Books Recommended by Bill Gates
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Why We Sleep
Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
Matthew Walker
Source: "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." - Bill Gates
Energy and Civilization
A History
Vaclav Smil
Source: "Goes deep and broad to explain how innovations in humans’ ability to turn energy into heat, light, and motion have been a driving force behind our cultural and economic progress over the past 10,000 years." - Bill Gates
1 recommender
The Most Powerful Idea in the World
A Story of Steam, Industry, and Invention
William Rosen
Source: "An entertaining narrative weaving together the clever characters, incremental innovations and historical context behind the steam engines that gave birth to our modern world." - Bill Gates
2 recommenders
The Feynman Lectures on Physics (3 books)
Richard P. Feynman
Source: "You don't have to take a course [to learn physics]. If you're hardcore, read [this series] and do the problems." - Bill Gates
3 recommenders
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Source: "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." - Bill Gates
Mindset
The New Psychology of Success
Carol S. Dweck
Source: "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." - Bill Gates
Blitzscaling
The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies
Reid Hoffman
Source: "The case studies you’re about to explore and the tools you’re about to gain have never been more relevant. This is an ideal moment to be reading this book." - Bill Gates
The Art of Computer Programming (4 books)
Donald Knuth
Source: "You want to learn to do software? Read [this series]. Good luck doing the problems." - Bill Gates
2 recommenders
On Immunity
An Inoculation
Eula Biss
Source: "[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." - Bill Gates
3 recommenders
Change.edu
Rebooting for the New Talent Economy
Andrew S Rosen
Source: "Builds a persuasive case that many non-traditional students, such as working adults, parents and those at risk of dropping out, are not well served by traditional institutions." - Bill Gates
1 recommender
A World-Class Education
Learning from International Models of Excellence and Innovation
Vivien Stewart
Source: "Looks at five countries—Singapore, Canada, Finland, China, and Australia—where students are doing significantly better on global assessments than students in the U.S." - Bill Gates
1 recommender
The Cost of Hope
A Memoir
Amanda Bennett
Source: "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." - Bill Gates
1 recommender
Jim Grant
UNICEF Visionary
Peter Adamson
Source: "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." - Bill Gates
1 recommender
Sustainable Energy
Without the Hot Air
David JC MacKay
Source: "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." - Bill Gates
1 recommender
The World Until Yesterday
What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?
Jared Diamond
Source: "Made me think about how we have had to overcome some deeply ingrained behaviors in order to develop a modern, interconnected society." - Bill Gates
1 recommender
Polio
An American Story
David M. Oshinsky
Source: "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." - Bill Gates
1 recommender
The Magic of Reality
Richard Dawkins
Source: "An engaging, well-illustrated science textbook offering compelling answers to big questions, from how the universe formed to what causes earthquakes." - Bill Gates
1 recommender
Future Forward
Leadership Lessons from Patrick McGovern, the Visionary Who Circled the Globe and Built a Technology Media Empire
Glenn Rifkin
Source: "Patrick McGovern shaped the way that millions of people grew to understand the enormous potential of computers and how they would change the world." - Bill Gates
Breath from Salt
A Deadly Genetic Disease, a New Era in Science, and the Patients and Families Who Changed Medicine Forever
Bijal P. Trivedi
Source: "Documents a story of remarkable scientific innovation and how it has improved the lives of almost all cystic fibrosis patients and their families." - Bill Gates
1 recommender
Moonwalking with Einstein
The Art and Science of Remembering Everything
Joshua Foer
Source: "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]." - Bill Gates
3 recommenders
100 books
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