比爾·蓋茨：2018年我喜愛的5本書

2018年即將結束了，2019年即將來臨，又到了比爾蓋茨為大家推薦年底書單的時候了，今年比爾蓋茨推薦了5本書，從冥想的入門指南到自主武器的深入研究，再到講述一家公司從紅極一時逐漸衰落的驚險故事，這其中總有讓每個人都感到有興趣的內容。

下麵是比爾蓋茨文章內容：

我想每個人都可以將更多書裏的內容應用到自己的生活中。還有，如果你像我一樣，你也會喜歡在年底抓緊讀幾本可能已經錯過的書。在整理年底書單時，我通常不會考慮這會不會成為一份不錯的禮物，但今年我挑選的這幾本非常值得分享。

我今年列出的書可謂五花八門。從冥想的入門指南到自主武器的深入研究，再到講述一家公司從紅極一時逐漸衰落的驚險故事，這其中總有讓每個人都感到有興趣的內容。如果你正在為自己或朋友家人尋找一本有意思、吸引人的好書，選這些中的一本不會有錯。

《教育改變人生》（中文名暫譯）

作者：塔拉·韋斯特沃

在塔拉17歲離開家之前，她從沒上過學或看過醫生。我沒想到自己會對這樣一個故事產生共鳴——一個在摩門教家庭中的成長故事。但塔拉實在寫得太好，以至於讓我在閱讀她極端的童年故事時，也開始反思起自己的生活。我和梅琳達都很喜歡這位年輕女性的回憶錄，她渴望學習的心是如此強烈，這讓她最終獲得了劍橋大學的博士學位。

《無人軍團》（中文名暫譯）

作者：保羅·沙雷

大多數人都不會在假期去想自主武器這個話題，但你很難放下這樣一本書，它從發人深省的視角看待人工智能在戰爭中的應用。這是一個極為複雜的問題，但沙雷為我們提供了清晰的解釋，並且展示了在自主武器驅動下的未來戰爭的利與弊。他理所應當精通這一領域：他是一名退伍軍人，曾幫助美國政府起草關於自主武器的政策。

《壞血》（中文名暫譯）

作者：約翰·凱瑞魯

好幾個朋友向我推薦了這本書。凱瑞魯帶給你的是Theranos公司騰飛和衰落的確切內部消息。故事比我想象的還要瘋狂，我發現自己從開始閱讀的那一刻起就無法停下來。這本書包含一切應該有的：精心設計的騙局、公司的陰謀、雜誌的封麵故事、破裂的家庭關係，以及一個曾估值近100億美元的公司的消亡。

《今日簡史》

作者：尤瓦爾·諾亞·赫拉利

我是赫拉利所有作品的忠實讀者，當然也包括他最新的著作《今日簡史》。《人類簡史》和《未來簡史》分別講述了過去和未來，而這一本講的全都是現在。如果2018年使你對世界的局勢感到不知所措，那麼《今日簡史》給你提供了一個有用的思維框架，幫助你處理新聞及思考我們麵臨的挑戰。

《冥想和正念入門指南》（中文名暫譯）

作者：安迪·普迪科姆

25歲的我一定會對此非常不屑，但梅琳達和我最近都非常喜歡冥想。這本書一開始講述了普迪科姆從大學生到佛教僧人的個人曆程，接著便成了教你如何冥想的有趣指南。如果你正想嚐試正念訓練，這會是一本完美的入門手冊。

比爾·蓋茨為五本書撰寫的書評已授權國內頂尖閱讀平台 有書 在中文社交平台獨家發布

5 books I loved in 2018

By Bill Gates

I think everyone could use a few more books in their lives. Plus, if you’re like me, you love spending time at the end of the year catching up on books you may have missed. I usually don’t consider whether something would make a good gift when I’m putting together my end of year book list—but this year’s selections are highly sharable.

My list is pretty eclectic this year. From a how-to guide about meditation to a deep dive on autonomous weapons to a thriller about the fall of a once-promising company, there’s something interesting for everyone. If you’re looking for a fun and engaging read for you or your friends and family, you can’t go wrong with one of these.

Educated, by Tara Westover. Tara never went to school or visited a doctor until she left home at 17. I never thought I’d relate to a story about growing up in a Mormon survivalist household, but she’s such a good writer that she got me to reflect on my own life while reading about her extreme childhood. Melinda and I loved this memoir of a young woman whose thirst for learning was so strong that she ended up getting a Ph.D. from Cambridge University.

Army of , by Paul Scharre. Autonomous weapons aren’t exactly top of mind for most around the holidays, but this thought-provoking look at A.I. in warfare is hard to put down. It’s an immensely complicated topic, but Scharre offers clear explanations and presents both the pros and cons of machine-driven warfare. His fluency with the subject should come as no surprise: he’s a veteran who helped draft the U.S. government’s policy on autonomous weapons.

Bad Blood, by John Carreyrou. A bunch of my friends recommended this one to me. Carreyrou gives you the definitive insider’s look at the rise and fall of Theranos. The story is even crazier than I expected, and I found myself unable to put it down once I started. This book has everything: elaborate scams, corporate intrigue, magazine cover stories, ruined family relationships, and the demise of a company once valued at nearly $10 billion.

21 Lessons for the 21st Century, by Yuval Noah Harari. I’m a big fan of everything Harari has written, and his latest is no exception. While Sapiens and Homo Deus covered the past and future respectively, this one is all about the present. If 2018 has left you overwhelmed by the state of the world, 21 Lessons offers a helpful framework for processing the news and thinking about the challenges we face.

The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness, by Andy Puddicombe. I’m sure 25-year-old me would scoff at this one, but Melinda and I have gotten really into meditation lately. The book starts with Puddicombe’s personal journey from a university student to a Buddhist monk and then becomes an entertaining explainer on how to meditate. If you’re thinking about trying mindfulness, this is the perfect introduction.