比尔盖茨的书单：2015年我推荐这些书

很多人对比尔盖茨的印象还停留在微软创始人、亿万富翁。近几年，盖茨把很多精力放在慈善事业上，忙碌程度丝毫不亚于以前。不过即使再忙，他还是会花大量的时间阅读。不信你百度一下盖茨和读书之类的关键词，就会看到很多诸如《顶级成功人士的习惯》这样的鸡汤文章。

鸡汤归鸡汤，但盖茨确实是一个avid reader。他的狂热达到什么程度呢？他在一次采访中说到自己每年读完大约50本书，而且是纸质的。忙的时候每周同时看一到两本，度假的时候每周多达四到五本。

Mr. Gates says he reads about 50 books in a year, eschewing digital readers for old-fashioned books on paper. When he is busy with work, he reads about a book or two a week, but will consume four or five in the same period while vacationing with family.

他自己还建了一个博客网站GatesNotes，详细罗列了每年的书单和书评。

盖茨每次推荐一本书，这本书便会立马登上畅销榜，这种现象还专门有个词叫“The Bill Gates Bump”，就是盖茨“顶过”的书。有人会质疑：出版社不会跟盖茨商量好了吧？事实还真不是这样。曾经就有出版社的人联系过盖茨的团队，不过负责人表示：我们无法决定盖茨读哪本书，我们只能把书堆在桌上。

As publishers have become more aware of Mr. Gates's reviews… they have tried to figure out how to get their new books in front of him.

Stephanie Kim... hustled her way into a connection with someone on Mr. Gates's team only to be told, "'We don't have any say over what Bill chooses,'" she said "'We just leave it on his desk and he reads what he wants to read.'" Ms. Kim lucked out.

作为一个年过六旬的“极客”，盖茨的书单也颇有规律，一般是非小说类居多，比如在今年的书单里，”百科类“的作品比较多。

I just looked over the list of books I read this year, and I noticed a pattern. A lot of them touch on a theme that I would call “how things work."

看看一个资深“极客”今年都推荐了哪些书吧：

The Road to Character, by David Brooks

作者是《纽约时报》的专栏作家David Brooks。在书中作者讲述了两种美德，一种是“简历美德”，一种是“悼词美德”。顾名思义，“简历美德”是指那些你自己会写在简历上的优点，这是一种在市场中生存的技能。“悼词美德”是指那些会在你的悼词中，别人提到的话。所以哪一种是你更看重的呢？书中作者列举了很多历史人物。

盖茨评语：The insightful New York Times columnist examines the contrasting values that motivate all of us. He argues that American society does a good job of cultivating the "résumé virtues" (the traits that lead to external success) but not our "eulogy virtues" (the traits that lead to internal peace of mind). Brooks profiles various historical figures who were paragons of character. I thought his portrait of World War II General George Marshall was especially enlightening. Even if the distinction between the two types of virtues is not always crystal clear, The Road to Character gave me a lot to think about. It is a thought-provoking look at what it means to live life well.

Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words, by Randall Munroe

这本书的作者是NASA的机械师。就像书名说的那样，作者用最多不过1000字的简单词汇解释一些科技发明的工作原理，从生活中常见到的洗碗机，到核电站的工作原理，相信看了之后会大有启发。真正内行的人才可以做到几句话把事儿说明白吧。

盖茨评语：It is a brilliant concept, because if you can't explain something simply, you don't really understand it. Munroe, who worked on robotics at NASA, is an ideal person to take it on. The book is filled with helpful explanations and drawings of everything from a dishwasher to a nuclear power plant. And Munroe's jokes are laugh-out-loud funny. This is a wonderful guide for curious minds.

Being Nixon: A Man Divided, by Evan Thomas

作者不仅讲述了美国前总统尼克松的政治生涯，也讲述了尼克松一生的故事，从出生到死亡。这是一个睿智、有缺陷、纠结的人物。

盖茨评语：I wouldn't call it a sympathetic portrait—in many ways, Nixon was a deeply unsympathetic person—but it is an empathetic one. Rather than just focusing on Nixon's presidency, Thomas takes a cradle-to-the-grave approach and gives you sharp insights into the inner workings of a brilliant, flawed, and conflicted man.

Sustainable Materials With Both Eyes Open, by Julian M. Allwood, Jonathan M. Cullen, et al

在盖茨的书单里可以看到不少这样关注人类重大话题的书，对于普通人来说这样的书太枯燥了，盖茨也承认“the topic can be dry as a desert”，不过他还是觉得这本书丰富的插图和推演过程值得一看。另外这本书可以在作者的网站免费下载喔，感兴趣的同学可以去找一下~

盖茨评语：Although the topic can be dry as a desert, the authors keep it light with lots of colorful illustrations and clever analogies without sacrificing clarity or rigor. I learned a lot from this thoughtful look at a critical topic.

Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever?, by Nancy Leys Stepan

很多年过六旬的中国人主要关注养生学，而盖茨关注的点还是人类的一些重大话题。这本书对于普通读者还是显得晦涩难懂，不过一旦你下了功夫去读，还是会获益良多的。

盖茨评语：Stepan's history of eradication efforts gives you a good sense of how involved the work can get, how many different kinds of approaches have been tried without success, and how much we've learned from our failures. She writes in a fairly academic style that may make it hard for non-experts to get to her valuable arguments, but it's worth the effort. You come away from it with a clearer sense of how we can use the lessons of the past to guide future efforts to save lives.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck

盖茨今年推荐的书单里也不尽是刚刚出版的新作，比如这本07年问世的旧书。书中作者提出了两种思维模式：僵固式思维模式（fixed mindset）和成长式思维模式（growth mindset）。前者倾向于认为人的能力无法改变，而后者则认为人的基本品质可以通过努力不断提高。 无论是精明商人还是普通父母，都能从这本书里受益。

盖茨评语：Through clever research studies and engaging writing, Dweck illuminates how our beliefs about our capabilities exert tremendous influence on how we learn and which paths we take in life. The value of this book extends way beyond the world of education. It's just as relevant for businesspeople who want to cultivate talent and for parents who want to raise their kids to thrive on challenge.

The Vital Question, by Nick Lane

最后盖茨还把“荣誉奖（honorable mention）”给了The Vital Question，这本书讲述了线粒体和地球生命的起源。

Inc.com的资深编辑Geoffrey James回忆说，多年前采访盖茨的时候，他聊的都是技术、商业类的话题，而如今的盖茨俨然成为了一名人生导师。

When I interviewed him back during his Microsoft years, he was all about the business of technology. Today, he's like the mentor we all wish we had. So much energy in business today is all about the push-push-push for success, so it's refreshing to see an icon of entrepreneurship who no longer needs to posture or preen but instead wants to share, wisely and well, what he's acquired and learned.

本来靠退休金就能好好享受人生的人还这么努力，你还有啥理由不多读书？

（来源：英语环球 编辑：丁一）