The Secret Diary of Bill Gates (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Bill Gates is undoubtedly not as happy-go-lucky and slapstick as the narrator of this parody, but that's exactly why this is more interesting than his real diary. Written as a yearlong series of diary entries, "Bill" obsesses about issues such as his daily net worth, his fame, his IQ, the construction of his humongous mansion, and taking over the universe, plus divulges his lust for hot women, from his wife, Melinda, to the Spice Girls. Entries are populated with Bill's priorities on issues such as the top 10 most powerful guys on the planet (of which he is always No. 1), top 10 Microsoft bumper stickers, and top 10 dates with Melinda. After reading through a year in the life, you can take the "Are You Like Bill Gates?" quiz. A who's who glossary defines the people and companies that exist in Bill's world and a bibliography recommends 20 more books about Bill that you can read. --Cristina Vaamonde

From Kirkus Reviews

A pseudonymous auteur in cyberspace attempts a parody of the Internet diary by the Microsoft mogul. This text doesn't emanate from newspaper columns, TV, or movies, but rather is cobbled together from a hot site on the World Wide Web. And if it were a real book instead of a parody of a book it might be an ominous portent for authorship. Certainly, the Richest Guy in the World is the proper subject for satire, but surely he deserves something funnier than this, the Web version of rancid popcorn. There are constant put-downs of competitors by a supposedly silly Gates. Running gags about his manliness, his family, his house, his search for new books about himself and his postulated delight in the Spice Girls are not particularly funny. The likely premise of Gates being at once egotistical, naive, and ruthless beyond measure goes nowhere at all. ``The coolest!'', ``way cool!'' and ``so cool!'' are the diarys sole expressions of approbation, and that approbation is confined solely to Gates himself, of course. On the other hand, disapproval is expressed with ``Way cool, not!'' This extended vocabulary is used for all Microsoft competition. Comedic fun is tagged with an ever useful ``Ha, ha, ha!'' The syntax sounds suspiciously like that of a sophomore computer geek, though some industry buzz and Microsoft gossip make the author sound like an insider. A sizable audience of computer buffs, chat room nerds, and Windows resisters may be found, but unless you like to spend all your time surfing the Net for hackers' detritus, forget it. Better to spend your time perusing a screen saver. Way cooool, not! -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 273 pages
• Publisher: Andrews Mcmeel Pub (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0836252047
• ISBN-13: 978-0836252040
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,182,789 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The REAL thoughts of Bill G !!! Great book !, February 9, 1999

By A Customer

great book ! Funny and wit, well written. one can wonder how much thefiction is close to reality as the evil deeds of Bill are more andmore known to the public. Look for the 1999 diary !!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Supercool!!, June 14, 1998

By A Customer

Having read the original masterpiece "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole" many years ago, I was wary about how this book would compare. But in true Bill Gates style, the author, "Bill G", has taken Sue Townsend's original formula and adapted it expertly to his own ends. The Secret Diary of Bill Gates contains many hilarious entries, and while probably not a true reflection of the life of the world's most successful nerd, it is certainly an amusing picture of how Bill Gates might spend his days.

One minor criticism is that to understand the humor behind some of the entries, requires the reader to already have a fair amount of knowledge about Bill Gates, Microsoft and the computer industry. But, the excellent "Who's Who in Bill's Little World" and easy to read style of the writing, should mean that most readers will laugh at almost every entry.

For people like myself who are interested in the PC industry, the book is a "must read", I can't wait for the next edition (or should that be "version 2.0"?).

Bravo Bill G!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply a Classic, March 7, 2004

By	Ramon Thomas "Professional Speaker & Dating C... (Johannesburg, South Africa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I remember reading the actual diary entries as they appeared ont the Internet back in 1998. Then one day they website went offline and luckily the book was published. I bought it and have a good laugh every now and then. I've even considered writing a similar daily parody for our President Mbeki, who is one of the most eccentric people on the planet. This book is for everyone and anyone who's always wondered what it's like to be Bill Gates!