Barack Obama is set to host a new podcast about six books that he says have shaped his worldview, including works by Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, and British spy novelist John le Carré.
A Great Book with Barack Obama will launch exclusively on Audible on 24 September, with the former US president discussing one of his chosen titles in each of the six episodes alongside a guest.
The guests are yet to be announced.
The series is a collaboration between Audible and Higher Ground, the media company founded by Obama and his wife Michelle.
The books Obama has chosen are The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré.
The Fire Next Time examines race and religion in America, while Song of Solomon follows a young Black man trying to understand his family history and his place in the world.
In All the Pretty Horses, a young Texan heads to Mexico in search of a new life while Gilead follows an ageing minister reflecting on his life, faith, and family.
All the King’s Men explores the rise and corruption of a powerful politician. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy follows retired British intelligence officer George Smiley as he hunts for a Soviet mole.
“At a time when fewer people are able to sit down with a book, it’s important to remember the joy and power that can come from reading. And some books don’t just tell a story – they change the way we see the world,” Obama wrote in an Instagram post announcing the podcast.
“Great books have always helped me figure out who I am and what I believe. The six books featured in this series have stayed with me throughout my life, and each one has something to teach us about the human experience.”
Gilead, published in 2004, is the only book on Obama’s list that was written in the 21st century, with the other five dating from the 20th century. Obama’s connection with its author, Marilynne Robinson, goes back to his presidency when he invited the novelist to the White House for dinner and awarded her the National Humanities Medal in 2012.
Two years later, the pair met in Des Moines for a conversation published by the New York Review of Books, discussing Robinson’s views on Christianity and democracy, the role of fear in US politics and the influence of novels on Obama’s own understanding of citizenship.
Last month, Obama released his annual summer reading list, which saw books by Tayari Jones, George Saunders, Elizabeth Strout, Ben Lerner, and Colson Whitehead among his selections, alongside several other writers.
A Great Book with Barack Obama is the latest podcast collaboration between Higher Ground and Audible after projects like Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast, The Wonder of Stevie, and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man. The two companies entered into an exclusive first-look deal in 2022, under which Audible became the home for Higher Ground’s podcast projects.
Audible’s chief content officer, Rachel Ghiazza, said Obama had a “remarkable ability to connect books to the questions of who we are and how we see the world”, according to Variety. She said the podcast would feature “deeply personal conversations about books that have shaped not only a president but also a person and citizen”.
Dan Fierman, head of audio at Higher Ground, said Obama had “always been a champion of reading” and that the series would explore how books can “challenge us, comfort us, and change us”.
Credit: Independent
