Christmas is coming and while searching for the best present for our loved ones, we often forget that buying a book can be just the right thing to do. However, buying a book for another person can be a challenging task.
American business magnate, software developer, philanthropist, and co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates has compiled his top five books to keep us warm during the winter season. Focusing on making sense of the world is a theme in every book on his list, recommending readers to explore pressing concepts and ideas of politics, infrastructure, and AI.
These are the books that Gates has picked to take us through space and time, focusing on past, present, and future as, in his words, “it’s natural to try and wrap your head around things during times of rapid change, like we’re living through now.”
1. The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
Gates recommends this read for anyone teaching, raising, or working with young people these days. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that has hit many countries at the same time. He also investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent adults, why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world. Gates stated that he appreciated that Haidt “doesn’t just lay out the problem – he offers real solutions that are worth considering.”
2. An Unfinished Love Story, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Being a fan of Doris’s books, Gates dived into the autobiographical read head-on. The book highlights her life with her late husband Richard Goodwin, who worked as a policy advisor and speechwriter for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson during a particularly tumultuous period in recent American history. This biography skilfully intertwines her personal love story with the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the Vietnam War.
3. The Coming Wave, by Mustafa Suleyman
Mustafa Suleyman’s deep understanding of scientific history allows him to give an in-depth explanation of artificial intelligence. As Gates noted, “he offers the best explanation I’ve seen yet of how artificial intelligence is poised to reshape every aspect of society.” This book is also a warning of the unprecedented risks that AI and other fast-developing technologies pose to global order. In this read, Suleyman shows how these forces can create both immense prosperity but also threaten the nation-state.
4. Engineering in Plain Sight, by Grady Hillhouse
Engineering in Plain Sight extends the field guide genre from natural phenomena to human-made structures such as cable boxes, transformers, or even cell phones making, them approachable and understandable to non-engineers. It changes readers’ perspectives of the built environment, converting the act of looking at infrastructure from a mundane inevitability into an everyday diversion and joy.
5. Federer, by Doris Henkel
This book is not for everyone. But it is the perfect read for anyone who is a fan of Roger Federer. This is a retrospective of his life and career, giving tennis enthusiasts a better overview of his journey. Gates explained that even though he thought he knew much about Federer, this book allowed him to learn “a ton, especially about his early years.” Moreover, the book is rich of visuals, making it a special treat for tennis fans.
