Barack Obama's 2025 summer reading list

His own list, posted to Instagram in August 2025. I'm working through it out of order.

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Mark Twain (Ron Chernow)

Chernow's the one who redeemed Hamilton's reputation and turned it into a musical. this is Twain-sized, pack patience

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter (Stephen Graham Jones)

The Book of Records, Madeleine Thien

A Marriage at Sea, Sophie Elmhirst

two sailors stranded after a shipwreck, told from the marriage's side of it, not just the survival side

Abundance (Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson)

the one everyone already has an opinion on before reading. start here if you want the argument first

Audition (Katie Kitamura)

King of Ashes, S.A. Cosby

southern crime family saga, Higher Ground already optioned it

Who Is Government? (Michael Lewis)

Rosarita, Anita Desai

The Sirens' Call, Chris Hayes

no lore exam required, it's nonfiction about attention, not a series

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