5 books Bill Gates wants you to read this holiday season

These Truths will teach even the most studious of historians something new about American history, according to Gates. The centi-billionaire praised Lepore for her use of "diverse perspectives" in her 800-page overview of the country's chronicle of the United States' rise.

These Truths is "the most honest and unflinching account of the American story I've ever read," Gates wrote.

Gates called Smil one of his favorite authors and compared his excitement for the University of Manitoba professor's new releases to that some people feel for new Star Wars films. In his newest book, Smil explores society's obsession with growth through the lens of everything from microorganisms to cities.

"As always, I don't agree with everything Smil says, but he remains one of the best thinkers out there at documenting the past and seeing the big picture," the billionaire wrote on Gates Notes.

In Prepared, the founder of charter school network Summit Public Schools Diane Tavenner uses her vast experience as an educator to explain how to raise children who can succeed in life after high school.

Gates called the book "a helpful guidebook about how to make that process as smooth and fruitful as possible."

Gates called Why We Sleep "one of the most interesting and profound" books on human behavior he read in 2019. Walker, the director of UC Berkeley's Center for Human Sleep Science, explores both the physical purpose of sleep and how to improve your own shut-eye in the book, according to its synopsis on Amazon.

The book even persuaded Gates to change his nighttime routine, the billionaire wrote on Gates Notes.

• Read more about Gates' reading list suggestions:
• 26 books Bill Gates says you should read this summer
• What Bill Gates is reading now, from 3 standout non-fiction titles to 'every word' written by the late beloved novelist David Foster Wallace
• The 10 best books about technology, according to Bill Gates
• 24 must-read books that Bill Gates recommended in 2018