Bill Gates, billionaire founder of Microsoft, published this Monday (6/6), on your blog, a list of five books he recommends everyone read. “I loved them all and hope you find something you like too,” he wrote in the post. “There are books on gender equality, political polarization, climate change and the hard truth that life is never what young people think it will be”.

According to him, the list is not exactly an invitation to a light reading or just for fun. But at the same time, that doesn’t mean they’re hard to read. Gates says his current recommendations are “capable of taking dense subject matter and making it compelling without sacrificing complexity.” Discover below the titles suggested by the entrepreneur:

1. “The Power” by Naomi Alderman

The only one on the list with a Portuguese translation, the book is a work of science fiction 2016, written by British novelist Naomi Alderman. According to Gates, it was his eldest daughter, Jennifer, who recommended the reading to him. In the novel, women around the world suddenly develop the ability to deliver deadly electric shocks with their bare hands. The story deals with the theme of gender equality and was critically acclaimed upon its release. “Reading ‘The Power,’ I gained a stronger, more visceral sense of the abuse and injustice that many women experience today,” Gates wrote. “And I’ve expanded my appreciation for people working on these issues in the United States and around the world.”

2. “Why We Are Polarized” by Ezra Klein

Gates says he generally tries to remain optimistic about the coming, but the political polarization in the United States is “the only thing that clouds my view.” This same topic is the subject of “Why We Are Polarized,” written by political analyst Ezra Klein. The book examines North America’s political divisions from a psychological perspective, arguing that the groups people identify with (including political parties) play an outsized role in how they make decisions and see the world. “If you want to understand what is happening with politics in United States now it’s the book to choose,” Gates wrote.

3. “The Lincoln Highway”, by Amor Towles

This is not the first time that the American novelist Amor Towles has appeared in the Microsoft founder’s suggested reading: the billionaire had already cited the author in a list published in 2019. Now, Gates recommends “The Lincoln Highway”, published in 2021. romande is an adventure set in 1954. It is the story of the journey of a teenager and his younger brother through the UNITED STATES, from Nebraska to California, to try to find his mother. But the trip does not go as planned. “Towles seems to be saying that our personal journeys are never as linear or predictable as we think they are,” Gates sums up.

4. “Ministry for the Future” by Kim Stanley Robinson

This sci-fi published in 2020 takes place in the near future. In the plot, a global organization is leading various efforts to combat climate change on planet Earth. Gates is a staunch climate change activist – so much so that last year wrote his own book present possible solutions to the situation. According to him, Robinson’s novel offers “a lot of interesting insights” while effectively explaining the science behind climate change.

5. “How the World Really Works” by Vaclav Smil

Gates praises the work, saying it is a masterpiece from one of your favorite authors. The book is the latest work by Vaclav Smil, Czech-Canadian Emeritus Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Manitoba (Canada). In 2017, Gates revealed he had read all 37 books published by Smil, on topics ranging from clean energy to manufacturing and agriculture. According to the billionaire, this title, in particular, is written for a general audience and offers a broad overview of how energy has shaped the history of civilization, from agricultural societies to our modern industrial age.