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.
Obama announced Monday that he will host a six-episode podcast, “A Great Book With Barack Obama,” 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.
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“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,” Obama wrote in a social media post announcing the project.
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“And some books don’t just tell a story — they change the way we see the world,” he added.
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.
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The books chosen for the series are James Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time,” Toni Morrison’s “Song of Solomon,” Cormac McCarthy’s “All the Pretty Horses,” Marilynne Robinson’s “Gilead,” Robert Penn Warren’s “All the King’s Men” and John le Carré’s “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.”
Obama said the podcast will include discussions with invited guests, although participants have not yet been announced.
“I 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,” he said.
Several of the selected authors wrote extensively about topics that have long been central to Obama’s public life, including race, political power, morality and American identity.
Morrison, in particular, shared a personal connection with Obama. He awarded the Nobel Prize-winning author the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 and later described her as a close friend after her death in 2019.
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The podcast will be distributed through Audible and produced in partnership with Higher Ground, the media company Barack and Michelle Obama launched in 2018.
The new series is the latest addition to Higher Ground’s growing collection of films, documentaries and audio programs. Previous projects include Michelle Obama’s “The Light Podcast,” the documentary “American Factory,” the Netflix film “Leave the World Behind” and “Rustin,” a biographical drama about civil rights leader Bayard Rustin.
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. That’s why I’m excited to share my latest podcast from… pic.twitter.com/217Df4SwBF
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 10, 2026
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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.
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.
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The former president’s selections also span decades and genres, ranging from Baldwin’s examination of race in America and Warren’s political novel to McCarthy’s Western fiction and le Carré’s Cold War espionage story, The New York Post reported.
With the six-episode series scheduled to begin next month, the remaining major detail is Obama’s guest list, which has yet to be revealed.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
