Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates released a new list of summer book recommendations this week, just in time for Memorial Day weekend. The list also includes in-depth reviews of his picks.
Gates periodically shares what he’s reading — he released a November 2023 holiday list and a summer reading list last year.
This year’s recommendations “all touch on the idea of service to others—why we do it, the things that can make it difficult, and why we should do it anyway,” Gates wrote in a blog post.
A week before the list’s release, he posted on social media about one of his selections, Salman Khan’s Brave New Words, when the book first launched.
“If you’re passionate about education, you need to read this book,” Gates wrote on X.
If you’re passionate about education, you need to read this book. Sal offers a compelling vision for harnessing AI to expand opportunity for all. https://t.co/5QwCp1ar0G
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 14, 2024
Here are the four books, and one show, that Gates recommends everyone read (or watch) this summer.
Related: Bill Gates Says Changing This Toxic Habit Helped Him Succeed
The Women
The Women by Kristin Hannah follows a U.S. Army nurse as she serves in Vietnam, and then comes back to the U.S.
Gates called the book “a beautifully written tribute to a group of veterans who deserve more appreciation for the incredible sacrifices they made.”
Infectious Generosity
Infectious Generosity by TED Talk curator Chris Anderson ponders how the Internet affects generosity.
Gates recommended the book as a place to start for anyone who wants to create a more equitable world.
Brave New Words
Brave New Words, by Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy writes about AI in the classroom.
Gates had high praise for Khan, writing that “no one has sharper insights into the future of education than Sal does.”
How to Know a Person
How to Know a Person, by David Brooks gives readers tips to have better conversations.
Brooks’ “key premise” that conversational skills are learnable, not innate “is one I haven’t found elsewhere,” Gates wrote.
Slow Horses (Television)
Slow Horses, a show available in the U.S. on Apple TV+, is a spy story that Gates would put “up there with the best of them.”
The British series is about undercover agents and features a character that Gates calls the opposite of James Bond.
