Barack Obama is taking his book recommendations to audio with a new books podcast set to debut next month, part of a continuing push by the former president and Michelle Obama to grow their media work after the White House. The series, titled A Great Book With Barack Obama, will focus on six books Obama has described as “great” and influential to his thinking.
Obama said the project is meant to encourage more Americans to pick up books again. He wrote on social media Monday that “at a time when fewer people are able to sit down with a book, it’s important to remember the joy and power that can come from reading.” He added that some books “don’t just tell a story — they change the way we see the world.” The six-episode podcast will explore works tied to faith, politics and race in America, according to Obama.
The reading list reaches across several major American and international voices. It includes James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time, Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses, Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead, Robert Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men and John le Carré’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Obama said he invited friends to discuss why these books still resonate, how they can shape understanding of ourselves and one another, and why literature matters “now more than ever.”
The project will be released on Audible through Higher Ground, the production company Obama and Michelle Obama launched together. The guest list has not been announced. The new series follows earlier Higher Ground work with Audible, including Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast, which ran for 11 episodes from March 2023 through February 2024.
