OBAMA'S READING LISTS

Barack Obama's Reading Lists: Every Book Pick

123 picks · hosted by Barack Obama · since 2009 · newest first

Kin by Tayari Jones, cover
Latest pick · Summer 2026

Kin

by Tayari Jones

Get it on Amazon

About Barack Obama's Reading Lists

Since his presidency, Barack Obama has shared two annual book lists: a summer reading list (mid-year) and a year-end "favorite books, movies, and music" list. He publishes them on his Medium page and via the Obama Foundation, recommending readers pick them up at independent bookstores or libraries.

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All 123 picks

202611 picks

  1. Kin by Tayari Jones, cover
    Summer
    Kin
    Tayari Jones
    Amazon 
  2. The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout, cover
    Summer
    The Things We Never Say
    Elizabeth Strout
    Amazon 
  3. A World Appears by Michael Pollan, cover
    Summer
    A World Appears
    Michael Pollan
    Amazon 
  4. Whistler by Ann Patchett, cover
    Summer
    Whistler
    Ann Patchett
    Amazon 
  5. This Land Is Your Land by Beverly Gage, cover
    Summer
    This Land Is Your Land
    Beverly Gage
    Amazon 
  6. Vigil by George Saunders, cover
    Summer
    Vigil
    George Saunders
    Amazon 
  7. One Sun Only by Camille Bordas, cover
    Summer
    One Sun Only
    Camille Bordas
    Amazon 
  8. Seek Immediate Shelter by Vincent Yu, cover
    Summer
    Seek Immediate Shelter
    Vincent Yu
    Amazon 
  9. Data Empire by Roopika Risam, cover
    Summer
    Data Empire
    Roopika Risam
    Amazon 
  10. Transcription by Ben Lerner, cover
    Summer
    Transcription
    Ben Lerner
    Amazon 
  11. Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead, cover
    Summer
    Cool Machine
    Colson Whitehead
    Amazon 

202521 picks

  1. The Look by Michelle Obama, cover
    December
    The Look
    Michelle Obama
    Amazon 
  2. What We Can Know by Ian McEwan, cover
    December
    What We Can Know
    Ian McEwan
    Amazon 
  3. Dead and Alive by Zadie Smith, cover
    December
    Dead and Alive
    Zadie Smith
    Amazon 
  4. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, cover
    December
    The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
    Kiran Desai
    Amazon 
  5. 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin, cover
    December
    1929
    Andrew Ross Sorkin
    Amazon 
  6. North Sun by Ethan Rutherford, cover
    December
    North Sun
    Ethan Rutherford
    Amazon 
  7. There Is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone, cover
    December
    There Is No Place for Us
    Brian Goldstone
    Amazon 
  8. The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy, cover
    December
    The Wilderness
    Angela Flournoy
    Amazon 
  9. We the People by Jill Lepore, cover
    December
    We the People
    Jill Lepore
    Amazon 
  10. Flashlight by Susan Choi, cover
    December
    Flashlight
    Susan Choi
    Amazon 
  11. Paper Girl by Beth Macy, cover
    December
    Paper Girl
    Beth Macy
    Amazon 
  12. Mark Twain by Ron Chernow, cover
    Summer
    Mark Twain
    Ron Chernow
    Amazon 
  13. The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien, cover
    Summer
    The Book of Records
    Madeleine Thien
    Amazon 
  14. King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby, cover
    Summer
    King of Ashes
    S.A. Cosby
    Amazon 
  15. Abundance by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson, cover
    Summer
    Abundance
    Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
    Amazon 
  16. Rosarita by Anita Desai, cover
    Summer
    Rosarita
    Anita Desai
    Amazon 
  17. Audition by Katie Kitamura, cover
    Summer
    Audition
    Katie Kitamura
    Amazon 
  18. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, cover
    Summer
    The Buffalo Hunter Hunter
    Stephen Graham Jones
    Amazon 
  19. A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst, cover
    Summer
    A Marriage at Sea
    Sophie Elmhirst
    Amazon 
  20. Who Is Government? by Michael Lewis, cover
    Summer
    Who Is Government?
    Michael Lewis
    Amazon 
  21. The Sirens' Call by Chris Hayes, cover
    Summer
    The Sirens' Call
    Chris Hayes
    Amazon 

