American billionaire Bill Gates has published a list of five books he recommends, stating that each book reveals how something important in our lives works.
The list includes five diverse books covering topics such as finding meaning in life after retirement, understanding the climate crisis, the secrets of human communication, the transformation of creative industries, and the reasons for America's declining ability to undertake large-scale projects.
The books Gates recommended:
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"Abundance" by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson This is a political economy book that discusses why America has become unable to build large-scale projects, from infrastructure to scientific innovations, and proposes an "abundance agenda" to overcome regulatory hurdles. Gates believes the book doesn't offer all the solutions, but it raises the right questions, pointing out that bureaucracy often hinders progress, even in global health projects he works on.
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"When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows" by Steven Pinker The latest book by the renowned Harvard psychologist, in which he explains how "common knowledge" affects human communication and cooperation.
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"Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Metre The novel is set in an aquarium and is partly told from the perspective of an octopus! The story revolves around the friendship between a seventy-year-old widow who works as a night guard at an aquarium and an octopus named Marcelus. Gates describes it as "the clearest explanation of the climate crisis I've read," praising the author's realistic, data-driven approach, far from the pessimism that can hinder progress.
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"Clearing the Air" by Hannah Ritchie A scientific book that answers 50 questions about the climate crisis, from the feasibility of renewable energy to the possibility of avoiding climate disasters.
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"Who Knew" by Barry Diller The memoirs of the American media tycoon who revolutionized the television and internet industries. Gates, who has a long-standing friendship with Diller, says the book surprised him with new details about the life of the man who came up with the idea for made-for-TV movies and was one of the first to bet on the internet.
The novel raises deep questions about loneliness and the search for meaning in life after retirement—a issue that Gates says made him think about the challenges of post-work life and society's role in supporting the elderly. Gates says he loves novels that feature compelling characters that make him see the world in a different way.
