Bill Gates’s summer book recommendations have already become an established yearly practice, and this year is no exception. An avid reader, the billionaire also compiled a reading list for the summer of 2022, which includes titles approaching topics such as gender issues, politics and climate change.
On his blog, Gates Notes, he states that, even though his recommendations seem to tackle pretty “heavy” subjects, the authors of the books managed to make them “compelling without sacrificing any complexity”.
So, here is what Bill Gates recommends we should be reading this summer.
The Power, written by Naomi Alderman. This book was recommended to Gates by his older daughter and he stated that it gave him a better understanding of the injustice experienced by women today. The novel explores a world in which power is held entirely by women and addresses important issues of our modern world.
Why We’re Polarized, written by Ezra Klein. Politically themed, this book analyzes the structural and psychological factors that lead to the division and polarization of America. Gates stated that “the book is fundamentally about American politics, but it’s also a fascinating look at human psychology.”
The Lincoln Highway, written by Amor Towles. This author was also included in Gates’s 2019 list of recommendations, with the book A Gentleman in Moscow. This year, the same author is featured with his follow-up novel, which Gates claims he enjoyed even more and focuses on the unpredictability of people’s personal journeys.
The Ministry for the Future, written by Kim Stanley Robinson. This fictional novel seeks to raise awareness of the grim future that we might have to face unless we actually do something to address climate change. According to Goodreads, “it is a novel both immediate and impactful, desperate and hopeful in equal measure, and it is one of the most powerful and original books on climate change ever written.”
How the World Really Works, written by Vaclav Smil. This book relies on factual information to address various topics, from energy and food supplies to globalization and the future of the environment. A declared fan of the author, Gates states that “If you want a brief but thorough education in numeric thinking about many of the fundamental forces that shape human life, this is the book to read.”
Photo credit: Gates Notes