Bill Gates: Book Recommendations from the Business Tycoon
Published from: Ninth Books — Bill Gates: Book Recommendations
Who is Bill Gates?
American business magnate and philanthropist Bill Gates. He is well recognized for co-founding Microsoft with Paul Allen, one of the biggest technological businesses in the world.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the biggest private charity in the world, is what Bill Gates is now working on. His foundation provided funding for the battle against AIDS, TB, and malaria as well as for the distribution of polio vaccinations. His foundation mostly targets underdeveloped nations.
How much does Bill Gates read?
Bill Gates enjoys reading. He has claimed to read 50 novels a year, or nearly one per week.
What is Bill Gates’ favorite book genre?
Bill Gates has stated that nonfiction is his preferred book genre. He claims in one of his blog articles that reading is his preferred method of learning new information.
Book One: The Choice by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
What is The Choice about?
The Choice tells the story of Dr. Edith Eva Eger’s sixteen-year-old ordeal in Auschwitz. She was had to dance for her life as entertainment after her parents were slaughtered. She was later rescued by American troops from a mass grave of bodies.
She first felt bad for surviving while her friends and relatives perished. Dr. Eger returned to Auschwitz around 35 years after the war was over in order to reconcile with and forgive herself.
She discusses her own personal experience in her book, as well as how others and I might find healing. She wants to give those who have endured trauma comfort and hope.
Book Two: The Ride of a Lifetime by Bob Iger
What is The Ride of a Lifetime about?
Bob Iger, The Walt Disney Corporation’s CEO from 2005 to 2020, wrote The Ride of a Lifetime. When he took over the company, he implemented three guiding principles: quality matters, embrace technology, and imagine larger.
By the year 2020, we will be able to look back and see how his values enabled Disney to grow into the biggest and most admired media business in the world, with a five-fold increase in value since Bob Iger assumed leadership.
In The Ride of a Lifetime, Bob Iger discusses the qualities that, in his opinion, create a successful corporate leader, including optimism, fairness, bravery, and decisiveness.
Iger will officially retire from Disney in 2021 after having already resigned as the company’s CEO.
With his book, he hopes to empower readers to face their fears and boost their confidence in both their professional and personal life.
Why does Bill Gates recommend The Ride of a Lifetime?
Because he believes that everyone, not just CEOs, can appreciate the tales that Bob Iger has to tell, Bill Gates suggests The Ride of a Lifetime.
He believes that Iger does a fantastic job of elaborating on what it’s like to be the CEO of a significant corporation. Iger writes in the book, “You go from plotting growth strategy with investors, to looking at the design of a giant new theme-park attraction with Imagineers, to giving notes on the rough cut of a film, to discussing security measures and board governance and ticket pricing and pay scale… there are also, always, crises and failures for which you can never be fully prepared.”
One of Bill Gates’ favorite scenes from The Ride of a Lifetime is when Bob Iger attempts to buy Pixar from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who informs Iger of the progression of his liver cancer right before Disney and Pixar announce their merger.
Even Bill Gates praised Bob Iger for his “lessons to lead by.” Normally, he says, he doesn’t like lists of this nature, but this one was “very insightful.”
Book Three: The Great Influenza by John M. Barry
What is The Great Influenza about?
The Great Influenza tells the story of the most deadly influenza virus in human history, which claimed more lives in 24 months than AIDS did in 24 years.
During the height of World War I, the 1918 flu epidemic began in Kansas, spread east with American soldiers, and then cases rapidly increased. The 1918 flu pandemic claimed up to 100 million lives.
The coronavirus and the 2020 pandemic are related to the Great Influenza and the problems that mankind is now facing. What can we apply to the current pandemic based on what we know about the 1918 Flu Epidemic?
In the book, a major thing John M. Barry says, “The final lesson of 1918, a simple one yet one most difficult to execute, is that…those in authority must retain the public’s trust. The way to do that is to distort nothing, to put the best face on nothing, to try to manipulate no one. Lincoln said that first, and best. A leader must make whatever horror exists concrete. Only then will people be able to break it apart.”
Why does Bill Gates recommend The Great Influenza?
The Great Influenza is a book that Bill Gates suggests reading because it “will tell you practically everything you need to know about one of the worst outbreaks in human history,” according to Gates.
He also considers it to be a useful historical contrast to the current pandemic. Similar like today, everyone stayed at home, the streets were deserted, and businesses closed. Just like now, medical professionals were viewed as heroes.
The greatest lesson from the “Great Influenza,” in Bill Gates’ opinion, is that leadership counts. He cites Philadelphia and St. Louis as examples. In contrast to Philadelphia, which disregarded the advise of experts and caused many deaths, St. Louis acted fast and saved lives. It’s quite similar to what’s occurring in the United States right now.
He also learns the importance of telling the truth from the book. In 1918, American officials tried to calm the people by sugarcoating the unpleasant news. Individuals began to suspect the authorities as they began to witness other people passing away from the illness.
His third takeaway from the book is the significance of generosity. Gifts from influential figures like John D. Rockefeller and Johns Hopkins helped advance science and medicine and provided our nation with tens of thousands of highly skilled workers. professionals who could aid in the disease’s treatment.
Bill Gates Book Plug: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster
In his book, Bill Gates discusses the lessons he has learned from studying climate change and funding solutions to climate issues over the past ten years.
Even though this book won’t be released until February 12th, 2021, I believe it’s crucial to start spreading the word about it, particularly because the subject is climate change.
Climate change education is a must since it impacts every single person on the world.
Bill Gates: Book Recommendation List
Bill Gates reads a lot, thus recommendations from him are to be taken seriously. Keep in mind that he reads roughly 50 novels annually!
Here’s the list of Bill Gates’ book recommendations:
- The Choice by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
- The Ride of a Lifetime by Bob Iger
- The Great Influenza by John M. Barry
- How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates
Originally published on Ninth Books
