Former President Barack Obama is returning to podcasting with a new series centered on literature, expanding the media portfolio he and former first lady Michelle Obama have continued to build since leaving the White House.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Obama announced Monday that he will host a six-episode podcast, \u201cA Great<\/p>\n
Book With Barack Obama,\u201d which is scheduled to debut next month. The series will explore six books that he says have shaped his views on politics, race, faith and American society. \u201cAt a time when fewer people are able to sit down with a book, it\u2019s important to remember the joy and power that can come from reading,\u201d Obama wrote in a social media post announcing the project. \u201cAnd some books don\u2019t just tell a story \u2014 they change the way we see the world,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Each episode will focus on a different title and feature conversations about why the selected works remain relevant and what lessons readers can still draw from them. The books chosen for the series are James Baldwin\u2019s \u201cThe Fire Next Time,\u201d Toni Morrison\u2019s \u201cSong of Solomon,\u201d Cormac McCarthy\u2019s \u201cAll the Pretty Horses,\u201d Marilynne Robinson\u2019s \u201cGilead,\u201d Robert Penn Warren\u2019s \u201cAll the King\u2019s Men\u201d and John le Carr\u00e9\u2019s \u201cTinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Obama said the podcast will include discussions with invited guests, although participants have not yet been announced.<\/p>\n
\u201cI invited some friends to explore why these books resonate, how they can shape our understanding of ourselves and each other, and why literature matters now more than ever,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Several of the selected authors wrote extensively about topics that have long been central to Obama\u2019s public life, including race, political power, morality and American identity.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Morrison, in particular, shared a personal connection with Obama. He awarded the<\/p>\n
Nobel Prize-winning author the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 and later described her as a close friend after her death in 2019. The podcast will be distributed through Audible and produced in partnership with Higher Ground, the media company Barack and Michelle Obama launched in 2018.<\/p>\n
The new series is the latest addition to Higher Ground\u2019s growing collection of films, documentaries and audio programs. Previous projects include Michelle Obama\u2019s \u201cThe Light Podcast,\u201d the documentary \u201cAmerican Factory,\u201d the Netflix film \u201cLeave the World Behind\u201d and \u201cRustin,\u201d a biographical drama about civil rights leader Bayard Rustin.<\/p>\n
At a time when fewer people are able to sit down with a book, it\u2019s important to remember the joy and power that can come from reading. And some books don\u2019t just tell a story \u2013 they change the way we see the world. That\u2019s why I\u2019m excited to share my latest podcast from\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/217Df4SwBF<\/p>\n
\u2014 Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 10, 2026<\/p>\n
Obama has maintained a strong public association with books since leaving office in 2017, regularly publishing annual reading recommendations and lists of his favorite books, movies and music.<\/p>\n
The new podcast effectively expands that tradition by giving Obama an opportunity to spend an entire episode discussing individual works instead of simply recommending them to his followers. The former president\u2019s selections also span decades and genres, ranging from Baldwin\u2019s examination of race in America and Warren\u2019s political novel to McCarthy\u2019s Western fiction and le Carr\u00e9\u2019s Cold War espionage story, The New York Post reported.<\/p>\n
With the six-episode series scheduled to begin next month, the remaining major detail is Obama\u2019s guest list, which has yet to be revealed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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