Bill Gates, the billionaire and business entrepreneur, recommends five works people can read while staying home this Christmas season.
People know Gates as a voracious reader who reads roughly 50 publications annually. He makes suggestions to individuals after reading the books. The books are among Gates’ favorites, and he thinks that by sharing them, he might help others better their personal and professional life. This year, Gates issued a list that included new books and some of his all-time favorites. In addition, he described why books are important to him and how they would help others.
The 2022 holiday reading list by Gates
Robert Heinlein’s ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’
The 1961 science fiction novel tells the narrative of a person born on Mars. As he delved into an alien world, the protagonist journeyed to Earth and attempted to grasp human notions of war and religion.
“I met Paul [Allen] around [that] time, and we got to know each other by talking about sci-fi. I love sci-fi that pushes your thinking about what’s possible in the future. He also does the classic sci-fi thing of using a fictional setting to ask profound questions about human nature,” Gates said.
Bono’s ‘Surrender’
Gates and Bono treasure a long history together. Bono, a billionaire and rocker/writer, collaborates with Gates on several awareness projects and advocacy events. The two have been friends for numerous years, and Gates enjoys reading his long-time friend’s memoirs, which agrees with him on global health and climate change.
“They share the same values. All four are passionate about fighting poverty and inequity in the world, and they’re also aligned on maintaining their integrity as artists,” he said.
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Doran Kearns Goodwin’s ‘Team of Rivals’
According to Gates, the literature of the Pulitzer Prize-winning histories blew him away. The 2005 nonfiction novel recounts Abraham Lincoln’s journey through the American political arena. It describes the events leading up to his election as president in 1860. Hence, the entrepreneur claimed that the book precisely depicted Lincoln’s leadership ability, helping him to overcome the disputes among his cabinet members.
“Lately, I’ve been thinking about Goodwin’s book because it feels very relevant in 2022. There are significant parallels between the current and the 1860s, when the nation was dealing with violent insurrection, difficult questions about race, and ideological divides between states and regions,” he said.
Robert Gallwey’s ‘The Inner Game of Tennis’
As a coach, Gallwey published the book to aid people to improve their forehand command and as a “guide to the mental side of peak performance”. Gates read the literary work over forty years ago. Nevertheless, he still promotes the book to his friend since he feels that people may utilize the teachings in the book in real life.
“For most of us, it’s too easy to slip into self-criticism, which then inhibits our performance even more. Instead, we need to learn from our mistakes without obsessing over them,” Gates said.
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Paul Strathern’s ‘Mendeleyev’s Dream’
The book traces the evolution of chemistry. The book from 2000 grabbed his curiosity since he had long admired the periodic table and its creator, Dmitri Mendeleyev.
“Aside from being a neat piece of art, the periodic table reminds me of how one discovery can lead to countless others. So all the complexity of the universe comes from the properties on that chart. Because we understand atoms, we can make chips, and therefore we can make software, and therefore we can make AI. Everything goes back to the periodic table,” he concluded.
Photo Credit: Ali Cherkis
Source: CNBC
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