10 Great Books Recommended by Barack Obama

Published Oct 17, 2026, 10:22 PM EDT

Luc Haasbroek is a writer and videographer from Durban, South Africa. He has been writing professionally about pop culture for eight years. Luc's areas of interest are broad: he's just as passionate about psychology and history as he is about movies and TV.  He's especially drawn to the places where these topics overlap. 

Luc is also an avid producer of video essays and looks forward to expanding his writing career. When not writing, he can be found hiking, playing Dungeons & Dragons, hanging out with his cats, and doing deep dives on whatever topic happens to have captured his interest that week.

Sign in to your Collider account

It's no secret that Barack Obama is a big reader. It has become a tradition for the former president to publish an annual list of his favorite new books. He has recommended dozens of great reads over the years, including insightful non-fiction books like The Great Experiment by Yascha Mounk and Patrick Keefe's Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland.

But Obama has excellent taste when it comes to novels. His recommendations include some of the most entertaining and moving works of fiction of the last decade. These books range from historical epics in WWII-era Japan to family dramas in Kansas in the '90s. Obama's favorites are realistic character portraits with harsh but life-affirming narratives.

10 'Pachinko' by Min Jin Lee (2017)

Pachinko is a historical novel by Min Jin Lee and the basis for the Apple TV series starring Youn Yuh-jung and Jin Ha. It follows a Korean immigrant family in Japan between 1910 and 1989. It's a perceptive peek into their struggles to make a life in their new land as World War II and other historical events turn the region upside down.

The title refers to the Japanese gambling game characters play, where much is left to chance. It also describes the characters themselves, whose lives are shaped by the big historical forces at work around them. Obama included Pachinko among his favorites, calling it "a powerful story about resilience and compassion."

9 'Intimacies' by Katie Kitamura (2021)

This book by novelist and art critic Katie Kitamura follows an unnamed woman who works as an interpreter at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. She is tasked with translating for the former president of an African country standing trial for war crimes. Kitamura was inspired by the prosecution of Ivorian politician Laurent Gbagbo, which she attended.

The main character's personal life is complicated too. She pursues a relationship with a married man and befriends the sister of the victim of a senseless crime. Soon the complexities of her situation threaten to overwhelm her. Intimacies is an excellent exploration of the power and pitfalls of language. This pick by Obama is similar to The Idiot by Elif Batuman in that both books examine what words can mean — and not mean.

8 'A Gentleman in Moscow' by Amor Towles (2019)

Moscow, 1922: the new Bolshevik government sentences Count Alexander Rostov to house arrest in the Metropol hotel. The book follows Rostov's days confined to the hotel as momentous events roil Russia outside. Rostov tries to adjust to his new world, with only the other inhabitants of the hotel for company. Things change again when he unexpectedly finds himself looking after a young girl named Sofia.

A Gentleman in Moscow is a charming, moving story by the author of Rules of Civility and The Lincoln Highway. Rostov's conversations with Sofia and her mother, Nina, are incredibly witty, and the prose is always engaging. It's Amor Towles' most purely enjoyable work, with an almost Wes Anderson-esque quirkiness to the material, which may be why Obama recommends it.

7 'All the Light We Cannot See' by Anthony Doerr (2014)

This historical novel tells the story of Marie-Laure and Werner, a blind French girl and a German boy who meet in Nazi-occupied France. Marie-Laure inherits a gem that her father was entrusted with protecting and later joins the Resistance. Meanwhile, Werner develops a talent for electronics and is tasked with intercepting the Resistance's radio communications. The novel alternates between their stories, building up to the Battle of Saint-Malo.

All the Light We Cannot See is a big, warm-hearted story that'll appeal to fans of The Book Thief by Mark Zuzak or The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. It spent more than 200 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list and won the Pulitzer Prize. It's not surprising it made it to Obama's reading list.

6 'The Topeka School' by Ben Lerner (2019)

Image via Picador

Topeka, Kansas, 1997: Adam Gordon is a senior in high school preparing for a major debate competition. At the same time, he deals with his well-meaning but frustrating psychologist parents and his complicated relationship with his girlfriend Amber. It's a fascinating character study and coming-of-age story that explores several contemporary issues despite the retro setting.

Ben Lerner paints a vivid picture of Kansas in the '90s, perfect for readers in search of some nostalgia. The book is among Obama's favorites. His previous novel, 10:04, about a writer diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition, is also worth checking out.

Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek

Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.

🚀Star Wars

💍Lord of the Rings

🧙Harry Potter

👑Game of Thrones

🖖Star Trek

FIND YOUR UNIVERSE →

01

What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.

ABeing part of something larger than myself — a cause, a rebellion, a fight for freedom that outlasts me. BThe journey itself — the places I'll go, the companions beside me, the world I'll discover on the way. CLearning — unlocking what I'm capable of, understanding the world's hidden mechanics, growing into something more. DLegacy — the name I leave behind, the power I build, the mark I make before the world moves on without me. EUnderstanding — exploring what exists beyond the horizon and asking what it means to be alive in a universe this vast.

NEXT QUESTION →

02

Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.

AA galaxy of planets, each with its own culture — connected by conflict, trade, and the Force. BAncient lands of breathtaking beauty, deep history, and a creeping darkness at the edges. CA world hidden inside our own — full of wonder, community, and magic waiting to be learned. DA brutal, beautiful continent where power is everything and every alliance is a calculation. EA future where humanity has reached the stars — and must decide what kind of species it wants to be.

NEXT QUESTION →

03

How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world's conflicts tells you everything about its soul.

