Former President Barack Obama on Thursday shared his list of the books he’s reading this summer and the songs he is listening to.
Here are all the titles on this summer’s list:
Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond
In this book, Desmond, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 volume Evicted, delves deeper into the ways that he believes society is rigged against those who are already poor. Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
Lehane’s latest thriller is set in Boston in 1974: As White parents protest desegregation of the city’s high schools, one lifelong Southie resident, Mary Pat Fennessy, tries to find out what happened the night that her teenage daughter didn’t come home.
King: A Life by Jonathan Eig
Eig’s biography of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. made headlines for his archival discovery that famous quotes attributed to the civil rights activist that criticise Malcolm X appear to have been fabricated.
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
Growing up in a family hollowed out by tragedy, the protagonist, a young man named William, finds solace in his love of basketball.
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
Cosby has now made Obama’s list for two summers in a row: first with Razorblade Tears and now with this book about a Black sheriff investigating a shooting at a local high school, in a southern county “founded in bloodshed and darkness.”
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
Catton has the distinction of being the youngest-ever winner of the Booker Prize, which she won in 2013 for her second novel, The Luminaries.
Her follow-up, Birnam Wood, is a thriller about environmental activists in New Zealand.
What Napoleon Could Not Do by DK Nnuro
This debut novel follows two siblings who were born in Ghana, Jacob and Belinda, as well as Belinda’s Texan husband, Wilder, as they come to terms with the meaning of America.
The Wager by David Grann
A true story about an 18th-century disaster at sea.
Blue Hour by Tiffany Clarke Harrison
This debut novel is told in fragments, as a biracial photographer shares her thoughts on parenthood and police brutality with her White husband.
For the songs Obama reportedly broke the Internet after revealing his 2023 summer playlist. Many people on Instagram freaked out to see Ice Spice’s song “Princess Diana” ft. Nicki Minaj on the list.
Other songs that were included on the list are SZA’s “Snooze”, J Hus and Drake’s “Who Told You”, Rosalia and Rauw Alejandro’s “Vampiros” and Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” among others.
When sharing the playlist, the former president wrote, “Like I do every year, here are some songs I’ve been listening to this summer – a mix of old and new. Look forward to hearing what I’ve missed.”
