Bill Gates: Computer Mogul and Philanthropist »

Bill Gates, co-founder and chairman of Microsoft, is one of the wealthiest men in the world. He is also the world's largest private giver. Nowadays, when Bill Gates is in the news, he is likely to be talking about discovering vaccines rather than software. He and his wife, Melinda, are more often seen visiting slums in the world's poorest places than inside any of the buildings at Microsoft headquarters. By the end of 2005, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had given hundred of millions of dollars to various charitable organizations and scientific research programs.

Children's Literature

AGERANGE: Ages 8 to 12.

Microsoft and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are both household names in America today. In 2004, Bill Gates became the richest man in the world, at the same time, the world's largest private giver. This biography details how Gates got started and what he did to get where he is today. Both his computer developments and his philanthropic initiatives in worldwide healthcare are detailed. The book also provides an excellent and concise history of the development of the computer. It stresses that Gates made the most of both his technology expertise and his business savvy. He started his first business when he was in eighth grade. Then, when Microsoft created its software for the IBM PC, Gates set the deal so that Microsoft would earn a royalty on every copy of the software sold. Gates first made the cover of Time magazine in 1984. In 1985, Microsoft came out with Windows 1.0. Two decades later, both Gates and his wife made the cover of Time as "Persons of the Year." Part of the "People to Know Today" series, the biography highlights "the ultimate revenge of the nerd" and Gates' great accomplishments, but it also notes the struggles Gates has faced due to his successes. Reviewer: Lynn O'Connell

Celebrating With a Shirley Temple and Ice Cream     5
Lakeside Mothers Club to the Rescue     12
Bugs in the Machines     25
"We Hope Not a Turkey"     37
Long Days in the Desert     50
Dressing Up for IBM     62
"It's All About the Gooey"     72
"From Those to Whom Much Is Given, Much Is Expected"     91
Chronology     112
Chapter Notes     116
Further Reading and Internet Addresses     124
Index     125