In times of stress, there are few things more calming than getting engrossed in a great book. And between the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2020 presidential election, Americans are stressed.
Microsoft co-founder and famously voracious reader Bill Gates has a few suggestions as to what book to pick up next. In a wide-ranging interview with Lloyd Minor, dean of medicine at Stanford University, on Oct. 21, Gates recommended a handful of books to read during these times.
These are four titles Gates says to read now.
1. “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness”
- By Michelle Alexander
“There’s a lot of books about racial injustice that I probably should have read more of in the past,” Gates told Minor. After George Floyd was killed by police on May 25, and protests took place around the country against racial injustice, many people turned to anti-racism literature. Gates said he read, “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.”
The book, which was written in 2010, is about racism, the criminal justice system and mass incarceration. Gates suggested it for “thinking about how other people perceive the justice system.”
- By Bijal P. Trivedi
Gates called this title about the genetic disease cystic fibrosis “a great example of where brilliant researchers at the academic level, a company [and] donors came together to achieve something that it wasn’t even clear could be done.” The new nonfiction book chronicles how cystic fibrosis was discovered and treatments were developed, through the lens of patients, doctors and philanthropists.
“To take on a disease like that, it’s very inspiring,” Gates said. “There’s a lot of great stories in that.”
3. “The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz”
- By Erik Larson
Gates told Minor about “The Splendid and the Vile,” a book he read about Winston Churchill during World War II. In July, Gates mentioned the same book, which was published in February and tells the story of the Blitz.
The book is relevant now because it shows “a leader who was under a lot of pressure and doubt with things,” Gates said. “Even though we can get obsessed about political stuff, stepping back and reading thoughtful books is very helpful.”
4. “Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World”
- By Fareed Zakaria
Fareed Zakaria, author, columnist and host of CNN Worldwide’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” released a book about how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world on Oct. 6. “It’s a very promising title,” Gates said.
In it, Zakaria packages learnings from the pandemic into “lessons” that governments and people can take away in the future. A few examples: “people should listen to experts” and “inequality will get worse.”
X-tra Materials by Bill Gates
Most of my conversations and meetings these days are about COVID-19 and how we can stem the tide. But I’m also often asked about what I am reading and watching—either because people want to learn more about pandemics, or because they are looking for a distraction. I’m always happy to talk about great books and TV shows (and to hear what other people are doing, since I’m usually in the market for recommendations).
So, in addition to the five new book reviews I always write for my summer book list, I included a number of other recommendations. I hope you find something that catches your interest.
The Choice, by Dr. Edith Eva Eger. This book is partly a memoir and partly a guide to processing trauma. Eger was only sixteen years old when she and her family got sent to Auschwitz. After surviving unbelievable horrors, she moved to the United States and became a therapist. Her unique background gives her amazing insight, and I think many people will find comfort right now from her suggestions on how to handle difficult situations.
Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell. This is the kind of novel you’ll think and talk about for a long time after you finish it. The plot is a bit hard to explain, because it involves six inter-related stories that take place centuries apart (including one I particularly loved about a young American doctor on a sailing ship in the South Pacific in the mid-1800s). But if you’re in the mood for a really compelling tale about the best and worst of humanity, I think you’ll find yourself as engrossed in it as I was.
The Ride of a Lifetime, by Bob Iger. This is one of the best business books I’ve read in several years. Iger does a terrific job explaining what it’s really like to be the CEO of a large company. Whether you’re looking for business insights or just an entertaining read, I think anyone would enjoy his stories about overseeing Disney during one of the most transformative times in its history.
The Great Influenza, by John M. Barry. We’re living through an unprecedented time right now. But if you’re looking for a historical comparison, the 1918 influenza pandemic is as close as you’re going to get. Barry will teach you almost everything you need to know about one of the deadliest outbreaks in human history. Even though 1918 was a very different time from today, The Great Influenza is a good reminder that we’re still dealing with many of the same challenges.
Good Economics for Hard Times, by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo. Banerjee and Duflo won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences last year, and they’re two of the smartest economists working today. Fortunately for us, they’re also very good at making economics accessible to the average person. Their newest book takes on inequality and political divisions by focusing on policy debates that are at the forefront in wealthy countries like the United States.
The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness, by Andy Puddicombe. For years, I was a skeptic about meditation. Now I do it as often as I can—three times a week, if time allows. Andy’s book and the app he created, Headspace, are what made me a convert. Andy, a former Buddhist monk, offers lots of helpful metaphors to explain potentially tricky concepts in meditation. At a time when we all could use a few minutes to de-stress and re-focus each day, this is a great place to start.
Moonwalking with Einstein, by Joshua Foer. If you’re looking to work on a new skill, you could do worse than learning to memorize things. Foer is a science writer who got interested in how memory works, and why some people seem to have an amazing ability to recall facts. He takes you inside the U.S. Memory Championship—yes, that’s a real thing—and introduces you to the techniques that, amazingly, allowed him to win the contest one year.
The Martian, by Andy Weir. You may remember the movie from a few years ago, when Matt Damon—playing a botanist who’s been stranded on Mars—sets aside his fear and says, “I’m going to science the s*** out of this.” We’re doing the same thing with the novel coronavirus.
A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles. The main character in this novel is living through a situation that now feels very relatable: He can’t leave the building he’s living in. But he’s not stuck there because of a disease; it’s 1922, and he’s a Russian count who’s serving a life sentence under house arrest in a hotel. I thought it was a fun, clever, and surprisingly upbeat story about making the best of your surroundings.
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