President Barack Obama released his “Favorite Books of 2024” list Friday.
“I always look forward to sharing my annual list of favorite books, movies, and music,” he shared on social media. “Today I’ll start by sharing some of the books that have stuck with me long after I finished reading them. Check them out this holiday season, preferably at an independent bookstore or library!”
The list includes:
This book theorizes that the ubiquitousness of smart phones and social media has created an increase in anxiety and depression among young people.
A dive into Pikeville, Kentucky, this book takes a look at Appalachia and explores answers for why swathes of the country have embraced politicians against their own best interests.
The fictional story of two brothers’ lives, this book is told through their grief after losing their father and their interpersonal conflicts.
Longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize, this story analyzes the many facets of climate change, including a marine scientist’s journey from the trenches deep in our oceans to outer space.
Published posthumously, Navalny was a fearless political opposition leader, whose imprisonment is one of the most well-known examples of modern-day political persecution under Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Along with Hochschild’s book, “Growth” clearly informed Obama’s recent speech at his 2024 Democracy Forum, “On the Power of Pluralism.”
Winner of this year’s Booker Prize, “Orbital” seems to be one of the tougher-to-describe books on the list. The book incorporates science fiction, literary fiction, and philosophical drama.
This book tells the fictional story of an Ethiopian immigrant in the United States searching for answers in the wake of his father’s death.
This is the story of an expat couple living in an unnamed city in an unnamed land, navigating love in the modern world.
Moss, the former editor of New York magazine, shares conversations with dozens of artists from various fields, discussing the processes of art’s creation.
Drop your thoughts below about these books or others you would recommend. Whether or not you agree with Obama’s favorite books of 2024, you know that—at the very least—it’s better than what Donald Trump’s “read.”
