President Barack Obama shared his favorite books of the summer on Instagram yesterday.

“I’ve read some great books over the last few months and wanted to share some of my favorites with you,” Obama wrote on his list. He added, “Let me know if you have any recommendations for books I should check out!”

We recognize several books on his reading list, including books recommended in Amazon’s Best Books of 2024 So Far and our Summer Beach Reads selection. One such book is the Pulitzer Prize finalist, James (written by Percival Everett), inspired by the classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe novel The Ministry of Timewhich explores the morality of changing history, also made Obama’s list. Based on these selections, we can’t wait to dive into the remaining 14 books recommended by the former president.

Whether you want to read nonfiction, science fiction, crime, or short stories, Obama’s List has something for every reading taste. Below you’ll find a summary of all the books on Obama’s List, along with information on where to buy them.

James by Percival Everett

James is inspired by Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and tells the story of Jim, an enslaved man who overhears that he is being sold to a new man and separated from his family.

This year there is always: About basketball and Ascension Day by Hanif Abdurraqib

Hanif Abdurraqib’s memoirs This year there is always: About basketball and Ascension Day has received critical acclaim since its release in March. The author describes his childhood in Columbus, Ohio, during the golden age of basketball and the formative influence the sport had on his life.

Everyone who is gone is here by Jonathan Blitzer

Written by Jonathan Blitzer, All those who were gone are here: The United States, Central America and the emergence of a crisis tells the story of migrants from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala who desperately flee their countries in the hope of finding safety in the United States.

Reading Genesis by Marilyn Robinson

Marilynne Robinson describes the promise of God and the deep meanings found in the Book of Genesis in her work Reading Genesis.

Headshot: A Novel by Rita Bullwinkel

Eight teenage girls are in Reno, Nevada, for a boxing competition and hope to win the title of “Best in the Country” from Rita Bullwinkel’s novel HeadshotThe book tells the story of each participant and the sacrifices they made along the way.

The God of the Forest: A Novel by Liz Moore

Set in the 1970s, The God of the Forest is set in a summer camp where a young girl, who is also the daughter of the camp owner, disappears. What’s even stranger is that it’s not the first time that someone from the family has disappeared under such circumstances.

Beautiful Days: Stories by Zach Williams

Beautiful days by Zach Williams is a collection of ten stories that “demonstrate the fallibility of time and how reality reveals itself behind the veil of a dream – or a nightmare.”

Martyr!: A novel by Kaveh Akbar

Cyrus Shams has lived a life of tragedy after his mother died in a plane crash when he was a child. Now struggling in his adult life, Cyrus looks into his past and realizes that things may not be as they were in Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar.

Memorabilia: A Novel by Lisa Ko

Accompanying three lifelong friends from school to their professional lives, Souvenir explains the changing nature of friendship and the struggle of not getting the future that was promised.

The Ministry of Time: A Novel by Kaliane Bradley

The Ministry of Time is a spy thriller with a mix of time travel and romance. When a civil servant begins working on a new time travel project, she must decide if falling in love is worth the consequences of changing history.

When the clock broke by John Ganz

The book by John Ganz When the clock broke: fraudsters, conspiracy theorists, and how America collapsed in the early 1990s explains the rise of conspiracy theories, increasing anger, and more turbulent America in the 1990s.

Of boys and men by Richard V. Reeves

The profound social and economic changes in society as well as the improvement in the lives of women in recent years are described in detail. Of boys and men: Why the modern man has problems, why it is important and what can be done about it by Richard V. Reeves explains the difficulties faced by men whose lives have not changed (or have even worsened) over the same period.

The wide sea by Hampton Sides

Learn more about the voyages of British Captain James Cook during the Age of Enlightenment and his early death in Hampton Sides’ book The Great Sea: Imperial Ambitions, First Contact and the Fateful Last Voyage of Captain James Cook.

Help Wanted: A Novel by Adelle Waldman

Adelle Waldman’s novel Job offers focuses on employees of large retail chains who join forces and form an unusual alliance in the hope of a better future when a management position becomes available.

Source: Amazon Books, Instagram