Barack Obama Released His Summer 2026 Reading List: See The Picks

President Barack Obama has shared his annual summer reading list for 17 years, starting in 2009 shortly after taking office. The fun tradition, which has become a highly anticipated release for the season, has occurred almost every year into his post-presidency. Previous authors to make Obama’s coveted cut include Nigerian bestseller Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and beloved literary icon Toni Morrison.

Obama’s 2026 Summer Reading List was just released and one of this year’s featured authors who also appeared at our ESSENCE Festival of Culture, Tayari Jones, topped the list! The talented Spelman College grad’s latest novel, Kin, is centered around Black Southern women navigating friendships, sisterhood and female familial bonds and was also the 121st pick for Oprah Winfrey’s popular book club. In addition, Obama’s reading list includes the final installment of a Harlem crime trilogy, Cool Machine, by Colson Whitehead who also penned the Pulitzer-Prize winning Nickel Boys which was adapted into a feature film.

While posting his 11 selections, covering a range of genres and themes from gritty NYC crime/suspense reads set in the 1980s to a science book that examines how data tracking has functioned as a power tool from ancient times to the modern AI age, the history-making husband and father encouraged his Instagram followers to share their suggested picks as well.

Do you want to join Obama in a virtual summer book club for 2026? Why not? We did the digging for you: All his latest book picks are easily linked below for your convenience. Happy reading!