Former President Barack Obama on Saturday continued his tradition of sharing his annual lists of favorites, starting with a rundown of books that made the past year “a little brighter for me.”
“This has become a fun little tradition for me, and I hope it is for you, too,” Obama wrote in an Instagram post. “Because while each of us has plenty that keeps us busy — work and family life, social and volunteer commitments — outlets like literature and art can enhance our day-to-day experiences.”
Similar to previous years, Obama’s book picks are a mix of historic non-fiction and some literary novels. It includes the “Lost Children Archive,” which is about the migrant crisis; the Sally Rooney novel “Normal People,” which is being adapted for a Hulu series; and “The Topeka School,” which explores white male identity.
Check out Obama’s full list of favorite books below:
- “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power” by Shoshana Zuboff
- “The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company” by William Dalrymple
- “Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee” by Casey Cep
- “Girl, Woman, Other” by Bernardine Evaristo
- “The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present” by David Treuer
- “How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy” by Jenny Odell
- “Lost Children Archive” by Valeria Luiselli
- “Lot: Stories” by Bryan Washington
- “Normal People” by Sally Rooney
- “The Orphan Master’s Son” by Adam Johnson
- “The Yellow House” by Sarah M. Broom
- “Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland” by Patrick Radden Keefe
- “Solitary” by Albert Woodfox
- “The Topeka School” by Ben Lerner
- “Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion” by Jia Tolentino
- “Trust Exercise” by Susan Choi
- “We Live in Water: Stories” by Jess Walter
Obama also listed two “for the sports fans.” Those books are:
- “A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney’s Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule” by Jim Rooney
- “The Sixth Man” by Andre Iguodala
