problem-solving.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
by Steven Pinker
“One of the most important books I’ve read—not just this year, but ever.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Black Swan
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“List of books Bill Gates read in 2012.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Box
by Marc Levinson
“Mostly about globalization, but there is also a larger story here that touches on business and philanthropy more broadly.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Bully Pulpit
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
“How Teddy Roosevelt and William Taft changed America.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Cost of Hope
“Amanda’s story is personal, filled with moments of anguish, grief and love but she also tries to draw attention to what she discovers is a flawed health care system.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Emperor of All Maladies
by Siddhartha Mukherjee
“I loved [this] brilliant book about cancer.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Fever
“If you want to read just one book about malaria, [this book] is probably the best choice.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
“Melinda and I really like [this book]. When we were first dating, she had a green light that she would turn on when her office was empty and it made sense for me to come over.”
— Twitter/X
The Great Influenza
by John M. Barry
“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.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Idealist
“I’ve told everyone at our foundation that I think it is worth taking the time to read [this book].”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Inner Game of Tennis
by W. Timothy Gallwey
“Gives excellent advice about how to move on constructively from mistakes, which I’ve tried to follow both on and off the court over the years.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Magic of Reality
“An engaging, well-illustrated science textbook offering compelling answers to big questions, from how the universe formed to what causes earthquakes.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Moment of Lift
by Melinda Gates
“I would say this even if I weren’t married to the author: [this book] is a terrific read.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Rational Optimist
by Matt Ridley
“Its subject is the history of humanity, focusing on why our species has succeeded and how we should think about the future.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Rise and Fall of American Growth
by Robert J. Gordon
“I did find his historical analysis, which makes up the bulk of the book, utterly fascinating.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Road to Character
by David Brooks
“It got me thinking about my own motivations and limitations in new ways.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Signal and the Noise
by Nate Silver
“About predictions in many domains besides politics.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Sixth Extinction
by Elizabeth Kolbert
“Makes a compelling case that all this [human] activity is leading to the sixth mass extinction in the Earth’s history.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The Song of the Cell
“And I recently read Mukherjee’s newest book, The Song of the Cell, which is about how understanding cells is key to improving human health.”
— Gatesnotes.com
The World Is Flat
by Thomas L. Friedman
“List of books Bill Gates read in 2011.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Thing Explainer
by Randall Munroe
“Nuclear physics, space travel, and other topics made easy.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Thinking, Fast and Slow
by Daniel Kahneman
“List of books Bill Gates read in 2012.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Value-Added Measures in Education
“An economist explores a controversial subject: teacher accountability.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Weather for Dummies
“Recently I was telling a friend about Weather for Dummies. This was not unusual—it’s actually one of the first books I recommend to anyone who wants to understand the weather and how it’s affected by climate change.”
— Gatesnotes.com
When Breath Becomes Air
by Paul Kalanithi
“This book definitely earned my admiration—and tears”
— Gatesnotes.com
Where Good Ideas Come From
by Steven Johnson
“Quite good at giving examples of how you create environments that can encourage good ideas.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Why Nations Fail
by Daron Acemoğlu & James A. Robinson
“A major disappointment. I found the authors’ analysis vague and simplistic.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Why We Sleep
by Matthew Walker
“Explains how neglecting sleep undercuts your creativity, problem solving, decision-making, learning, memory, heart health, brain health, mental health, emotional well-being, immune system, and even your life span.”
— Gatesnotes.com
Work Hard. Be Nice.
“Gives a great sense of how hard it was to get KIPP going and how intense the focus on good teaching is.”
— Gatesnotes.com
"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"
by Richard P. Feynman
A Princess of Mars
Behave
by Robert M. Sapolsky
Billion Dollar Whale
by Tom Wright & Bradley Hope
Blitzscaling
by Reid Hoffman
Business Adventures
by John Brooks
Change.edu
Destined for War
by Graham Allison
Foundation (7 books)
From the Ground Up
by Howard Schultz
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster
by Bill Gates
How to Change Your Mind
by Michael Pollan
Leadership
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Life 3.0
by Max Tegmark
Loonshots
by Safi Bahcall
Outliers
by Malcolm Gladwell
Play Nice But Win
by Michael Dell
SuperFreakonomics
by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
The Book of Why
by Judea Pearl & Dana Mackenzie
The Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger
The Diary of a Young Girl
by Anne Frank
The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Vol. III
by Richard P. Feynman
The Three-Body Problem
by Cixin Liu
Tools and Weapons
by Brad Smith