Bill Gates is giving this book to every college graduate

If you’re graduating college this spring, Bill Gates has a free gift for you.

Yes, that Bill Gates.

It’s his go-to gift, so consider it a friendly gesture.

You probably have a lot on your mind now: starting your new job, preparing for graduate school, paying off student loans, building credit and moving.

As you navigate your next journey, Bill Gates wants you to have this, and he’s buying one for every graduate.

It’s a copy of Factfulness: 10 Reasons We're Wrong About The World -- and Why Things Are Better Than You Think, a book by global health expert Hans Rosling along with his son, Ola Rosling, and daughter-in-law, Anna Rosling Rönnlund.

Gates has called the book one of the most important he has ever read.

Of all the possible gifts, why this book and what’s it all about?

5 Key Takeaways

Here are 5 takeaways, among many others, from Factfulness and how it can help you see the world differently and live a better life:

The world is in better shape than we think. We have a tendency to divide the world into two camps: us vs them. When we worry about everything all the time instead of embracing a worldview based on facts, we can lose our ability to focus on the things that threaten us most. We tend to perceive progress as most things are getting worse. We view media through the lens of "fear rules."

"It’s easier to accelerate progress if you know how far we’ve already come," Gates told Time about the book. "If you don’t believe the world has improved, you’re more likely to look at a tragedy and think nothing can be done. But someone who knows how much progress is possible can look at a bad situation and say, “How can we make this better?”"

It's easy to study data sets and run analyses, but if you want to fully understand the world, you need to discuss it with real people.

There is no replacement for getting out in the real world. It's what Rosling did to understand how the world works, and to highlight the inherent biases that too many let cloud their judgment. Only facts tell the true story.

When you trust the facts and learn it first-hand from the front line, there is no replacement.

How To Get Your Free Gift From Bill Gates

Graduate this spring from a U.S. college or university. Receive a bachelor's, associate's or post-graduate degree. Sign up on Gates Notes(Bill Gates' website) Enter the name of your college or university. Download your free copy of Factfulness

Happy reading.