Barack Obama's Book Recommendations
Barack Obama served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017. An avid reader, he publishes annual reading lists that span literary fiction, history, memoir, and social commentary.
📖 Written by Barack Obama
📚 Books Recommended by Barack Obama 107
Futureface
"A thoughtful, beautiful meditation on what makes us who we are."
book list View source ↗
Lost Children Archive
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Lot
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
We Live in Water
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Coach Wooden and Me
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2017 list."
book list View source ↗
Parting the Waters
"On the "favorite books" section of Barack Obama's Facebook profile."
book list View source ↗
The New Geography of Jobs
"Still a timely and smart discussion of how different cities and regions have made a changing economy work for them."
book list View source ↗
Warlight
"A meditation on the lingering effects of war on family."
book list View source ↗
Say Nothing
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Five-Carat Soul
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2017 list."
book list View source ↗
Furious Hours
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Grant
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2017 list."
book list View source ↗
Sing, Unburied, Sing
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2017 list."
book list View source ↗
Washington
"Barack Obama's "2016 Summer Reading List."
book list View source ↗
Heartland
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Solitary
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
In the Shadow of Statues
"An ultimately optimistic take from someone who believes the South will rise again not by reasserting the past, but by transcending it."
book list View source ↗
Life 3.0
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
Exhalation
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Why Liberalism Failed
"Offers cogent insights into the loss of meaning and community that many in the West feel."
book list View source ↗
A Gentleman in Moscow
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2017 list."
book list View source ↗
Asymmetry
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
How to Do Nothing
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Girl, Woman, Other
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Factfulness
"A hopeful book about the potential for human progress when we work off facts rather than our inherent biases."
book list View source ↗
Florida
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
All the Light We Cannot See
"Barack Obama's "2016 Summer Reading List."
book list View source ↗
Self Reliance
"On the "favorite books" section of Barack Obama's Facebook profile."
book list View source ↗
The Broken Ladder
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
Things Fall Apart
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
Lab Girl
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Gilead
"On the "favorite books" section of Barack Obama's Facebook profile."
book list View source ↗
The Return
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
The Sixth Extinction
"Barack Obama's "2016 Summer Reading List."
book list View source ↗
Evicted
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2017 list."
book list View source ↗
Normal People
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Educated
"A remarkable memoir of a young woman raised in a survivalist family in Idaho."
book list View source ↗
Dying
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2017 list."
book list View source ↗
The World as It Is
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
An American Marriage
"A moving portrayal of the effects of a wrongful conviction on a young African-American couple."
book list View source ↗
The Moment of Lift
"Melinda tells the stories of the inspiring people she’s met through her work all over the world, digs into the data, and powerfully illustrates issues that need our attention."
Tough Love
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
The Topeka School
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
American Spy
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
The Shallows
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
A Grain of Wheat
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
Basketball
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2017 list."
book list View source ↗
How Democracies Die
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
The Girl on the Train
"Barack Obama's "2016 Summer Reading List."
book list View source ↗
The Source of Self-Regard
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
The Largesse of the Sea Maiden
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
The Education of an Idealist
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Abraham Lincoln
"On the "favorite books" section of Barack Obama's Facebook profile."
book list View source ↗
Trust Exercise
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Seveneves
"Barack Obama's "2016 Summer Reading List."
book list View source ↗
Immigrant, Montana
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
Long Walk to Freedom
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
How to Read the Air
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Becoming
"Obviously my favorite [book of 2018]!"
book list View source ↗
Frederick Douglass
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
Feel Free
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
There There
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
Trick Mirror
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Washington Black
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
The Power
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2017 list."
book list View source ↗
Americanah
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
The Lowland
"Barack Obama's "2016 Summer Reading List."
book list View source ↗
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
The Anarchy
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Anything Is Possible
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2017 list."
book list View source ↗
Exit West
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2017 list."
book list View source ↗
H Is for Hawk
"Barack Obama's "2016 Summer Reading List."
book list View source ↗
Moby Dick
"On the "favorite books" section of Barack Obama's Facebook profile."
book list View source ↗
A House for Mr Biswas
"Great novel about growing up in Trinidad and the challenge of post-colonial identity."
book list View source ↗
The Sixth Man
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
The Warmth of Other Suns
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Between the World and Me
"Barack Obama's "2016 Summer Reading List."
book list View source ↗
Song of Solomon
"On the "favorite books" section of Barack Obama's Facebook profile."
book list View source ↗
Arthur Ashe
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
Maid
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
The Yellow House
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Inland
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
The Shadow of Sirius
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
American Prison
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2018 list."
book list View source ↗
Janesville
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2017 list."
book list View source ↗
A Different Way to Win
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
The Nickel Boys
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Wolf Hall
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
The Underground Railroad
"Barack Obama's "2016 Summer Reading List."
book list View source ↗
Nine Days
"I want to share this inspiring book about the events leading up to the 1960 election, from Dr. King's imprisonment to student activism in Atlanta to JFK's campaign. It's a story we can all learn from—a story of overlooked heroes and the power each of us has to create change."
tweet View source ↗
The Ministry for the Future
"As 2020 comes to a close, I wanted to share my annual lists of favorites. I’ll start by sharing my favorite books this year. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did."
blog View source ↗
Missionaries
"As 2020 comes to a close, I wanted to share my annual lists of favorites. I’ll start by sharing my favorite books this year. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did."
blog View source ↗
Jack
"As 2020 comes to a close, I wanted to share my annual lists of favorites. I’ll start by sharing my favorite books this year. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did."
blog View source ↗
Homeland Elegies
"As 2020 comes to a close, I wanted to share my annual lists of favorites. I’ll start by sharing my favorite books this year. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did."
blog View source ↗
Caste
"As 2020 comes to a close, I wanted to share my annual lists of favorites. I’ll start by sharing my favorite books this year. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did."
blog View source ↗
Luster
"As 2020 comes to a close, I wanted to share my annual lists of favorites. I’ll start by sharing my favorite books this year. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did."
blog View source ↗
Memorial Drive
"As 2020 comes to a close, I wanted to share my annual lists of favorites. I’ll start by sharing my favorite books this year. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did."
blog View source ↗
Twilight of Democracy
"As 2020 comes to a close, I wanted to share my annual lists of favorites. I’ll start by sharing my favorite books this year. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did."
blog View source ↗
Men Without Women
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗
Truth Decay
"A look at how a selective sorting of facts and evidence isn’t just dishonest, but self-defeating to a society that has always worked best when reasoned debate and practical problem-solving thrive."
book list View source ↗
The Word Collector
"A fun book that vividly illustrates the transformative power of words."
book list View source ↗
Battling the Big Lie
"Here’s the truth: @danpfeiffer’s latest book, Battling the Big Lie, is an important read for anyone who’s wondering how the far right traffics in lies and what we can all do to fight back. As we head into election season, it could not be more timely."
tweet View source ↗
Speed & Scale
"If you care about climate change, Speed & Scale offers concrete steps that we can all take to make a difference."
book list View source ↗
The Oxford Shakespeare
"On the "favorite books" section of Barack Obama's Facebook profile."
book list View source ↗
Holy Bible
"On the "favorite books" section of Barack Obama's Facebook profile."
book list View source ↗
The Orphan Master's Son
"Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list."
book list View source ↗