202424 picks

  1. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, cover
    December
    The Anxious Generation
    Jonathan Haidt
    Amazon 
  2. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney, cover
    December
    Intermezzo
    Sally Rooney
    Amazon 
  3. Patriot by Alexei Navalny, cover
    December
    Patriot
    Alexei Navalny
    Amazon 
  4. Orbital by Samantha Harvey, cover
    December
    Orbital
    Samantha Harvey
    Amazon 
  5. The Anthropologists by Ayşegül Savaş, cover
    December
    The Anthropologists
    Ayşegül Savaş
    Amazon 
  6. Stolen Pride by Arlie Russell Hochschild, cover
    December
    Stolen Pride
    Arlie Russell Hochschild
    Amazon 
  7. In Ascension by Martin MacInnes, cover
    December
    In Ascension
    Martin MacInnes
    Amazon 
  8. Growth by Daniel Susskind, cover
    December
    Growth
    Daniel Susskind
    Amazon 
  9. Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu, cover
    December
    Someone Like Us
    Dinaw Mengestu
    Amazon 
  10. The Work of Art by Adam Moss, cover
    December
    The Work of Art
    Adam Moss
    Amazon 
  11. James by Percival Everett, cover
    Summer
    James
    Percival Everett
    Amazon 
  12. There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib, cover
    Summer
    There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension
    Hanif Abdurraqib
    Amazon 
  13. Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzer, cover
    Summer
    Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis
    Jonathan Blitzer
    Amazon 
  14. Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson, cover
    Summer
    Reading Genesis
    Marilynne Robinson
    Amazon 
  15. Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel, cover
    Summer
    Headshot
    Rita Bullwinkel
    Amazon 
  16. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, cover
    Summer
    The God of the Woods
    Liz Moore
    Amazon 
  17. Beautiful Days: Stories by Zach Williams, cover
    Summer
    Beautiful Days: Stories
    Zach Williams
    Amazon 
  18. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, cover
    Summer
    Martyr!
    Kaveh Akbar
    Amazon 
  19. Memory Piece by Lisa Ko, cover
    Summer
    Memory Piece
    Lisa Ko
    Amazon 
  20. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, cover
    Summer
    The Ministry of Time
    Kaliane Bradley
    Amazon 
  21. When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s by John Ganz, cover
    Summer
    When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s
    John Ganz
    Amazon 
  22. Of Boys and Men by Richard V. Reeves, cover
    Summer
    Of Boys and Men
    Richard V. Reeves
    Amazon 
  23. The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides, cover
    Summer
    The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
    Hampton Sides
    Amazon 
  24. Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman, cover
    Summer
    Help Wanted
    Adelle Waldman
    Amazon 

202320 picks

  1. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, cover
    December
    The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
    James McBride
    Amazon 
  2. The MANIAC by Benjamín Labatut, cover
    December
    The MANIAC
    Benjamín Labatut
    Amazon 
  3. Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond, cover
    December
    Poverty, by America
    Matthew Desmond
    Amazon 
  4. How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair, cover
    December
    How to Say Babylon
    Safiya Sinclair
    Amazon 
  5. The Wager by David Grann, cover
    December
    The Wager
    David Grann
    Amazon 
  6. Chip War by Chris Miller, cover
    December
    Chip War
    Chris Miller
    Amazon 
  7. The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff, cover
    December
    The Vaster Wilds
    Lauren Groff
    Amazon 
  8. Humanly Possible by Sarah Bakewell, cover
    December
    Humanly Possible
    Sarah Bakewell
    Amazon 
  9. King: A Life by Jonathan Eig, cover
    December
    King: A Life
    Jonathan Eig
    Amazon 
  10. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese, cover
    December
    The Covenant of Water
    Abraham Verghese
    Amazon 
  11. The Best Minds by Jonathan Rosen, cover
    December
    The Best Minds
    Jonathan Rosen
    Amazon 
  12. All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby, cover
    December
    All the Sinners Bleed
    S.A. Cosby
    Amazon 
  13. The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory by Tim Alberta, cover
    December
    The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory
    Tim Alberta
    Amazon 
  14. Some People Need Killing by Patricia Evangelista, cover
    December
    Some People Need Killing
    Patricia Evangelista
    Amazon 
  15. This Other Eden by Paul Harding, cover
    December
    This Other Eden
    Paul Harding
    Amazon 
  16. Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane, cover
    Summer
    Small Mercies
    Dennis Lehane
    Amazon 
  17. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, cover
    Summer
    Hello Beautiful
    Ann Napolitano
    Amazon 
  18. Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton, cover
    Summer
    Birnam Wood
    Eleanor Catton
    Amazon 
  19. What Napoleon Could Not Do by DK Nnuro, cover
    Summer
    What Napoleon Could Not Do
    DK Nnuro
    Amazon 
  20. Blue Hour by Tiffany Clarke Harrison, cover
    Summer
    Blue Hour
    Tiffany Clarke Harrison
    Amazon 

