Barack Obama Reveals His Top Book Picks for 2025
Barack Obama has released his top book picks for 2025, continuing a cherished tradition. On his Substack, the former President shared a diverse selection of titles across various genres. This annual list reflects Obama’s ongoing passion for literature.
Top Book Picks of 2025
Among the highlighted titles are:
- Dead and Alive by Zadie Smith (Hamish Hamilton)
- What We Can Know by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape)
- Paper Girl by Beth Macy (Penguin Press)
- We the People: A History of the US Constitution by Jill Lepore (John Murray)
Notable Mentions
The list also features several Booker Prize nominees:
- Flashlight by Susan Choi (Jonathan Cape)
- The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (Hamish Hamilton)
- The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy (VERVE Books)
- There Is No Place For Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone (Crown Publishing Group)
- North Sun by Ethan Rutherford (A Strange Object)
- 1929: The Story of the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History by Andrew Ross Sorkin (Allen Lane)
Obama humorously noted his bias by including The Look by Michelle Obama. This book, released in the UK on November 5, 2025, explores her style evolution.
Earlier Reading Recommendations
Earlier in 2025, Obama shared another selection of summer reading recommendations, featuring works by authors Katie Kitamura and Stephen Graham Jones. These lists provide insights into the former president’s literary interests and his continuous engagement with contemporary issues through literature.
For more details on Barack Obama’s top book picks for 2025, visit El-Balad.
