Former President Barack Obama favorite books of all time are basically the Oscars of the literary community. He is not just a leader that sticks his nose in political memoirs or policy books (although he reads them too); his reading list cuts across everything from page-turning novels to deep philosophical explorations. Barack Obama’s favorite books of all time are worth checking out.
I’ve gone through his public book recommendations (yep, I stalk his lists every December like it’s Christmas Eve) and picked out some gems he’s loved over the years. Grab your reading glasses, friends; this list is presidentially approved.
1. “Song of Solomon” by Toni Morrison
This Barack Obama favorite books of all time is a lyrical novel gives a narration of a young Black man by name Macon “Milkman” Dead III. He was a young man who tried to understand his identity and heritage in mid-20th-century America. The book is rich, complex, and full of symbolism.
Why Obama liked it:
Obama has severely praised Toni Morrison’s work, and his book Song of Solomon is often his go-to. He once said her books “helped me see the world through different eyes.” This explains that the book is one that everyone who strives to understand his or her historical heritage should read.
Who it’s for:
If you are a fan of literary fiction, cultural history, and poetic storytelling, this book is a must-read for you.
2. “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead
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What it’s about:
In this book, Whitehead, the author of the book, reimagines the Underground Railroad as a literal train system that helps slaves escape from their slave masters to freedom. The book is a good mix of historical realism while also having some element of surrealism.
Why Obama liked it:
Obama called this great literary piece “a terrific book,” praising how it uses imagination to deepen our understanding of history.
Who it’s for:
This book is recommended for those that are very interested in historical fiction or anyone who loves a twist on the traditional narrative.
3. “A Promised Land” by Barack Obama
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What it’s about:
Former President Obama wrote his own memoir chronicling his political journey from his entry into politics and first term in the White House. The book is detailed, as he clearly stated his honest thoughts on his political trajectory in the US.
Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office.
Reflecting on the presidency, he offers a unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of US partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond.
Why he liked it:
Okay, this one’s a bit of a cheat. But honestly, if you wrote a 700-page bestseller, you’d put it on your list too.
Who it’s for:
This Barack Obama favorite books of all time will be a great read for those that are fans of presidential memoirs, political history, or anyone curious about what really goes on in the political leadership Situation Room.
4. “Normal People” by Sally Rooney
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What it’s about:
This book gives an account of what today’s romantic life is all about. This is a story of two young adults in love with each other. This modern love story is about Connell and Marianne, who try to navigate young adulthood in Ireland, exploring intimacy, power, and emotional vulnerability.
Why Obama liked it:
This book happened to be on the summer holiday reading list of former President Obama in 2019. He clearly has a soft spot for emotionally intelligent, character-driven stories.
Who it’s for:
This book is a good read for millennials, couples, and fans of smart, literary romance.
5. “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead
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What it’s about:
When Elwood Curtis, a black boy growing up in 1960s Tallahassee, is unfairly sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy, he finds himself trapped in a grotesque chamber of horrors. Elwood’s only salvation is his friendship with fellow “delinquent” Turner, which deepens despite Turner’s conviction that Elwood is hopelessly naive, that the world is crooked, and that the only way to survive is to scheme and avoid trouble.
As life at the Academy becomes ever more perilous, the tension between Elwood’s ideals and Turner’s skepticism leads to a decision whose repercussions will echo down the decades.
Why Obama liked it:
This Barack Obama favorite books of all time got featured in his 2019 reading list, and he equally praised its urgent storytelling and historical relevance to our daily lives.
Who it’s for:
This book will be a good read for those that are very interested in civil rights history, social justice, and powerful character-driven stories. If you belong to this category of people, then you need to pick it as part of your readings.
6. “The Power” by Naomi Alderman
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What it’s about:
This book tells a story of women across the globe that suddenly develop a mysterious power to emit electric shocks, hence putting the female gender in a strategic power dynamic of the world leadership play.
The Power is speculative fiction at its most ambitious and provocative, at once taking us on a thrilling journey to an alternate reality and exposing our own world in bold and surprising ways.
