--- title: Bill Gates: 5 Amazing Books I Read in 2017 description: "I still think books are the best way to explore new topics that interest you," according to billionaire Bill Gates. canonical: https://time.com/5046105/5-amazing-books-i-read-in-2017/ author: Bill Gates article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-12-04T15:37:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:55.211Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Bill Gates: '5 Amazing Books I Read in 2017' og:description: From a book on poverty to how humanity's need energy for shaped history og:url: https://time.com/5046105/5-amazing-books-i-read-in-2017/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt348bed765959710a/6988f37a22fb859ddbe23e44/bill-gates-favorite-books.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5760 og:image:height: 3240 og:image:alt: bill-gates-favorite-books og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bill Gates: '5 Amazing Books I Read in 2017' twitter:description: From a book on poverty to how humanity's need energy for shaped history twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt348bed765959710a/6988f37a22fb859ddbe23e44/bill-gates-favorite-books.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Bill Gates: 5 Amazing Books I Read in 2017 > Sponsored content. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: Bill Gates’ 5 Favorite Books of 2017 [Watch (HLS stream): Bill Gates’ 5 Favorite Books of 2017](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/W5VLZRaW.m3u8) (1:14)  _Published 2017-12-04. This year’s list includes novels that dig into history, mental illness, and poverty._  by [Bill Gates](https://time.com/author/bill-gates/)  ## Bill Gates Dec 4, 2017 3:37 PM UTC  Bill Gates  by [Bill Gates](https://time.com/author/bill-gates/)  ## Bill Gates Dec 4, 2017 3:37 PM UTC Reading is my favorite way to indulge my curiosity. Although I’m lucky that I get to meet with a lot of interesting people and visit fascinating places through my work, I still think books are the best way to explore new topics that interest you. This year I picked up books on a bunch of diverse subjects. I really enjoyed [_Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804168938/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timebillgatesbooks-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0804168938&linkId=0d42ea4fa5e102051d8edc8df96bdfc5)by Joby Warrick. I recommend it to anyone who wants a compelling history lesson on how ISIS managed to seize power in Iraq. On the other end of the spectrum, I loved John Green’s new novel, [_Turtles All the Way Down_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525555366/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timebillgatesbooks-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0525555366&linkId=c30497261d2abbe6b1a8485785409c66), which tells the story of a young woman who tracks down a missing billionaire. It deals with serious themes like mental illness, but John’s stories are always entertaining and full of great literary references. Another good book I read recently is [_The Color of Law_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1631492853/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timebillgatesbooks-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1631492853&linkId=94ea30ea32ec7c21f4501211a992aaad)by Richard Rothstein. I’ve been trying to learn more about the forces preventing economic mobility in the U.S., and it helped me understand the role federal policies have played in creating racial segregation in American cities. I’ve written longer reviews about some of the best books I read this year. They include a memoir by one of my favorite comedians, a heartbreaking tale of poverty in America, a deep dive into the history of energy, and not one but two stories about the Vietnam War. If you’re looking to curl up by the fireplace with a great read this holiday season, you can’t go wrong with one of these. [**_The Best We Could Do_**](https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/The-Best-We-Could-Do?WT.mc%5Fid=12%5F04%5F2017%5F10%5FEOYBooks2017BestWeCouldDo%5FBG-media%5F&WT.tsrc=BGmedia)**_,_**by Thi Bui. This gorgeous graphic novel is a deeply personal memoir that explores what it means to be a parent and a refugee. The author’s family fled Vietnam in 1978\. After giving birth to her own child, she decides to learn more about her parents’ experiences growing up in a country torn apart by foreign occupiers. [_Buy it on Amazon_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1419718770/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timebillgatesbooks-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1419718770&linkId=6c84765857e3e8ba7843558679ca0a13) [**_Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City_**](https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Evicted?WT.mc%5Fid=12%5F04%5F2017%5F10%5FEOYBooks2017Evicted%5FBG-media%5F&WT.tsrc=BGmedia)**_,_** by Matthew Desmond. If you want a good understanding of how the issues that cause poverty are intertwined, you should read this book about the eviction crisis in Milwaukee. Desmond has written a brilliant portrait of Americans living in poverty. He gave me a better sense of what it is like to be poor in this country than anything else I have read. [_Buy it on Amazon_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553447459/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timebillgatesbooks-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0553447459&linkId=93029dc71ee0d8ccc9036cb4c7b46e86) [**_Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens_**](https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Believe-Me?WT.mc%5Fid=12%5F04%5F2017%5F10%5FEOYBooks2017BelieveMe%5FBG-media%5F&WT.tsrc=BGmedia)**_,_** by Eddie Izzard. Izzard’s personal story is fascinating: he survived a difficult childhood and worked relentlessly to overcome his lack of natural talent and become an international star. If you’re a huge fan of him like I am, you’ll love this book. His written voice is very similar to his stage voice, and I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading it. [_Buy it on Amazon_ ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399175830/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timebillgatesbooks-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0399175830&linkId=13ea09f3f9051bee661f4520008d9f19) [**_The Sympathizer_**](https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/The-Sympathizer?WT.mc%5Fid=12%5F04%5F2017%5F10%5FEOYBooks2017Sympathizer%5FBG-media%5F&WT.tsrc=BGmedia)**_,_**by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Most of the books I’ve read and movies I’ve seen about the Vietnam War focused on the American perspective. Nguyen’s award-winning novel offers much-needed insight into what it was like to be Vietnamese and caught between both sides. Despite how dark it is, _The Sympathizer_ is a gripping story about a double agent and the trouble he gets himself into. [_Buy it on Amazon_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802124941/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timebillgatesbooks-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0802124941&linkId=987168bbd923dd121892603986084f77) [**_Energy and Civilization: A History_**](https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Energy-and-Civilization?WT.mc%5Fid=12%5F04%5F2017%5F10%5FEOYBooks2017EnergyCivilization%5FBG-media%5F&WT.tsrc=BGmedia)**_,_**by Vaclav Smil. Smil is one of my favorite authors, and this is his masterpiece. He lays out how our need for energy has shaped human history – from the era of donkey-powered mills to today’s quest for renewable energy. It’s not the easiest book to read, but at the end you’ll feel smarter and better informed about how energy innovation alters the course of civilizations. [_Buy it on Amazon_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262035774/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timebillgatesbooks-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0262035774&linkId=acf90f6a074244c0911fad416a9c7cf4) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5046105/5-amazing-books-i-read-in-2017/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5046105/5-amazing-books-i-read-in-2017/"},"headline":"Bill Gates: 5 Amazing Books I Read in 2017","datePublished":"2017-12-04T15:37:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:53:55.211Z","description":"\"I still think books are the best way to explore new topics that interest you,\" according to billionaire Bill Gates.","url":"https://time.com/5046105/5-amazing-books-i-read-in-2017/","keywords":["Books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt348bed765959710a/6988f37a22fb859ddbe23e44/bill-gates-favorite-books.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Bill Gates","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/bill-gates/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt348bed765959710a/6988f37a22fb859ddbe23e44/bill-gates-favorite-books.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"bill-gates-favorite-books","caption":"","creditText":"Bill Gates","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5046105/5-amazing-books-i-read-in-2017/","name":"Bill Gates: 5 Amazing Books I Read in 2017"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Bill Gates’ 5 Favorite Books of 2017","description":"This year’s list includes novels that dig into history, mental illness, and poverty.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/W5VLZRaW/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-12-04T17:58:25.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/W5VLZRaW.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5046105/5-amazing-books-i-read-in-2017/","duration":"PT1M14S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5046105/5-amazing-books-i-read-in-2017/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```