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President Barack Obama went to Instagram yesterday to share his favorite books this summer.

“I’ve read some great books over the last few months and wanted to share some of my favorites,” captioned Obama on his list. He added, “Let me know if you have any recommendations for books I should check out!”

We recognize several of the tomes on his reading list, including choices that have been recommended on Amazon’s Best Books of 2024 So Far and our Summer Beach Reads selections. One such book is the Pulitzer Prize finalist, James (written by Percival Everett), inspired by the classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The novel The Ministry of Time, which considers the morality of changing history, also made Obama’s list. Based on these selections — we can’t wait to dive into the rest of the 14 recommended by the former President.

Whether you’re in the mood for non-fiction, science fiction, mystery, or short stories, Obama’s list has something for a wide range of reading preferences. Below, find a synopsis of each book on Obama’s list as well as where to buy them.

James by Percival Everett

James draws inspiration from Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and tells the story of Jim, an enslaved man who overhears he will be sold to a new man and separated from his family.

There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib

Hanif Abdurraqib’s memoir There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension has been highly praised since its release in March. The author details growing up in Columbus, Ohio, during the golden age of basketball and the poignant impact the sport had on his life.

Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here by Jonathan Blitzer

Written by Jonathan Blitzer, Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis tells the story of migrants from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala as they flee their countries in desperation with hopes of finding safety in the States.

Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson

Marilynne Robinson details the promise of God and the profound meanings found in the Bible’s book of Genesis in her work Reading Genesis.

Headshot: A Novel by Rita Bullwinkel

Eight teenage girls are in Reno, Nevada for a boxing competition hoping to win the title “Best in the Country” in Rita Bullwinkel’s novel Headshot. The book tells the story of each competitor and the sacrifices they’ve made along the way.

The God of the Woods: A Novel by Liz Moore

Set in the 1970s, The God of the Woods takes place at a summer camp where one teen, who is also the camp owner’s daughter, goes missing. Even stranger, this isn’t the first time someone from the family has disappeared in these circumstances.

Beautiful Days: Stories by Zach Williams

Beautiful Days by Zach Williams is a collection of ten stories that “show the fallibility of time and how reality reveals itself behind the gauze of a dream—or a nightmare.”

Martyr!: A Novel by Kaveh Akbar

Cyrus Shams has had a life filled with tragedy after his mother died in a plane crash when he was a child. Now struggling in his adult life, Cyrus looks into his past and realizes things might not be as they seem in Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar.

Memory Piece: A Novel by Lisa Ko

Following three lifelong friends from their school years into their professional lives, Memory Piece explains the changing nature of friendship and the struggle of not receiving the future promised.

The Ministry of Time: A Novel by Kaliane Bradley

The Ministry of Time is a spy thriller with a mix of time travel and romance. When a civil servant begins working on a new time travel project, she must decide if falling in love is worth the consequences of changing history.

When the Clock Broke by John Ganz

John Ganz’s book When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s explains the surge of conspiracy theories, increased anger, and more turbulent America during the ’90s.

Of Boys and Men by Richard V. Reeves

Detailing the profound social and economic changes of society as well as the improved lives of women in recent years, Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It by Richard V. Reeves explains the difficulty men face with lives that have remained unchanged (and even worsened) in the same time frame.

The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides

Learn about the voyages of British Captain James Cook during the Age of Enlightenment and his untimely death in Hampton Sides’ book The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook.

Help Wanted: A Novel by Adelle Waldman

Adelle Waldman’s novel Help Wanted focuses on big-box retailer workers who band together and form an unlikely alliance in hopes of a better future when a management position opens.

Source: Amazon Books, Instagram