Former President Barack Obama revealed his summer reading list on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, featuring 11 books spanning genres from history to fiction. In a post on the social platform X, Obama invited readers to share their own recommendations, saying, “If you’ve read any good ones, let me know!”

The list includes Tayari Jones’s Kin, described as a novel exploring motherhood, friendship, and womanhood in the American South; Elizabeth Strout’s The Things We Never Say, a meditation on loneliness, friendship, and parenthood; and Roopika Risam’s Data Empire: The Power of Information to Organize, Control, and Dominate, which offers a new perspective on human history through the lens of information as a source of power.

Other titles on the list are A World Appears by Michael Pollan, Whistler by Ann Patchett, This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History by Beverly Gage, Vigil by George Saunders, One Sun Only by Camille Bordas, Seek Immediate Shelter by Vincent Yu, Transcription by Ben Lerner, and Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead.

Obama’s reading list reflects a broad range of themes and voices, inviting readers to explore diverse narratives and ideas this summer.

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