202223 picks

  1. The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama, cover
    December
    The Light We Carry
    Michelle Obama
    Amazon 
  2. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel, cover
    December
    Sea of Tranquility
    Emily St. John Mandel
    Amazon 
  3. Trust by Hernan Diaz, cover
    December
    Trust
    Hernan Diaz
    Amazon 
  4. The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff, cover
    December
    The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams
    Stacy Schiff
    Amazon 
  5. The Furrows by Namwali Serpell, cover
    December
    The Furrows
    Namwali Serpell
    Amazon 
  6. South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry, cover
    December
    South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation
    Imani Perry
    Amazon 
  7. The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan, cover
    December
    The School for Good Mothers
    Jessamine Chan
    Amazon 
  8. Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson, cover
    December
    Black Cake
    Charmaine Wilkerson
    Amazon 
  9. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton, cover
    December
    Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands
    Kate Beaton
    Amazon 
  10. An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong, cover
    December
    An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
    Ed Yong
    Amazon 
  11. Liberation Day by George Saunders, cover
    December
    Liberation Day
    George Saunders
    Amazon 
  12. The Candy House by Jennifer Egan, cover
    December
    The Candy House
    Jennifer Egan
    Amazon 
  13. Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah, cover
    December
    Afterlives
    Abdulrazak Gurnah
    Amazon 
  14. Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein, cover
    Summer
    Why We're Polarized
    Ezra Klein
    Amazon 
  15. A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib, cover
    Summer
    A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance
    Hanif Abdurraqib
    Amazon 
  16. To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara, cover
    Summer
    To Paradise
    Hanya Yanagihara
    Amazon 
  17. Silverview by John le Carré, cover
    Summer
    Silverview
    John le Carré
    Amazon 
  18. The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang, cover
    Summer
    The Family Chao
    Lan Samantha Chang
    Amazon 
  19. Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, cover
    Summer
    Velvet Was the Night
    Silvia Moreno-Garcia
    Amazon 
  20. Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson, cover
    Summer
    Mouth to Mouth
    Antoine Wilson
    Amazon 
  21. The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure by Yascha Mounk, cover
    Summer
    The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure
    Yascha Mounk
    Amazon 
  22. Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby, cover
    Summer
    Razorblade Tears
    S.A. Cosby
    Amazon 
  23. Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks by Chris Herring, cover
    Summer
    Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks
    Chris Herring
    Amazon 

202124 picks

  1. Matrix by Lauren Groff, cover
    December
    Matrix
    Lauren Groff
    Amazon 
  2. How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith, cover
    December
    How the Word Is Passed
    Clint Smith
    Amazon 
  3. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton, cover
    December
    The Final Revival of Opal & Nev
    Dawnie Walton
    Amazon 
  4. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, cover
    December
    The Lincoln Highway
    Amor Towles
    Amazon 
  5. Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City by Andrea Elliott, cover
    December
    Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City
    Andrea Elliott
    Amazon 
  6. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, cover
    December
    Harlem Shuffle
    Colson Whitehead
    Amazon 
  7. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, cover
    December
    Cloud Cuckoo Land
    Anthony Doerr
    Amazon 
  8. These Precious Days by Ann Patchett, cover
    December
    These Precious Days
    Ann Patchett
    Amazon 
  9. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, cover
    December
    Crying in H Mart
    Michelle Zauner
    Amazon 
  10. Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu, cover
    December
    Aftershocks
    Nadia Owusu
    Amazon 
  11. Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen, cover
    December
    Crossroads
    Jonathan Franzen
    Amazon 
  12. The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, cover
    December
    The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
    Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
    Amazon 
  13. Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang, cover
    December
    Beautiful Country
    Qian Julie Wang
    Amazon 
  14. At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop, cover
    Summer
    At Night All Blood Is Black
    David Diop
    Amazon 
  15. Land of Big Numbers by Te-Ping Chen, cover
    Summer
    Land of Big Numbers
    Te-Ping Chen
    Amazon 
  16. Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, cover
    Summer
    Empire of Pain
    Patrick Radden Keefe
    Amazon 
  17. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, cover
    Summer
    Project Hail Mary
    Andy Weir
    Amazon 
  18. When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut, cover
    Summer
    When We Cease to Understand the World
    Benjamín Labatut
    Amazon 
  19. Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbert, cover
    Summer
    Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future
    Elizabeth Kolbert
    Amazon 
  20. Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen, cover
    Summer
    Things We Lost to the Water
    Eric Nguyen
    Amazon 
  21. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam, cover
    Summer
    Leave the World Behind
    Rumaan Alam
    Amazon 
  22. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, cover
    Summer
    Klara and the Sun
    Kazuo Ishiguro
    Amazon 
  23. The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris, cover
    Summer
    The Sweetness of Water
    Nathan Harris
    Amazon 
  24. Intimacies by Katie Kitamura, cover
    Summer
    Intimacies
    Katie Kitamura
    Amazon 

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Pick list sourced + verified against Barack Obama's Reading Lists's published selections. View the source list. Last verified 2026-11-03.

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