Melinda French Gates
Author, Billionaire, Executive, Scientist
Melinda French Gates is an American philanthropist who worked at Microsoft from 1987 to 1996 and co-chaired the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation until 2024. She founded Pivotal Ventures in 2015 and wrote The Moment of Lift (2019).
Melinda French Gates's 37 Book Recommendations
- Awakening Joy
- Brotopia: “@EmilyChangTV's book proves that the first statement is wrong. And we don't have to accept the second.”
- The Hate U Give: “"The Hate U Give" was one of my favorite books from last year”
- In the Company of the Poor: “Just finished In the Company of the Poor by Paul Farmer and Fr Gutiérrez. It was deeply meaningful to me and my work.”
- When Breath Becomes Air: “What a gift Kalanithi gave us by sharing—beautifully and bravely—his perspectives on mortality.”
- Bel Canto: “I’ve always been amazed by Bel Canto. Ann (whom I’m now lucky to call a friend) somehow produced 100 of the most dramatic pages in modern literature with half her characters lying silently on the floor.”
- The Book of Awakening: “So it’s like the one book that I pack for sure on every trip. ... it has been a really instrumental book in my life.”
- Lessons in Chemistry: “It’s a blast to watch Elizabeth Zott triumph by being unapologetically herself.”
- Factfulness: “The late Hans Rosling is a hero of mine for showing all the ways the state of the world is better than we think.”
- Demon Copperhead: “I’ve loved Kingsolver’s books for many years—and this one is fantastic.”
- Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men: “In hospitals, cars, workplaces, and just about everywhere else, women are harmed because their experiences are so often overlooked by those assessing problems and developing solutions.”
- Mad Honey: “It wasn’t always easy to read about each character’s journey, but there was beauty in their stories, and I’m still thinking about them all.”
- The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe: “I was captivated by the true story of Kamila Sidiqi, an Afghani entrepreneur who built a successful dressmaking business under the draconian strictures of the Taliban.”
- Lovely One: A Memoir: “Our conversation, much like Justice Jackson’s book, left me feeling inspired, energized, and best of all, hopeful.”
- The Worlds I See: “The Worlds I See by Dr. Fei-Fei Li is the book on artificial intelligence everyone needs to read right now.”
- Dear Black Girls: How to Be True to You: “I love this book, and I can’t stop thinking about the profound ways it will impact everyone who reads it.”
- Radical Inclusion: Seven Steps to Help You Create a More Just Workplace, Home, and World: “David’s story is profoundly original, insightful, and optimistic, and I hope you read what he has to say.”
- Surrender: “It’s full of thoughtful reflections on his activism, music, faith, and family—an inspiring story by someone who writes as beautifully as he sings.”
- Think Again: “A book recommendation: @AdamMGrant’s “Think Again,” which makes a compelling case for why learning should be a lifelong habit.”
- How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: “His new book, out today, is an important read about what he's learned from working on this issue & how each of us can help solve it.”
- Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds: Ebola and the Ravages of History: “Dr. Paul Farmer’s new book could hardly be more timely.”
- Period.: It's About Bloody Time: “@EmmaBarnett's #Period is an information-packed and hilarious book that aims to change the conversation about periods.”
- My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future: “A definite must read!”
- Little Fires Everywhere (Movie Tie-In): “I loved so many of the books I read in 2019. My favorites included “Talking to Strangers” by @Gladwell, “Home Work” by @JulieAndrews, and “Little Fires Everywhere” by @pronounced_ing.”
- Talking to Strangers: “I loved so many of the books I read in 2019. My favorites included “Talking to Strangers” by @Gladwell, “Home Work” by @JulieAndrews, and “Little Fires Everywhere” by @pronounced_ing.”
- Alpha Girls: “In her new book Alpha Girls, @JulianGuthrie shows what's possible for women and girls everywhere by highlighting the stories of ground breaking women in Silicon Valley”
- Radical Acceptance: “In my new book, I write about the lessons I’ve learned from life’s many transitions. A powerful one came from Tara Brach: See the pauses in your life as an opportunity to open yourself to new possibilities.”
- Dear Ijeawele, Or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions: “Essential reading for anyone raising their kids to thrive in a world that doesn’t always value girls equally.”
- Daring Greatly: “Coming from the competitive world of tech, I found it incredibly helpful to be reminded that vulnerability is not a weakness, but a form of strength.”
- Sapiens: “It just was a very, as you said, expansive book for me and for my thinking.”
- A Woman Is No Man: “I love books in which women find ways to claim their power. This was an infuriating read at times—but also an inspirational one.”
- The Frozen River: “A courageous 18th century midwife, a snowy landscape, a mysterious death...I would absolutely binge this!”
- However Long the Night: “I've had the honor of meeting several entrepreneurial Senegalese women who lifted their families out of poverty thanks, in part, to Molly Melching's work.”
- 10 Minutes Till Bedtime: “It's such a joy to read books to my granddaughters that I used to read over and over again to their mother.”
- The Everyday Feminist: “#TheEverydayFeminist by Latanya Mapp Frett, president and CEO of @GlobalFundWomen, is essential reading for anyone who wants to support grassroots feminists and their extraordinary efforts to make the world a more equitable place.”
- Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity: “There’s a lot in here that people might feel uncomfortable saying out loud. That honesty is a gift at a time we’d all benefit from understanding each other better.”
- The Last Lecture: “When I was asked to speak at my daughter’s college graduation last year, I looked to some famous speeches for inspiration. In The Last Lecture, the late computer science professor Randy Pausch certainly demonstrated how to give a compelling address. But he also taught us a lot about how to live a generous, bold, and joyful life.”