--- title: Barack Obama Shares His Five Favorite Books This Summer description: President Obama lays out his top five summer reads, including 'Educated' by Tara Westover and 'Warlight' by Michael Ondaatje canonical: https://time.com/5371460/barack-obama-favorite-books-summer/ author: Casey Quackenbush article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-20T05:00:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:54:23.154Z og:title: Barack Obama Shares His Five Favorite Books This Summer og:description: Looking for something to read? Barack Obama has a few suggestions og:url: https://time.com/5371460/barack-obama-favorite-books-summer/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a6074fe3e9b40f5/69893819096a94475f6a3398/gettyimages-971727376.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Obama meets with Democratic presidential aspirants about 2020 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Barack Obama Shares His Five Favorite Books This Summer twitter:description: Looking for something to read? Barack Obama has a few suggestions twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a6074fe3e9b40f5/69893819096a94475f6a3398/gettyimages-971727376.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Barack Obama Shares Five of the Best Books He Read This Summer ## Video: 10 Days That Define the Obama Presidency [Watch (HLS stream): 10 Days That Define the Obama Presidency](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/phWdWzJp.m3u8) (21:59)  _Published 2017-01-19. As the president's final term comes to a close, TIME has taken a look back at the most consequential moments of his two terms in office, moments and decisions that will likely have a reach that extends far beyond his presidency._ by [Casey Quackenbush](https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Aug 20, 2018 5:00 AM UTC  Former President Barack Obama speaks to Obama Foundation Fellows gathered in Chicago on May 16, 2018. Former President Barack Obama speaks to Obama Foundation Fellows gathered in Chicago on May 16, 2018.Erin Hooley—Chicago Tribune/TNS/Getty Images by [Casey Quackenbush](https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Aug 20, 2018 5:00 AM UTC Looking for something to read as the summer winds to a close? Former President Barack Obama has a few suggestions. “One of my favorite parts of summer is deciding what to read when things slow down just a bit, whether it’s on a vacation with family or just a quiet afternoon,” wrote Obama in a Sunday night Facebook [post](https://www.facebook.com/barackobama/posts/10156093753316749). “This summer I’ve been absorbed by new novels, revisited an old classic, and reaffirmed my faith in our ability to move forward together when we seek the truth.” Obama’s top picks include: _Educated_ by Tara Westover. Obama calls Westover’s coming-of-age memoir a “remarkable” read that chronicles the life of a young woman raised in a survivalist family who goes on to get a PhD from Cambridge University. _Warlight_ by Michael Ondaatje. The best-selling author tells the story of families living through the post-World War II era and dealing with the lingering effects of war. _A House for Mr Biswas_ by V.S. Naipaul. The recent passing of the Nobel Peace Prize winner inspired Obama to reread Naipul’s novel, which is about growing up in Trinidad and the challenges of post-colonial identity. _American Marriage_ by Tayari Jones. Also a selection for Oprah’s Book Club 2018, Jones’ novel is about the wrongful conviction of a young African-American couple living in Atlanta. _Factfulness_ by Hans Rosling. An international public health expert, Rosling offers an uplifting read about how the world can be a better place when humans work off facts rather than inherent biases. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5371460/barack-obama-favorite-books-summer/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5371460/barack-obama-favorite-books-summer/"},"headline":"Barack Obama Shares Five of the Best Books He Read This Summer","datePublished":"2018-08-20T05:00:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:54:23.154Z","description":"Looking for something to read? Former President Obama has a few suggestions","url":"https://time.com/5371460/barack-obama-favorite-books-summer/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Books","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a6074fe3e9b40f5/69893819096a94475f6a3398/gettyimages-971727376.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Casey Quackenbush","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a6074fe3e9b40f5/69893819096a94475f6a3398/gettyimages-971727376.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Obama meets with Democratic presidential aspirants about 2020","caption":"Obama meets with Democratic presidential aspirants about 2020","creditText":"Erin Hooley—Chicago Tribune/TNS/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5371460/barack-obama-favorite-books-summer/","name":"Barack Obama Shares Five of the Best Books He Read This Summer"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"10 Days That Define the Obama Presidency","description":"As the president's final term comes to a close, TIME has taken a look back at the most consequential moments of his two terms in office, moments and decisions that will likely have a reach that extends far beyond his presidency.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/phWdWzJp/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-01-19T21:52:50.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/phWdWzJp.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5371460/barack-obama-favorite-books-summer/","duration":"PT21M59S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5371460/barack-obama-favorite-books-summer/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```