Many people will know of Melinda Gates as the philanthropic wife (now ex) of Microsoft billionaire Bill. Approaching her 60th birthday and recently divorced, she has compiled a personal reflection on the key junctures in her life and what these have taught her. The book is subtitled Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward, and this is the essence of what she writes about.
Melinda came from a close-knit family, excelled at school and university, and landed her first job at Microsoft after earning her degree in computer science and an MBA. Over the years, she combined motherhood with her global work at the Gates Foundation. Despite the privilege and profile of her adult life, her life experiences are universal and relatable. She talks about leaving home to go to university and initially struggling to fit in and thrive, the challenges of parenthood and later an empty nest, career dilemmas, dealing with terminal illness and death close to her, ageing, and ending her marriage. With the passage of time, she believes she has become more adept at learning and growing with each new transition, and what she calls distilling the sound of one’s own inner voice.
Through it all, she has kept a special circle of friends who are always there for one another. She has also delved into poetry and spirituality to gain more perspective and understanding of change, and some of her favourite inspirational quotes are incorporated into the chapters.
She sums it up eloquently toward the end of her book: “After all, transitions are disruptive and disorienting. They lay waste to all our careful planning and force us to question our assumptions, our ambitions, even our very identities. But that, I’ve come to understand, is part of their magic.”
The book is only 160 pages long, so it is a quick read and feels like a leisurely catch-up about life with a friend.
The Chartered client library has a copy of The Next Day by Melinda French Gates for short-term loan.
