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One of the famous factoids about Bill Gates is that he reads 50 books a year. Over the years, he’s become one of the best book critics around and you’d know this if you’ve been regularly checking his GatesNotes website. Each year, Bill releases a list of ‘Best Summer Reads’. He’ll do individual book reviews. And at the end of the year, he’ll release a list of the best books he read that year. Why does any of this matter? Well, he’s arguably the most successful living human being and it’s pretty helpful to know what’s helped shape his mind over the years.
Bill just released his annual list of ‘5 Amazing Books I Read This Year’ and if you’re looking for some great holiday/Winter reading material you should start right here. These books can also make great gift ideas. That reminds me, if you haven’t checked out my ‘50 Best Gifts For Men‘ holiday gift guide yet you should follow that link.
For his list of the 5 best books he read in 2017, Bill put together this short video along with quick reviews (below) of each. You can read more about these books over on his website GatesNotes after checking them out below. All of the descriptions of the books below are from Bill Gates, not yours truly.
1) The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir by Thi Bui
This gorgeous graphic novel is a deeply personal memoir that explores what it means to be a parent and a refugee. The author’s family fled Vietnam in 1978. After giving birth to her own child, she decides to learn more about her parents’ experiences growing up in a country torn apart by foreign occupiers.
2) Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
If you want a good understanding of how the issues that cause poverty are intertwined, you should read this book about the eviction crisis in Milwaukee. Desmond has written a brilliant portrait of Americans living in poverty. He gave me a better sense of what it is like to be poor in this country than anything else I have read.
3) Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens by Eddie Izzard
Izzard’s personal story is fascinating: he survived a difficult childhood and worked relentlessly to overcome his lack of natural talent and become an international star. If you’re a huge fan of him like I am, you’ll love this book. His written voice is very similar to his stage voice, and I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading it.
4) The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Most of the books I’ve read and movies I’ve seen about the Vietnam War focused on the American perspective. Nguyen’s award-winning novel offers much-needed insight into what it was like to be Vietnamese and caught between both sides. Despite how dark it is, The Sympathizer is a gripping story about a double agent and the trouble he gets himself into.
5) Energy and Civilization: A History by Vaclav Smil
Smil is one of my favorite authors, and this is his masterpiece. He lays out how our need for energy has shaped human history—from the era of donkey-powered mills to today’s quest for renewable energy. It’s not the easiest book to read, but at the end you’ll feel smarter and better informed about how energy innovation alters the course of civilizations.
Looking for more BOOKS? Just follow that link!
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