Barack Obama reveals his summer reading list for 2019
As summer comes to a close, Barack Obama is looking back on his best reads of the season. The former U.S. president shared his summer reading list on Facebook and Instagram on Wednesday night, filled with over 11 strong recommendations. The books range in genre, from a spy thriller to historical fiction, and authors span from Pulitzer Prize Winners to those who were only recently published.
"It's August, so I wanted to let you know about a few books I've been reading this summer, in case you're looking for some suggestions," Obama wrote.
A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama) on Aug 14, 2019 at 11:18am PDT
"To start, you can't go wrong by reading or re-reading the collected works of Toni Morrison. Beloved, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye, Sula, everything else — they're transcendent, all of them. You’ll be glad you read them."
Toni Morrison died last week on Aug. 6 at the age of 88. She's the author of 11 novels, a collection of essays, three children's books, a play and a short story—her career spanned over 6 decades. In 1993, she became the first African-American woman to receive a Nobel Prize for her literature, and in 2012, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by none other than Obama.
Some of Obama's other recommendations include "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel, a fictional story on Thomas Cromwell's rise to power, which came out in 2009. "I was a little busy back then, so I missed it. Still great today," he wrote.
Obama also called "Men Without Women" by Japanese author Haruki Murakami moving. "[It] examines what happens to characters without important women in their lives; it'll move you and confuse you and sometimes leave you with more questions than answers."
He also suggested "How to Read the Air" by Dinaw Mengestu, an author from Ethiopia who tells the story of a recently divorced Ethiopian-American immigrant who leaves Manhattan to learn about his parents' journey to the States. Although it was published in 2010, its theme feels ever-so-relevant today.
"You’ll get a better sense of the complexity and redemption within the American immigrant story," Obama wrote.
You can read Obama's full Facebook post here and shop from his reading list below:
