jaayraad_reads 's review for:

Source Code: My Beginnings by Bill Gates

4.5

informative inspiring medium-paced

---

From “problem child” to running one of the most successful companies in the world, Source Code takes you on a journey from Bill’s childhood through to the early days of Microsoft. Ending just as the company moves to Seattle.

While this may not have been something that I would have normally picked up, it kind of drew me in with just how interesting it is.

Not only do you get a glimpse of his childhood, from learning to play cards with Gami, and eventually beating her at a game, through to the way his parents pushed the children to be successful and independent. The way his mother ran the family while also making strides into roles and industries women at the time typically weren’t seen was eye opening.

But the most interesting parts of the story were actually more about the history of the personal computers. Something that is in our lives on the daily. Learning about the early computers and how they worked, through to the development of microprocessors and the first computers with inbuilt screens 😱

The way this was written, with both the story of Bill’s early life entwined with the invention of the home computer was extremely well crafted with both branches having almost equal time to keep the reader engaged.

Bill notes that this is the first of three planned memoirs, the second covering his time running Microsoft, and the third focused on his foundation. If both of those are as well rounded as this, I will certainly be picking them up.