Bill Gates’s 5 Favorite Books of 2017
The co-founder of Microsoft and dedicated philanthropist reveals what he read this year and why you should read these books, too.
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When Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and a shaper of tech as we know it today, takes a break from worldwide travel and expansive philanthropy, he indulges in a good book. “Reading is my favorite way to indulge my curiosity,” he says. With the holidays just around the corner, his list of his top five favorite reads from this year arrived just in time.
Related: Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Raised Their Kids Tech-Free — And It Should’ve Been a Red Flag
From technical nonfiction to historical fiction, Gates’s list is sure to offer you the book you need to get lost by a roaring fire this holiday season. Check out the list below for the titles, and Gates’s own video for his deeper analysis.
Abrams AppleseedThe Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
What it’s about: An intimate memoir, this book paints a portrait of a Vietnamese family — the author’s own — fleeing the country in 1978. The story offers a fascinating perspective on what it means to be both a parent and a refugee in an occupied land.
Crown PublishersEvicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
What it’s about: This work of nonfiction intertwines an intimate experience of poverty in America with clear cut causation and politics, using the eviction crisis in Milwaukee, Wis., as a backdrop.
Gates’s recommendation: Evicted
Penguin Random HouseBelieve Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens by Eddie Izzard
What it’s about: Comedian Eddie Izzard in this memoir outlines and reflects on his unique path to success as an international star.
Gates’s recommendation:
Grove PressThe Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
What it’s about: This book of historical fiction is unlike many Vietnam War novels of its kind, as it is written in the perspective of a native Vietnamese caught between two sides. This dark story follows Nguyen’s double agent for a fresh voice amidst this crowded genre.
Gates’s recommendation: The Sympathizer
MIT PressEnergy and Civilization: A History by Vaclav Smil
What it’s about: This dense work of nonfiction lays out how the human need for energy has shaped our society throughout history. Spanning a timeline from donkey-powered mills to solar panels, this book shows just how powerful — and consequential — our quest can be.
Gates’s recommendation:When Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and a shaper of tech as we know it today, takes a break from worldwide travel and expansive philanthropy, he indulges in a good book. “Reading is my favorite way to indulge my curiosity,” he says. With the holidays just around the corner, his list of his top five favorite reads from this year arrived just in time.
Related: Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Raised Their Kids Tech-Free — And It Should’ve Been a Red Flag
From technical nonfiction to historical fiction, Gates’s list is sure to offer you the book you need to get lost by a roaring fire this holiday season. Check out the list below for the titles, and Gates’s own video for his deeper analysis.
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