Barack Obama Shares His Favorite Books of 2025
As 2025 draws to a close, Barack Obama continues the annual tradition he began during his presidency of sharing his favorite cultural picks of the year. Fans of literature and thoughtful reading will find plenty of inspiration in his curated book list, which spans fiction and nonfiction and highlights both emerging voices and established authors. Check out the books that made Obama’s 2025 reading roundup!
Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2025
1.) “Paper Girl” by Beth Macy
Beth Macy’s “Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America” blends personal memoir with rigorous journalism as she returns to her hometown of Urbana, Ohio, seeking to understand political division and community breakdown in contemporary America. In a preview from Penguin Random House, “‘Paper Girl’ is a gift of courage, empathy, and insight. Beth Macy has turned to face the darkness in her family and community, people she loves wholeheartedly, even the ones she sometimes struggles to like. And in facing the truth—in person, with respect—she has found sparks of human dignity that she has used to light a signal fire of warning but also of hope.”
2.) “Flashlight” by Susan Choi
In this Booker Prize-shortlisted novel, “Flashlight” opens with a mysterious disappearance and expands into a multigenerational exploration of memory, loss, and identity. Choi’s narrative spans continents and decades, treating memory as light itself—fragmentary, shifting, and revealing just enough to keep questions alive. The novel’s emotional depth and structural ingenuity make it a standout in Obama’s favorite books of 2025.
3.) “We the People” by Jill Lepore
Historian Jill Lepore’s “We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution” reframes the American Constitution as an ever-evolving conversation rather than a static artifact. With passionate scholarship, Lepore underscores how ordinary citizens and social movements—not just courts and founders—have shaped constitutional meaning throughout U.S. history. This book is both a profound historical narrative and a timely reflection on democracy itself.
4.) “The Wilderness” by Angela Flournoy
Angela Flournoy’s “The Wilderness” chronicles the intertwined lives of five Black women across two decades, charting how friendship, ambition, family, and societal pressures shape each character’s path. In a preview from HarperCollins, “Desiree, January, Monique, and Nakia are in their early twenties and at the beginning. Of their careers, of marriage, of motherhood, and of big-city lives in New York and Los Angeles. Together, they are finding their way through the wilderness, that period of life when the reality of contemporary adulthood—overwhelming, mysterious, and full of freedom and consequences—swoops in and stays.” With sharp prose and deep emotional insight, Flournoy examines how relationships can sustain and strain us, offering readers a rich, character-driven exploration of identity and connection.
5.) “There Is No Place for Us” by Brian Goldstone
Brian Goldstone’s deeply reported “There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America” shines an unflinching light on the rise of the working poor and homelessness in modern U.S. cities. Focusing on families in crisis, his narrative reveals how economic precarity and systemic failures intersect, making this essential reading for anyone seeking to understand inequality and resilience in 21st-century America.
6.) “North Sun” by Ethan Rutherford
“North Sun: Or, The Voyage of the Whaleship Esther” by Ethan Rutherford is a historical novel set in 1878 that follows a whaling vessel’s perilous journey into the Arctic. Rutherford combines meticulous historical detail with mythic undertones, exploring human ambition and environmental cost through rich, atmospheric storytelling that resonates with contemporary concerns about ecological and economic exploitation.
7.) “1929” by Andrew Ross Sorkin
In “1929: The Inside Story of the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History”, Andrew Ross Sorkin examines the financial collapse that ushered in the Great Depression through the eyes of the people who lived it. By humanizing complex economic forces and tracing systemic failures, Sorkin offers both a gripping historical narrative and cautionary insights into the mechanics of markets and risk—a timely read for readers interested in financial history.
8.) “The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny” by Kiran Desai
Kiran Desai’s “The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny,” shortlisted for the Booker Prize, weaves an epic tale of two Indian immigrants whose chance meeting dramatically reshapes their lives. Spanning years and continents, the novel delves into themes of belonging, displacement, and intergenerational history, making it a clearly inspiring choice in Obama’s top books of 2025.
9.) “Dead and Alive” by Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith’s “Dead and Alive” is a potent collection of essays that traverses art, culture, politics, and personal reflection with her signature wit and intelligence. From examinations of public figures to meditations on contemporary life, Smith’s essays challenge readers to think critically about the world around them and the stories we tell about it.
10.) “What We Can Know” by Ian McEwan
In “What We Can Know,” Ian McEwan uses speculative fiction to consider how future scholars might interpret our current era. The novel interrogates the limits of knowledge and the biases of historical memory, offering a haunting and philosophical narrative that lingers long after the final page.
11.) “The Look” by Michelle Obama
Of course, Obama would conclude his list of top books this year with a personal pick: “The Look” by none other than Michelle Obama. Framed as more than a fashion book, it uses clothing and style as a lens to explore identity, empowerment, and personal narrative—revealing how outward expression can reflect inner conviction. This final selection in Obama’s top books of 2025 is a must-read for readers looking to gain confidence and help with self-expression.
Final Thoughts on Obama’s Top Books in 2025
Obama’s top books list for 2025 isn’t just about popularity; it reflects his enduring belief in reading as a way to connect with diverse experiences and ideas. Whether through fiction that explores personal and societal struggles or nonfiction that sheds light on the forces shaping our world, these titles offer perspectives that speak to contemporary concerns and timeless questions alike. For readers everywhere, the books selected by Obama provide a rich reading list that can spark imagination, deepen understanding, and inspire conversations long after the final page is turned.
