Barack Obama has unveiled his favorite films, books and songs of 2025.
On the list of the former president’s favorite films are Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice and many more.
Featured in the songs section are Olivia Dean, Chappell Roan, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Rosalía, Drake and many more.
Books include Dopesick author Beth Macy’s memoir, Michelle Obama’s The Look and also a reminder of his summer recommendations. Find the full list below:
Films
Image Credit: Warner Bros.
Other films that made the cut include The Secret Agent, Train Dreams starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, Jay Kelly starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler, Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune starring Keke Palmer, Seth Rogen, Sandra Oh and Keanu Reeves and Orwell 2+2=5. All titles include:
One Battle After Another
Sinners
It Was Just An Accident
Hamnet
Sentimental Value
No Other Choice
The Secret Agent
Train Dreams
Jay Kelly
Good Fortune
Orwell: 2+2=5
Songs
“Nice To Each Other” by Olivia Dean
“Luther” by SZA and Kendrick Lamar
“Tatata” by Burna Boy ft. Travis Scott
“Jump” by BLACKPINK
“Faithless” by Bruce Springsteen
“Pasayadan” by Ganavya
“99” by Olamidé ft. Daecolm, Seyi Vibez, Asake & Young John
“Pending” by Lil Naay & Myke Towers
“Sexo, Violencia Y Llantas” by Rosalía
“Metal” by The Beths
“Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga
“Just Say Dat” by Gunna
“The Giver” by Chappell Roan
“Aurora” by Mora & De La Rose
“Silver Lining” by Laufey
“No More Old Men” by Chance the Rapper & Jamila Woods
“Bury Me” by Jason Isbell
“I Wish I Could Go Travelling Again” by Stacey Kent
“Please Don’t Cry” by Kacy Hill
“Stay” by Roe
“Never Felt Better” by Everything is Recorded ft. Sampha & Florence Welch
“In the Name of Love” by Victoria Noelle
Books
Beth Macy’s memoir Paper Girl tops the list of Obama’s favorite books of 2025 along with We The People by Jill Lepore and Susan Choi’s Flashlight. Other titles include Zadie Smith’s Dead And Alive, Ian McEwan’s What We Can Know and of course, Michelle Obama’s The Look.
Paper Girl by Beth Macy
Flashlight by Susan Choi
We the People by Jill Lepore
The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
There Is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone
North Sun by Ethan Rutherford
1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
Dead And Alive by Zadie Smith
What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
The Look by Michelle Obama
Obama also reminded books he recommended this summer, which include S.A. Crosby’s King of Ashes, Mark Twain by Ron Chernow and Michael Lewis’ Who Is Government? To name a few.