微軟公司共同創始人、著名的書蟲比爾·蓋茨公佈了他2018年推薦的夏天閱讀書目。一起來看看吧。
Americans are gearing up for summer vacation, which for Microsoft cofounder and famous bookworm Bill Gates means loading up the suitcase with books. The philanthropist and ardent reader has issued his annual summer reading list. This year his recommendations for beach reads touch on some of Gates’ favorite themes. They include two popular history books, a meditative novel on mortality, and a techno-utopian book about logic.
美國人正在為暑假做準備，對於微軟的聯合創始人和著名的書蟲比爾·蓋茨來說，意味著又要上新書了。這位慈善家和讀書發燒友已經發布了他的2018年度暑期閱讀清單。今年，他推薦的書涵蓋了一些蓋茨最喜歡的主題，其中包括兩本受歡迎的歷史書，一本關於死亡的冥想小說，以及一本關於邏輯的技術烏托邦式的書。
Here’s this year’s list, along with annotations from Gates’s site:
以下就是他2018年推薦的書單，以及他在網站上寫的評註。
Leonardo da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson (2017)
1、《萊奧納多·達芬奇》瓦爾特·艾薩克森 著（2017）
In this book from last year about the Renaissance artist and inventor, the bestselling biographer of Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein delved deeply into da Vinci’s contributions beyond art, highlighting the breadth of his scientific, technological, and creative output. Writes Gates:
2017年出版的這本關於達芬奇這位文藝復興時期的藝術家和發明家的書，是由著名傳記作家艾薩克森撰寫的。艾薩克森為史蒂夫·喬布斯和阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦寫的傳記曾登上暢銷書榜。艾薩克森筆下的達芬奇不僅在藝術方面卓有建樹，而且在科學技術和發明創造領域也有著卓越的貢獻。蓋茨評道：
“
More than any other Leonardo book I’ve read, this one helps you see him as a complete human being and understand just how special he was. He came close to understanding almost all of what was known on the planet at the time. That’s partly because scientific knowledge was relatively limited back then, partly because he had a high IQ, but mostly because he was insatiably curious about pretty much every area of natural science and the human experience.
與我讀過的其他有關達芬奇的書籍不同，這本書幫助人們看到達芬奇作為一個完整的人是多麼特殊。他幾乎理解了當時地球上已知的所有事物。這一方面是由於當時人類的科技知識還相對匱乏，另一方面也是由於他智商極高，但最重要的是他對自然科學和人類經驗的幾乎每個領域都存在著永不滿足的好奇心。
”
Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved, by Kate Bowler (2018)
2、《萬物皆有因：以及其他我所熱愛的謊言》凱特·鮑勒 著（2018）
A scholar of Christianity recounts in this memoir her philosophical questions and emotional reactions after being unexpectedly diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. Says Gates:
在這本回憶錄中，基督教學者鮑勒記述了她在被診斷為結腸癌四期後自己所產生的哲學疑問和情緒反應。蓋茨說：
“
The central questions in this book really resonated with me. On one hand, it’s nihilistic to think that every outcome is simply random. I have to believe that the world is better when we act morally, and that people who do good things deserve a somewhat better fate on average than those who don’t. But if you take it to extremes, that cause-and-effect view can be hurtful.
這本書的核心問題真的引起了我的共鳴。一方面，虛無主義認為每一個結果都是隨機的。我得相信，當我更有道德時，世界會變得更好，那些做好事的人比那些不做好事的人更應該得到更好的命運。但如果走了極端的話，因果觀也可能是有害的。
”
Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders (2018)
3、《林肯在巴爾多》喬治·桑德斯 著 （2018）
Saunders, a long-time short story writer, received widespread acclaim for his first novel. The book, told from multiple points of view, imagines the ghosts that haunt the crypt of Willie Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s son, who died at age 11 in real life. Writes Gates:
桑德斯長期從事短篇小說的寫作，這是他的第一部長篇小說，並得到了廣泛認可。在這本書中，作者從多個角度，虛構了縈繞在威利·林肯墓穴周圍的鬼魂。在真實生活中，亞伯拉罕·林肯的兒子威利·林肯於11歲去世。蓋茨是這樣寫的：
“
Losing a child is unbearable for any parent, but Lincoln is also burdened by timing. Willie died less than a year after the Civil War started. The president has a new understanding of the grief he’s creating in other families by sending their sons off to die in battle. He must make a choice. Should the war go on?
“失去一個孩子對所有父母來說都是難以忍受的，但林肯失去孩子的時機很特別。威利是在美國內戰開始不到一年的時間去世的，這使得林肯這位總統對他所發動的戰爭給那些兒子被送上前線死於戰場的家庭所帶來的悲傷有了新的理解。他必須做出一個選擇。戰爭要繼續打下去嗎？”
”
Origin Story: A Big History of Everything, by David Christian (2018)
4、《起源故事：關於萬物的精彩歷史》戴維·克里斯蒂安 著（2018）
This new book, which will come out May 22, is by the creator of Big History, a free, online social studies course that he co-founded with Gates. The book traces history in wide, sweeping movements, starting with the Big Bang. Writes Gates:
定於5月22日出版的這本新書的作者與蓋茨一起創辦了免費在線社會研究課程《精彩歷史》。該書從大爆炸開始對歷史進行了廣泛、全面的講述。蓋茨寫道：
“
The book ends with a chapter on where humanity—and the universe—is headed. David is more pessimistic about the future than I am. He gets a little stuck on the current economic and political malaise happening in the West, and I wish he talked more about the role innovation will play in preventing the worst effects of climate change.
該書的最後一章講的是人類及宇宙正要前往的地方。戴維對未來比我悲觀。他對目前西方發生的經濟和政治問題感到有點困惑。我希望他更多地談及創新在阻止氣候變化所造成的最壞影響中所扮演的角色。
”
Factfulness, by Hans Rosling, with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling R?nnlund (2018)
5、《事實：我們看錯世界的十個原因——以及為什麼情況比你想象的要好》漢斯·羅斯林 奧拉·羅斯林 安娜·羅斯林·倫隆德 著（2018）
Rosling, the popular academic known for his quirky stats talks, died last year. Gates reviewed his book, cowritten by his son and daughter-in-law, which lays out ten instincts that lead us to distorted views about global trends based on bias instead of fact. In April Gates called it “one of the most educational books I’ve ever read.” Gates says:
以奇談怪論著名的學者漢斯·羅斯林已在去年去世。蓋茨對他同兒子和兒媳合寫的這本書進行了評論。這本書列舉了人們的10種衝動，使得人們以偏見而非事實為基礎形成對全球趨勢的錯誤認識。蓋茨在4月份稱這本書“是我曾經讀過的最具教育意義的書”。蓋茨說：
“
[Rosling] refuses to judge anyone for their misconceptions. Most writers would beat people up for their ignorance, but he doesn’t. Hans even resists going after the media. Instead, he tells you about the history of his own ignorance. He explains that these instincts make us human, and that overcoming them isn’t easy. That’s classic Hans. He was always kind, often patient, and never judgmental.
“（羅斯林）拒絕對任何人的誤解進行判斷。大多數作者會痛斥人們的無知，但他沒有。漢斯甚至拒絕接受媒體的採訪。相反，他告訴你關於他自己無知的過去。他解釋說，這些本能讓我們成為人類，克服它們並不容易。這是典型的漢斯。他總是和藹可親，那麼有耐心，從不評判別人。”
”
暑假來了，給自己充點電吧！
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