In a Friday Instagram post, Barack Obama recommended 11 new books on his end-of-year favorites list, which included the former POTUS's favorite songs, movies, and books of 2018. President Obama's favorite books list also included 18 titles that were mentioned on previous lists throughout the year, such as his summer reading list, which was inspired by his post-presidency trip to Africa. His favorite title? Of course, it's Becoming by Michelle Obama, the best-selling book of 2018.
Many of the 11 new books on President Obama's end-of-year list have gotten a lot of attention in 2018. Lisa Halliday's Asymmetry and Tommy Orange's There There were among the year's hot debut novels. The Largesse of the Sea Maiden was the highly anticipated new collection of short fiction from Jesus' Son author Denis Johnson, who sadly passed away in 2017 at the age of 67. Also present on the list is another short-story collection, Florida, whose author, Lauren Groff, also wrote Barack Obama's favorite book of 2015, Fates and Furies.
As you might expect from Barack Obama, this list contains a lot of nonfiction titles in addition to the fantastic works of fiction mentioned above. Among Obama's favorite nonfiction books of the year are biographies of Grand Slam champion Arthur Ashe, Jr. and American abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
Here are the 11 new books on Barack Obama's end-of-year favorites list.
'American Prison' by Shane Bauer
Based on the author's experiences working as a prison guard, investigative journalist Shane Bauer's American Prison is an eye-opening look at how for-profit prisons function — and, sadly, thrive — in the U.S.
'Arthur Ashe: A Life' by Raymond Arsenault
Arthur Ashe: A Life takes an in-depth look at its subject, who was the first African-American to play on the U.S. Davis Cup team, and who spent the later years of his tragically short life fighting against Apartheid and other forms of oppression.
'Asymmetry' by Lisa Halliday
One of The New York Times' Top 10 books of the year, Asymmetry contains two interconnected stories — that of a young editorial assistant in an affair with a beloved, much older author, and that of an Iraqi-American man who is detained by immigration officers in London's Heathrow airport.
'Feel Free' by Zadie Smith
This collection of essays from White Teeth author Zadie Smith contains her thoughts on everything from social media to climate change.
'Florida' by Lauren Groff
A series of stories about mothers and motherhood, Lauren Groff's Florida is her National Book Award-nominated follow-up to the similarly lauded Fates and Furies.
'Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom' by David W. Blight
Clocking in at just over 900 pages, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom is the first major book on the famed abolitionist and thinker to be published in decades.
'Immigrant, Montana' by Amitava Kumar
In this novel, a young man travels from India to attend college in the late-20th century U.S., where he explores and expands his sexual horizons.
'The Largesse of the Sea Maiden' by Denis Johnson
Released to widespread acclaim in January, Denis Johnson's The Largesse of the Sea Maiden is one of the year's most-talked-about collections of short fiction.
'Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence'
What can AI do for you? That's the driving question behind Life 3.0, which examines the myriad ways in which artificial intelligence can impact society at every level.
'There There' by Tommy Orange
Centered around the Big Oakland Powwow, There There tells the story of 12 disparate, urban Native Americans who attend the festivities.
'Washington Black' by Esi Edugyan
In this bestseller, an enslaved boy named Wash becomes servant and companion to a globe-trotting abolitionist, who takes him on the lam when the child becomes the target of bounty hunters.
