Former President Barack Obama is renowned for more than just his political acumen. For those who aren’t in the know, when Barack Obama was in office, and like most presidents, he kept an end-of-the-year reading list he would share with the public. While the president’s reading list included a mishmash of biographies, political pundit dry reads, and a poem collection, there were some books that actually were scintillating reads.
Here is the good news: Barack Obama, despite having ended his presidential term in 2017, still shares his reading list with the public, along with the list of movies and television shows he’d recommend. Now, the fans and the media continue to speculate whether he really read all those books and binged all those shows, but one thing is certain: the former President’s appetite for culture is insatiable.
Here are seven titles from Obama’s recommended reading list that stand out as must-haves for every personal library.
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store — James McBride
This novel, released in 2023, tells the story of Black and Jewish residents of the 1920s and 1930s, with a Jewish couple hiding a young Black boy who is deaf from the authorities seeking to institutionalize him in a mental asylum, guided by the town’s physician. It’s a fantastic story and a well-received novel that depicts how divisions may start and continue to fracture across racial lines, even among the most close-knit communities.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers — Katherine Boo
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Pulitzer Prize-winner Katherine Boo is a non-fiction winner of the National Book Award and Los Angeles Times Book Prize, among many others. The book follows the interconnected lives of several residents in the present-day slums of Mumbai, India — including that of a young trash picker, a female slumlord, and a college student. Â
The author does a really good job of highlighting the issues of corruption, religious and ethnic tensions, and profound inequalities that characterize contemporary Indian society. It really forces the reader to look beyond the surface of poverty and consider the complex web of factors that perpetuate it.
Song of Solomon — Toni Morrison
Song of Solomon, published in 1977, is a significant part of Toni Morrison‘s contribution to American literature and stands out for its exploration of African American culture and identity. The novel follows Macon “Milkman” Dead III, an African American man living in Michigan, from birth to adulthood. As he grows, he becomes increasingly disenchanted in his life of privilege as part of an emotionally dead family, so he goes on a journey of self-discovery.
The search leads him to the rural South, where he learns about his ancestors’ struggles and the origins of his particular name. Song of Solomon explored several very profound themes, including the search for identity, the significance of names, the history of African American slavery, and the importance of community. The novel is often cited as one of Morrison’s masterpieces.
One Hundred Years of Solitude — Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Cien años de Soledad, translated as One Hundred Years of Solitude, is a masterpiece by Colombian author Gabriel Garica Marquez, first published in 1967. The novel is considered one of the greatest novels of the 20th century and a defining classic of magical realism. One Hundred Years of Solitude follows the multi-generational story of the Buendia family, spanning well over a century. It details the lives of family members, their loves, obsessions, joys, and tragedies, and thus details the cyclical nature of time and history, which seem to repeat themselves.
One Hundred Years of Solitude explores several themes, such as solitude, destiny, the circularity of time, the inescapability of fate, and the political turmoil and social changes affecting Colombia and Latin America.
The Great Gatsby — F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby is another seminal work of American literature. It was first published in 1925 and explored themes such as the American Dream, decadence, idealism, resistance to change, and excess, all of which was set during the Roaring Twenties. The Great Gatsby tells the tale of Jay Gatsby, obsessively in love with Daisy Buchanan, whom he met years before when he was a young military officer. Jay’s dream of rekindling his romance with Daisy, who is now married, drives the novel’s narrative and eventually leads to tragic consequences.
King: A Life — Jonathan Eig
Jonathan Eig’s King: A Life has emerged as the groundbreaking and comprehensive biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., offering fresh insights into the life and legacy of one of the most iconic figures in American history. Eig’s background as an investigative journalist really shines through, and many critics have noted the book’s compelling narrative drive and the meticulous research that formed its base.
This new biography, the first major biography of Martin Luther King Jr. in the past three decades, explores King’s life with unprecedented detail and scope, including the recently released FBI files, phone recordings, and interviews.
The Wealth of Nations — Adam Smith
Officially titled An Inquiry into the Nature and Cause of the Wealth of Nations, it was written by Scottish economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith. First published in 1776, The Wealth of Nations is considered the basis of modern economic theory, as it lays out the basic concepts such as division of labor, productivity, and free market. Perhaps the most famous concept introduced in the book is the idea of an invisible hand, which suggests that the individual’s pursuit of self-interest naturally and unintentionally benefits the whole society. It’s a really great read if you want to grasp the foundational principles of economics.
Final Thoughts
These seven books from Obama’s library cover a wide range of topics, reflecting the former President’s diverse interests as well as the depth of his cultural and intellectual curiosity. Adding these books to your personal library will help you broaden your understanding of the world and enrich your reading experience.