Bill Gates has recommendations for 2021.
Gates is a partner in the venture.
It is that time of year again. Bill Gates has released his list of the best books of the year, just as the holiday season starts.
Gates has been reading since he was a child. His passion for reading became too much for his parents. Gates' father had to institute a rule that no books were allowed at the dinner table. In 2016 he told Forbes. In a Monday post, Gates revealed his latest selections. The world's fourth-richest person says his holiday reading was about science fiction, a genre he loved as a child.
Gates remembers being obsessed with science fiction when he was a kid. The stories pushed the limits of what was possible.
There are two science fiction books on the end-of-year list. His final recommendation is a novel about a famous playwright.
A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence was written by Jeff Hawkins.
The book by the co-inventor of the PalmPilot puts forward a new theory of intelligence that is meant to aid the development of machines that can understand the world. Gates thinks the book is appropriate for non-experts and that it will help us address complex challenges like improving medicine. There is a personal connection as well. Gates remembers watching as his father declined from Alzheimer's, an experience that made him acutely aware of how much isn't yet understood of the human brain.
Walter Isaacson wrote The Code Breaker: Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race.
Gates said that the book is more than just a portrait of the scientist who helped discover the CRISPR gene editing. The technology makes it easier for scientists to alter human and other genomes, and it has current applications and the most important ethical questions that arise from the CRISPR revolution. The Microsoft founder says that his personal excitement about CRISPR has grown from high to off the charts, but he emphasizes that the public should play an engaged role in drawing the ethical lines of how it should be used.
The book is called Klara and the Sun.
Gates was interested in the book for its rare description of a future where robots make our lives better. In a society where children are genetically altered to be smarter and end up living a largely isolated existence, the film Klara and the Sun centers around a young girl who is made ill by the risky procedure. She finds solace in an artificial friend who is not a robot. Gates says that he thinks that one day we will have both companion and utilitarianrobots in our lives.
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The piece was written by Maggie O' Farrell.
The life of William Shakespeare's son, Hamnet, and how his tragic death at age 11 may have influenced one of his most celebrated plays are imagined in this novel. Gates applauds the way Shakespeare used grief and guilt to write Hamlet, which was written two years after the young boy died. Gates says he is always interested in Shakespeare's personal life even if it is just speculation.
Andy Weir wrote Project Hail Mary.
The author of The Martian wrote a book about a high school science teacher and a friendly alien who are trying to save the solar system. Gates concedes that the odds of another sentient species relatively nearby seem low, but he finds it exciting to think about what other life might be out there. He recommends the fictional tale for anyone in the mood for a fun diversion and finished it in a weekend.