AThrough sacrifice and courage — someone has to make the impossible choice so others don't have to. BThrough fellowship — the impossible becomes possible when the right people walk the same road. CThrough growth — confronting what you fear, understanding what you lack, and becoming equal to the challenge. DThrough strategy — outthinking, outmaneuvering, positioning yourself so the outcome was never in doubt. EThrough dialogue — finding the third option, the peaceful resolution, the answer that doesn't require a body count.

NEXT QUESTION →

04

Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.

AA small crew — a pilot, a rogue, a warrior — each broken in their own way, unbeatable together. BA fellowship of different kinds of people, bound by purpose and deepened by the long road. CFriends who grew up alongside me — who knew me before I knew myself, and stayed anyway. DAllies whose loyalty I've earned — and tested — and whose ambitions align with mine, for now. EA crew of brilliant, curious, principled people from every corner of known space.

NEXT QUESTION →

05

What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.

AI want to use it to protect — and I'm terrified of what I might become if I'm not careful. BI distrust it. The most important power in this story is the courage to give it up. CI want to earn it — through knowledge, through effort, through becoming someone worthy of it. DI want to wield it. Preferably before someone else decides to wield it against me. EI want to understand it — its structures, its limits, its ethical dimensions. Power without accountability is the real threat.

NEXT QUESTION →

06

How does your universe treat good and evil? A world's moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.

AThere is a dark side and a light side — and the choice between them is always present, always personal. BEvil is real and ancient and patient — and goodness, however small, is the only thing that can undo it. CGood and evil are real, but they live inside people — and people are complicated, always capable of both. DGood and evil are mostly a matter of perspective and proximity. Power is the only honest currency. EEvil is usually the result of ignorance, fear, or broken systems — and understanding it is the first step to solving it.

NEXT QUESTION →

07

What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?

AThe reluctant hero — ordinary origins, extraordinary moment, changed forever by the choice to act. BThe unlikely carrier — the one nobody expected to matter most, quietly bearing the weight of everything. CThe student — not yet who I'll become, learning through every mistake, growing into something the world needs. DThe player — sharp enough to see the game for what it is, ambitious enough to try to win it. EThe explorer — drawn to the unknown, driven by curiosity, most alive when standing somewhere no one has stood before.

NEXT QUESTION →

08

What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.

AThat hope is real — that even in the darkest galaxy, a new hope is always possible. CThat even the smallest person can change the course of the future, if they have the courage to try. CThat love and friendship and doing what's right will matter in the end, even when everything says otherwise. DThat the wheel keeps turning — that power shifts, winters end, and what endures is those willing to fight for it. EThat humanity — or whatever we become — is capable of extraordinary things, if we choose to be.

REVEAL MY UNIVERSE →

Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…

Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.

Star Wars

You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.

• You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
• You'd find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
• Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
• The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.

Lord of the Rings

You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world's beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.

• Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
• You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
• Tolkien's universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
• Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.

Harry Potter

You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what's right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.

• The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
• You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
• Harry Potter's universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
• That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.

Game of Thrones

You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.

• Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
• You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don't confuse the world as it is with the world as you'd like it to be.
• Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
• Winter always comes. You are already prepared.

Star Trek

You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.

• Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
• You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
• The Federation is the universe's most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
• You don't just hope that's possible. You think it's the only thing worth working toward.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

5 'Exit West' by Mohsin Hamid (2019)

Image via Penguin

Exit West follows two refugees, Saeed and Nadia, who flee a civil war via a series of magical doors. It's a love story, a work of magical realism, and a commentary on the Syrian civil war and similar conflicts that have profoundly affected millions of people in recent years.

Hamid's other novels, The Reluctant Fundamentalist and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, are also great, but Exit West might be the most moving. The Obamas' production company, Higher Ground, is set to adapt the book for Netflix.

4 'Anything is Possible' by Elizabeth Strout (2017)

Anything is Possible is a collection of stories set in the fictional rural town of Amgash, Illinois, the setting of Elizabeth Strout's novels My Name is Lucy Barton and Oh, William! Like the other Amgash novels, Anything is Possible features realistic characters grappling with complicated relationships and other challenges.

As one would expect from Strout, Anything is Possible explores challenging subject matter like loss, grief, and guilt, but ultimately the stories are optimistic. The book made it onto Obama's favorite books of 2017.

3 'The Orphan Master's Son' by Adam Johnson (2012)

Adam Johnson's Pulitzer Prize-winning portrait of life in North Korea gives a limited but enlightening peek at one of the world's most repressive dictatorships. The novel follows Jun Do, an orphan conscripted into the military at fourteen, as he struggles to survive in the bleak environment.

North Korea is notoriously sealed off, so stories of life there are hard to come by (aside from propaganda, that is). But Johnson's novel does a great job of adding detail based on extensive research. It makes for a harrowing and engaging tale, which is why it's among Obama's favorites.

2 'Lost Children Archive' by Valeria Luiselli (2019)

Lost Children Archive is by Valeria Luiselli, a Mexican author living in the United States. It follows a family on a road trip from Virginia to Tennessee to Oklahoma to Texas, where the father intends to record a project on the Apache. Their journey brings them face-to-face with the immigration crisis at the southern border.

Among Obama's picks, the novel is a great companion piece to Luiselli's 2017 nonfiction book Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in 40 Questions, which explores the lives of migrant children brought to the US. Both books draw on Luiselli's experiences as an interpreter for young migrants from Central America.

1 'Trust Exercise' by Susan Choi (2020)

Trust Exercise is set at an elite performing arts high school in the 1980s, where two freshmen, David and Sarah, fall in love. They begin a passionate, larger-than-life romance that threatens to blow up their lives—and those of many around them.

Trust Exercise is especially relatable for anyone who was a theater geek in school. The characters' discussions about life and art feel real, as do their struggles outside school. The book — recommended by Obama — is also stylistically daring, with an unusual structure and a twist worthy of a thriller. It went on to win the National Book Award for good reason.