17 books Bill Gates thinks everyone should read

Muhiuddin Alam April 15, 2021

17 books Bill Gates thinks everyone should read they are Tap Dancing to Work, Stress Test, Business Adventures, On Immunity, Epic Measures, What If ..

Although the schedule of the richest man in the world, Bill Gates, must be precise, the businessman, billionaire, and philanthropist still insist on the habit of reading a book a week. With the exception of a few novels, most of the books Gates has read are related to his activities and his foundation.

Many of them are related to institutional changes, such as how the country develops smarter, how to lead an organization, and how to change to benefit society. We take stock of the book reviews Gates has published in the last five years and select those books that he has given classic reviews to and changed his views.

Bill Gates thinks everyone should read these 17 books!

1. Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything

by Carol J. Loomis

Warren Buffett (Warren Buffett) and Gates can be described as understanding, they recommend books to each other, participate in charitable activities together, etc., for this reason, Gates recommended this book that you do not have to be surprised. The books are all articles on Buffett written by Buffett himself and others written by others and are compiled by the Fortune Rumi's magazine reporter.

Gates said that anyone who has read this book will get two important insights:

How Buffett adhered to his investment philosophy and perspective throughout his investment career;
Buffett's analysis and understanding of the market and business is an almost incomparable proportion.

Gates concluded: "Getting into Buffett's thinking is a very valuable way to kill time."

2. Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization

by Vaclav Smil

Gates once said that his favorite writer is Smir. He said, "To understand where we are going, we need to know where we are now. Smil is my favorite source of learning." Smil is an environmental science professor who has written historical books on energy and innovation.

When Gates commented on "Creating the Contemporary World: Materials and Dematerialization," he said, "Materials seem ordinary, but material issues are an important factor in helping the world's most disadvantaged people improve their lives. The United States and other countries. The quality of life has improved tremendously in the last 100 years, and in the next 50 years, we expect more miracles to happen. "

3. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History

by Elizabeth Kolbert

It's easy to forget that every day today is also part of the history of the world, and the book by Elizabeth Colbert, a reporter for The New Yorker magazine, can change this mistake.

Gates wrote: "Humans are the main culprits for species migration, river pollution, overfishing and ocean acidification. Natural scientists have confirmed that there have been five mass extinctions on the planet. The large number listed in Colbert's book Kolbert's facts show that human behavior will lead to the sixth mass extinction. "

4. Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Cris

by Timothy F. Geithner

As CEO of Microsoft, Gates is always at the center of an extremely complex system. While serving as US Secretary of the Treasury during the outbreak of the financial crisis, Geithner found himself in a similar situation to Gates.

Gates wrote: "How to deal with the global financial crisis, internal and external government criticism, and failure to meet family responsibilities, Geithner has vividly described in the book. Dealing with the politics of financial crises is always ugly, but it is The One. public understanding is good. "

5. The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined

by Steven Pinker

In this book, Harvard University Professor of Cognitive Psychology, Pinker, explained in detail the most controversial topic in history-violence.

Gates once wrote: "It is one of the most important books I have ever read. Pinker listed a great deal of evidence showing that humans are gradually becoming less violent and more human than before. This book is not just a theoretical work, and it also affects my humanitarian efforts. I am a very optimistic person. This book resonated with me and made me rethink certain strategies of our foundation. "

6. The Man Who Fed the World

by Leon Hesser

Although Gates could meet almost anyone in the world, he never had the opportunity to meet Dr. Norman Borlaug, winner of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. The late Bolog was a renowned American geneticist and plant pathologist. He led the "Green Revolution" and his series of innovations helped countless people to rid themselves of hunger.

Gates said: "Although many people may never have heard of Bolog, it is possible that he is the person who saved the most innocent lives in world history. According to estimates, Bolog's invention successfully protected more than a thousand million people from starvation. Most are from India and Pakistan."

In addition to the Nobel Peace Prize, Bolog also won the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. For Gates, Bolog is his role model to follow him to participate in the most important work in the world.

7. Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street

by John Brooks

In 1991, Gates asked Buffett which book he liked best. Subsequently, Buffett gave "Business Adventures" to the Microsoft co-founder. Although most of the stories in the book date back to half a century, this book has always been Gates' favorite.

Gates said that the contents of this book are a good illustration of the basic principles for building a successful business.

He wrote: "First of all, the human factor is the foundation of any successful business. Because if you have perfect products, manufacturing plans, or marketing strategies, you need the right people to lead and implement these plans."

8. The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism

by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Like all of us, Gates is also obsessed with former US President Roosevelt's ability to influence society, such as antitrust laws and the establishment of a park system. To this end, Gates hopes that Goodwin's book can better understand how Old Roosevelt changed society.

Gates wrote: "How does social change happen? Can it be driven solely by inspiring leaders? Or are there other factors that should lay the groundwork for this first? Although old Roosevelt tried to promote a series of political reforms early in his life. career, but until reporters and the media helped him gain public support, he didn't really achieve success in the true sense."

