From science fiction to politics: what books does Bill Gates recommend reading this summer

In keeping with his yearly tradition, Bill Gates posted his summer 6 reading recommendations on his GatesNotes blog on June 2022th. This summer's lineup includes books on the impact of climate change, gender power, and the causes of US polarization. Forbes.

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The billionaire philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft didn't focus on one topic as he did last year when he wrote that the pandemic had influenced his choice. Gates praises many of this year's writings for being relevant to today's issues of identity, power, and the state of the future.

Gates acknowledges that the topics in these books may seem too deep for those flipping through the pages on vacation, but he says each of the authors has turned difficult topics into compelling stories and discussions.

“This doesn't sound like the kind of thing you'd read on the beach,” Gates writes. “I loved all five of these books, and I hope you find something here that you enjoy too.”

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In the past, including in late 2020, Gates has tended to offer mostly non-fiction works. He had one novel in the catalog last summer. As for his latest recommendations, most of the list is for fiction.

Here are five books he recommends:

"How the World Really Works" Vaclav Smil

Gates said last year that Smil is his favorite author. In this a book Smil, a renowned Canadian environmental economist, explains seven phenomena that determine human survival and performance in a global information-driven economy. How the World Really Works is intended to summarize Smil's research on the world's networks of agriculture, energy, and manufacturing, and their relationship to societal functions and environmental impacts. Gates says that for those who want to learn about the forces that shape human life, this book is an excellent introduction. He also praises the book's data-driven conclusions about the economy and climate change, adding that "although Vaclav has strong opinions on many issues ... he avoids extremes."

The Lincoln Highway: A Novel novel by Amor Towles

Gates praises science fiction writer Towles, saying he is "not a one-trick pony. Like all the best storytellers, he has a range." Author From the book A Gentleman in Moscow previously recommended by Gates, Towles embarks on an epic journey set in 1954 along the highway of the same name. The character Emmet returns home to Nebraska to live with his eight-year-old brother Billy after 15 months of farm work for manslaughter. Their father died, their mother left them many years ago. The brothers plan to travel west to California to start a new life. But two of Emmett's working farm friends, the Duchess and Woolly, join them and force Emmett and Billy to head east to New York. Gates emphasizes that there are well-developed, strong characters in Lincoln Highway, especially Billy and the brothers' neighbor Sally. The plot, told from multiple perspectives, shows, as Gates says, that "personal travel is never as linear or predictable as interstate highways."

"Why We're Polarized" by Ezra Klein

Gates compares a man's political views to his taste in card games: “As far as I know, we can be like oil and water once we start talking. But we both love bridge and that makes it more likely that I'll connect with someone." He says that in the last a book Ezra Klein, a columnist and podcast host for The New York Times, describes the psychological aspects of group mentality that shape American politics today.

At the forefront of polarization is political identity, as Klein shows, which over the past 50 years has merged with racial, regional, and ideological identities influencing existing political institutions.

Compiling data that reflects trends across national borders, within parties, and across generations, Why We're Polarized describes the changes in the country's political and information systems that have led many rational people to become tug-of-war players. Gates says the book is important for understanding what's going on with politics in the US today.

"The Ministry for the Future" by Kim Stanley Robinson

Name of this novel refers to a fictitious subsidiary body responsible for implementing the international legally binding Paris Agreement on climate change. It is a story of science, political responsibility and ideas to save the future. The novel begins with a heat and humidity wave in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, which resulted in the death of 20 million people. The two protagonists, aid worker Frank May and diplomat Mary Murphy, head of the ministry, work towards the goal of fighting climate change to save humanity for future generations. Although Gates says some of the novel's politics are misrepresented, he finds the book's theories intriguing. He concludes that Robinson's novel "expresses in an original way the urgency of this crisis" and "leaves readers hope" that they will lead the politics of tomorrow.

"The Power" by Naomi Alderman

Gates says he took this novel 2016 on the advice of his daughter Jenn. Naomi Alderman's book The Power poses the question of what would happen if women were suddenly given the ability to electrocute their bodies at will. Following four characters, three of whom are women, with different gender experiences in different social circles, institutions and places, Alderman discusses the change of power that leads to the hopes of some people for a more equal world, as well as the corruption of power and the violent revolutions that followed and physical and sexual abuse.

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The male protagonist, Tunde, is a journalism student in Lagos who tries to document social and political change but faces difficult situations and has to adjust to living with different gender dynamics. The other three protagonists ask questions about how to control their newfound powers. Roxy inherits the throne of the London crime syndicate ahead of his three older brothers. Margo is a budding New England politician with a teenage daughter, and Ellie is a Southern girl who is escaping a violent foster family and forming a new religion. Gates says that after reading this book, he "gained a stronger and more visceral sense of the abuse and injustice that many women face today" and that the hypotheses in this book are timely in today's conversations about gender.

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