Step aside, celebrity book clubs – it’s Barack Obama’s turn to share his favorite books of the summer.
Twice a year, the former president lets Americans into his leisurely pastimes, sharing a list of curated books, movies and music he loved most. Last summer, Obama highlighted “Martyr!” by Kaveh Akbar and “The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore, two 2024 bestsellers. He also chose “James” by Percival Everett, which went on to win the National Book Award.
This year, Obama’s post comes alongside an announcement of a new Chicago Public Library branch at the Obama Presidential Center, an ambitious 19-acre project that opens next year.
Obama reveals favorite books of summer 2025
Obama’s summer reads include a mix of fiction and nonfiction, including a buzzy new political title. He highlighted Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s “Abundance,” a proposed playbook to move away from current political structures and national scarcity toward a “politics of abundance.”
“A must-read for progressives who want a blueprint for reforming government so it can deliver for working people,” he wrote of the book.
It’s not the first time Obama has shared Klein’s work. The New York Times columnist’s book “Why We’re Polarized” made it on Obama’s summer 2022 picks.
Here are all the books Obama read and loved this summer:
The former president will not share his music favorites this summer, he noted in the post.
“And with everything going on right now, I didn’t have time to put a summer playlist together this year, but send me songs that I should listen to for my year-end playlist,” he wrote.
Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com.