Barack Obama shares his 15 favorite books of 2023, including a Read With Jenna pick
‘Tis the season for reading. In what has become an annual tradition, former president Barack Obama released his favorite reads of 2023 in a post shared Dec. 22.
The list follows his earlier batch of books recommended for summer reading, which included nonfiction, novels and a strong selection of thrillers. Some of his favorite books of the year are repeat selections.
Obama posted his year-end list on Instagram and other platforms, teasing that lists of his favorite movies and music of the year were coming, too.
"Here are the books I've enjoyed reading. If you’re looking for a new book over the holidays, give one of them a try. And if you can, shop at an independent bookstore or check them out at your local library," he said.
Barack Obama's favorite books of 2023
And his best books of the year are...
"The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store" by James McBride, a polyphonic and uplifting novel set at a community grocery store
"The Maniac" by Benjamin Labatut is the true story of the Hungarian American physicist and computer scientist John von Neumann, epic enough to be compared to a true crime story in reviews.
“Poverty, By America” by Matthew Desmond is a 2023 nonfiction book that analyzes the sociological roots of poverty in the United States.
"How to Say Babylon" by Safiya Sinclair, a Read With Jenna pick and memoir about one woman's journey away from her upbringing.
“The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder” by David Grann is a nonfiction book about the 18th-century Wager Mutiny. Grann is also the author of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which has been adapted into an upcoming film.
"Chip War" by Chris Miller, a nonfiction look into how smart chips have reshaped the world.
"The Vaster Wilds" by Lauren Groff, a fable and work of literary fiction about a young woman trying to survive in the wilderness after she runs from her employers.
"Humanly Possible" by Sarah Bakewell, about the humanist movement and the people who studied what it means to be human.
“King: A Life” by Jonathan Eig is a biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A New York Times Bestseller, the book was was deemed “the new definitive biography” of King by the newspaper.
"The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese, an epic story about a family curse.
"The Best Minds" by Jonathan Rosen tells an American tragedy that the author had a front-row seat to, watching as his brilliant childhood friend's life was changed by a mental health diagnosis.
“All the Sinners Bleed” by S.A. Cosby is a serial killer thriller set in the South.
"The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory" by Tim Alberta is a look at the American Evangelical movement written by the son of an evangelical pastor.
"Some People Need Killing" by Patricia Evangelista is an overview of the Philippines' drug war, written by a journalist who saw it first-hadn.
"This Other Eden" by Paul Harding. The author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Tinkers" returns with a book set in an isolated Maine island where a diverse population lived until 1912.
Barack Obama's summer 2023 reading recommendations
"Poverty, By America" by Matthew Desmond
"Small Mercies" is a sweltering summer thriller set in '70s Boston from the author of "Mystic River," Dennis Lehane.
"King: A Life" by Jonathan Eig
"Hello Beautiful" by Ann Napolitano chronicles the lives of an Italian-American family. The novel is also an Oprah's Book Club pick.
"All the Sinners Bleed" by S.A. Cosby is a serial killer thriller set in the South.
"Birnam Wood" by Booker Prize-winning author Eleanor Catton is an eco-thriller about a guerilla gardening group.
"What Napoleon Could Not Do" by DK Nnuro is a novel that dives into the tension between African and American identities.
"The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder" by David Grann
"Blue Hour" by Tiffany Clarke Harrison was described by Kirkus Reviews as "a poetic novel that dances on the edge of hope and despair."
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
