These 4 Books And A TV Show Make It To Bill Gates' 'Summer Recommendations'

Philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates recently took to Instagram to share four books and one TV show that he read and watched this summer and now wants to recommend to others. Gates, who is an avid reader, has both fiction and nonfiction in his recommendation list. While sharing photos of his summer top picks on Instagram, Gates wrote, “The books and TV series on my list of summer 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.”

In the first photo, Gates is seen reading The Women by Kristin Hannah. This historical non-fiction book tells the story of a protagonist, Frances McGrath, a US Army nurse, who served in the Vietnam War. In his personal blog, Gates Notes, the billionaire described this book as “It’s a beautifully written tribute to a group of veterans who deserve more appreciation for the incredible sacrifices they made”.

The second photo shows the New York Times best-selling book, “How to Know a Person by David Brooks”. As per the author, this book aims to tell readers how to “see someone else deeply and make them feel seen.” The book preaches the principle of “loud listening”, which means being an empathic listener and forming sincere connections between people. In his blog, Gates mentions that he liked Brooks’s former book The Road to Character, but describes this one as “even better”.

Gates recommends Brave New Words by Sal Khan, CEO of Khan Academy, a free online non-profit educational platform. Khan’s book examines how AI is transforming education and how this new advancing technology can be used for good. Heaping praises on this book, Gates wrote in his personal blog, “No one has sharper insights into the future of education than Sal does, and I can’t recommend Brave New Words enough.”

The next recommendation is Infectious Generosity by Chris Anderson, the head of TED Talks. The book is a collection of the most powerful takebacks that Anderson picked from the TED Talks over the years. This non-fiction book has golden advice for everyone, be it a student, a business owner, or a government official.

The last recommendation on Gates’s Instagram post is Slow Horses on Apple TV+. This spy thriller series is based on Mick Herron’s Slough House novels. It centres on MI5 secret service agents, who despite facing career setbacks are dedicated to serving their country. Gates reviewed this show as “Slow Horses has enough complex characters and plots that you have to really pay attention, but it pays off in the end.”