The nine books
1. Enlightenment Now, Steven Pinker
Pinker measures human progress on fifteen counts, from health and wealth to safety and knowledge, and finds the world getting better. Gates: "It's my new favorite book of all time." Enlightenment Now summary
2. The Better Angels of Our Nature, Steven Pinker
Why violence has declined over human history. For years Gates called it the best book he had read in a decade: "one of the most important books I've read, not just this year, but ever." It runs past 700 pages, and he says it is worth the time.
3. Factfulness, Hans Rosling
Ten instincts that make us think the world is worse than it is, and the data that corrects them. Gates: "one of the most educational books I've ever read." He calls it a great companion to Enlightenment Now.
4. Business Adventures, John Brooks
Twelve stories of companies and markets that John Brooks wrote for The New Yorker in the 1960s. Warren Buffett lent Gates his copy in 1991. Gates: "the best business book I've ever read."
5. Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari
How one species of ape came to run the planet, through three revolutions: cognitive, agricultural and scientific. Gates disagreed with parts of it and recommends it anyway, "to anyone interested in a fun, engaging look at early human history." Sapiens summary
6. The Vital Question, Nick Lane
Why complex life evolved only once, told through energy. Gates titled his review "This biology book blew me away," and warns that it is not for everyone.
7. The Gene, Siddhartha Mukherjee
The history of genetics, from Mendel to gene editing, by a cancer doctor. Gates calls Mukherjee "the perfect person to guide us through the past, present, and future of genome science."
8. Seveneves, Neal Stephenson
The moon breaks apart and humanity has two years to get people off Earth. The novel that rekindled his love for science fiction, Gates says: "a thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable book."
9. How Not to Be Wrong, Jordan Ellenberg
How mathematical thinking catches the mistakes ordinary reasoning makes. Gates on the writing: "funny, smooth, and accessible, not what you might expect from a book about math."
Common questions
What is Bill Gates' favorite book?
Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker, which in 2018 he called his "new favorite book of all time." Before it, his pick was Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature.
Which book should I start with?
Factfulness, then Enlightenment Now. Gates pairs the two, and together they are his case that the world is better than the news makes it look.
Can I listen to these books?
Ask the composer above for a 15-minute episode on any one of them. SUN also has summaries of Enlightenment Now and Sapiens.
More reading lists: books recommended by Elon Musk, Steve Jobs' favorite books, Andrew Huberman's book recommendations, Joe Rogan's book recommendations, Jordan Peterson's reading list, Charlie Kirk's book recommendations.