9. The Rosie Project: A Novel

by Graeme Simsion

Gates rarely read novels, but the book recommended by Gates's wife, Melinda, is an exception. Gates wrote: "This book tells the story of how an Asperger genetics teacher finds true love. It is so interesting, meaningful, and touching!"

10. On Immunity: An Inoculation

by Eula Biss

Although from a scientific point of view, vaccines are one of the most important inventions in the history of mankind. However, there is still much debate about whether the introduction of vaccines is a good idea.

Gates wrote: “Biss has confirmed the common knowledge error about the spread of childhood immunity among parents of children through research of the literature and philosophical and scientific rapid test methods. Biss's attention to this topic is not purely for academic research purposes. But because she is also a mother. "

11. How Asia Works

by Joe Studwell

Stawell is a business journalist whose primary mission is to understand the meaning of "economic development." The "Financial Times" commented that the "Asian Model" is the first paper to analyze the success and failure of Asian economic development.

Gates commented: “The ways in which all countries are successful in economic development are:

Creating conditions for the development of small farmers;
From an extensive agricultural surplus to the establishment of a complete intensive industrial chain of production, processing, and export;
Guide companies and financial institutions to closely cooperate and be controlled by the government."

12. How to Lie with Statistics

by Darrell Huff

"Statistical Pitfalls" was first published in 1954. It mainly presents statistics and the basic principles of how to manipulate statistics. Gates believes that the content of the book is still inextricably linked to modern reality, and is even more important than ever.

Gates wrote: "One of the chapters teaches readers how to judge how distorted and exaggerated actual results are based on surface phenomena. This reminder is timely. We can use data modeling to see what is flooding our Facebook and Twitter. these days. content."

13. Epic Measures: One Doctor. Seven Billion Patients.

by Jeremy N. Smith

Reading this biography is especially important to Gates because he has known a doctor named Chris Murray for more than 10 years. Gates said this book is worth reading for anyone who wants to learn more about Murray's work and why it is so important. Murray's work includes creating a public website called "Global Burden of Disease," which collects research data on human diseases and causes of death around the world.

Murray's inspiration comes from: If we don't know what the cause is, we may not be able to find a cure at all. Gates wrote: "This book shows that the more reliable the information we have, the better decisions we can make and have a greater impact."

14. Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World

by Mark Miodownik

Are you like most people? Although you use glass teacups, notepads, and stainless steel sheets every day, you don't think too much about the materials used to make them. And materials scientist McDonald explained in the book why these materials are so fascinating behind the science.

This sounds similar to the book "Creating the Contemporary World: Materials and Dematerialization" by Gates' favorite author Smil, but Gates said the two works are completely different. Smil is a man who speaks by "numbers and facts," while Madonnak pays more attention to romance than numbers, making the latter's book easier to read. Gates stated that he likes the McDonald's chapter description of carbon best, which provides an in-depth analysis of the atom's past and its role in human life in the future.

15. Hyperbole and a Half

by Allie Brosh

It can be hard to imagine Gates reading a cartoon while she is holding a book, but "Over and Half" is far more poignant and profound than her comic expression. The basis for the writing of this book comes from the Bloss blog site. The stories and cartoons above describe Bloss's real-life scenes and the disasters he imagined.

Gates wrote: "This is a very interesting and very wise book. Blocher's story is incredible, but at times it is very real." Gates described Bloche's struggles in the book. The severe depression part was particularly moving, including a series of scenes about his suicide note. Gates said this is a rare book that can make you laugh, cry, and ponder the meaning of existence at the same time.

16. What If

by Randall Munroe

This is another blog-based book that answers hypothetical scientific questions with cartoon illustrations. These questions include: What happens if I swim in a pool of spent nuclear fuel? If everyone had a single soulmate, what would happen to someone who appeared randomly somewhere in the world? Each question is asked by a different reader, and Monroe, a former NASA rocket expert, gave the most serious answer after research and investigation.

Gates wrote: "The reason the Monroe method is such a great way to understand science is that it allows everyone to understand and then explore what happens in extreme cases. For example, we all know what gravity is. Earth's gravity doubles, what if it increases 3 times, 100 times? Look at these problems this way, you will find that gravity looks a little different. "

17. Should We Eat Meat

by Vaclav Smil

Gates wrote that Smil commented on the issue of eating human flesh from every possible angle. First, he tried to define meat, and then he addressed the role of meat in human evolution. Then, Smil released data on the meat consumed in each country, the health and environmental risks that meat brings, and the ethics of raising animals for slaughter. Gates had been a vegetarian for a year when he was in his early 20s. He was impressed by Smil's ability to use science to reveal common errors, such as his refutation of the "error" that requires a lot of water to obtain meat.

Gates wrote: "The facts have shown that not all water is equal. 90% of the water that cattle need is green water," such as planting grasslands. In most places, "green water" comes almost entirely from rainwater. , because most of the "green water" will eventually evaporate back into the atmosphere and not actually be consumed. "This book made Gates feel that the needs for human flesh will eventually be met.