Why Obama liked it:
Former President Obama referred to this book as “electrifying”the book was part of his reading list in 2017.
Who it’s for:
This book is a great read for fans of dystopian fiction, gender studies, and The Handmaid’s Tale-style storytelling.
7. “Educated” by Tara Westover
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What it’s about:
This book gives an account of a woman who grows up in a strict and abusive survivalist family, but despite all odds, she eventually escapes and makes her way to earning a Ph.D. from Cambridge.
Why Obama liked it:
President Obama clearly said that this book is “a remarkable memoir,” and that he admired her courage and determination.
Who it’s for:
If you are a lover of memoirs, especially those who enjoy stories of resilience and transformation, then you have to lay your hands and read this book.
8. “The Overstory” by Richard Powers
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What it’s about:
This Pulitzer-winning novel weaves together the stories of people whose lives are tied to trees in profound, life-altering ways. An air force loadmaster in the Vietnam War is shot out of the sky, then saved by falling into a banyan.
An artist inherits 100 years of photographic portraits, all of the same doomed American chestnut. A hard-partying undergraduate in the late 1980s electrocutes herself, dies, and is sent back into life by creatures of air and light.
Why Obama liked it:
It made his 2019 list. He loved its environmental message and emotional depth.
Who it’s for:
Eco-conscious readers, literary fiction fans, and anyone who’s ever cried over a tree being cut down.
9. “Trust” by Hernan Diaz
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What it’s about:
Set in 1920s New York, this novel unpacks wealth, power, and truth through layered narratives that challenge what we think we know. This is the mystery at the center of Bonds, a successful 1937 novel that all of New York seems to have read. Yet there are other versions of this tale of privilege and deceit.
Hernan Diaz’s TRUST elegantly puts these competing narratives into conversation with one another and in tension with the perspective of one woman bent on disentangling fact from fiction. The result is a novel that spans over a century and becomes more exhilarating with each new revelation.
Why Obama liked it:
It was on his 2022 list; he loves a smart, multi-perspective story that makes you question reality.
Who it’s for:
Fans of literary puzzles and historical fiction with a twist.
10. “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride
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What it’s about:
In a small Pennsylvania town, a hidden skeleton sparks revelations about community, race, and survival. In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well.
Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows.
Why Obama liked it:
He included it in his 2023 summer list, saying McBride’s storytelling always captures “humanity and hope.”
Who it’s for:
Readers who appreciate community-driven stories and rich cultural detail.
11. “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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What it’s about:
Written as a letter to his teenage son, Coates reflects on being Black in America. It’s raw, lyrical, and thought-provoking. Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion.
Why Obama liked it:
He’s praised Coates for his “beautifully written, insightful” work.
Who it’s for:
Anyone interested in racial justice, American history, or poetic nonfiction.
12. “Shuggie Bain” by Douglas Stuart”
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What it’s about:
A heartbreaking story of a boy growing up in 1980s Glasgow with an alcoholic mother and crushing poverty. Shuggie Bain is the unforgettable story of young Hugh “Shuggie” Bain, a sweet and lonely boy who spends his 1980s childhood in run-down public housing in Glasgow, Scotland. Thatcher’s policies have put husbands and sons out of work, and the city’s notorious drugs epidemic is waiting in the wings.
Why Obama liked it:
He called it “gut-wrenching” and admired the compassion in the storytelling.
Who it’s for:
Lovers of gritty, emotional, award-winning fiction.
Conclusion
You know what’s funny? I used to think presidents didn’t have time to read. Turns out, Obama was devouring novels while also running the free world.
If you are looking for thoughtful fictional books to read, hard-hitting memoirs, or trying to get an understanding of historical paradigms or want to have a new perspective on history, Barack Obama’s favorite books of all time are rich enough for you and every other reader out there. These recommendations aren’t just literary flexes but they are pieces that give a clear look into how he thinks and what he values. To ensure that your book is not a couterfit book, get from Amazon.
So, what about you?
Which of these books have you read or plan to read?
Got your own presidential pick? Drop it in the comments—we’re building our own little Oval Office Book Club here.
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