Obama's Book Picks

Barack Obama shares 10 favorite books from 2017-2026.

Pachinko (2017)

Historical novel by Min Jin Lee about Korean immigrants in Japan 1910-1989.

“a powerful story about resilience and compassion”

Intimacies (2021)

Novel about an interpreter at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

“an excellent exploration of the power and pitfalls of language”

A Gentleman in Moscow (2019)

Story of Count Alexander Rostov in house arrest during 1922 Bolshevik revolution.

“a charming, moving story by the author of Rules of Civility”

All the Light We Cannot See (2014)

Historical novel about blind French girl and German boy in Nazi-occupied France.

“won the Pulitzer Prize and spent more than 200 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list”

The Topeka School (2019)

Coming-of-age story set in Kansas 1997 about high school debate competition.

“among Obama's favorites”

Exit West (2019)

Magical realism novel about refugees fleeing civil war through magical doors.

“the most moving book by Mohsin Hamid”

Anything is Possible (2017)

Collection of stories set in fictional rural town of Amgash, Illinois.

“made it onto Obama's favorite books of 2017”

The Orphan Master's Son (2012)

Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about life in North Korea.

“a harrowing and engaging tale”

Lost Children Archive (2019)

Novel about family road trip through US border states.

“a great companion piece to Luiselli's 2017 nonfiction book”

Trust Exercise (2020)

Story of two freshmen in 1980s performing arts high school falling in love.

“won the National Book Award”