The below is an excerpt of a Gates Note from the Blog of Bill Gates; the original article can be viewed in full here.

Most of my conversations and meetings these days are about COVID-19 and how we can stem the tide. But I’m also often asked about what I am reading and watching—either because people want to learn more about pandemics, or because they are looking for a distraction. I’m always happy to talk about great books and TV shows (and to hear what other people are doing, since I’m usually in the market for recommendations).

So, in addition to the five new book reviews I always write for my summer book list, I included a number of other recommendations. I hope you find something that catches your interest.

{For the full list, click here.}

Good Economics for Hard Times, by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo. Banerjee and Duflo (co-founders of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)) won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences last year, and they’re two of the smartest economists working today. Fortunately for us, they’re also very good at making economics accessible to the average person. Their newest book takes on inequality and political divisions by focusing on policy debates that are at the forefront in wealthy countries like the United States.