Barack Obama’s 2021 Reading List

Intimacies

A Novel

By: Katie Kitamura
Narrated by: Traci Kato-Kiriyama
Length: 5 hours 26 minutes

“A stunning, devastating book about the human capacity for love as well as for violence, and the intimacy of both. Set in The Hague at the International Criminal Court, this fine novel follows a young woman's experience translating for a war criminal accused of unspeakable atrocities, a work that is both intimate and dissassociative. Read more

The Sweetness of Water (Oprah’s Book Club)

A Novel

By: Nathan Harris
Narrated by: William DeMeritt
Length: 12 hours 7 minutes

An Instant New York Times bestseller / An Oprah’s Book Club Pick

In the spirit of The Known World and The Underground Railroad, an award-winning “miraculous debut” (Washington Post) about the unlikely bond between two freedmen who are brothers and the Georgia farmer whose alliance will alter their lives, and his, forever

In the waning days of the... Read more

Klara and the Sun

A Novel

By: Kazuo Ishiguro
Narrated by: Sura Siu
Length: 10 hours 16 minutes

“Klara and the Sun is a parable, a warning, a neatly-crafted story that fits into an Artificial Friend-sized box, which—make no mistake—is not to say that it’s ordinary. Ishiguro explores the ethics of creating artificial intelligence that’s indistinguishable from humans, at least ideally. But Klara and her owner, Josie, are kindred spirits... Read more

Leave the World Behind

A Novel

By: Rumaan Alam
Narrated by: Marin Ireland
Length: 7 hours 26 minutes

“Riveting! I hurried through this apocalyptic novel about two families thrown together during an earth shattering event. Alam builds tension even during a relaxing family day at the beach and expertly paces the reader through idle, dreamy stages and amps up the speed during stressful times. A thought-provoking study of humanity. Read more

Things We Lost to the Water

A novel

By: Eric Nguyen
Narrated by: Quyen Ngo
Length: 10 hours 38 minutes

A captivating novel about an immigrant Vietnamese family who settles in New Orleans and struggles to remain connected to one another as their lives are inextricably reshaped. This stunning debut is "vast in scale and ambition, while luscious and inviting … in its intimacy” (The New York Times Book Review).

When Huong arrives in New Orleans with... Read more

Under a White Sky

The Nature of the Future

By: Elizabeth Kolbert
Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
Length: 6 hours 21 minutes

“Under a White Sky is a scary book. It's about climate change, invasive species, and how Louisiana is disappearing into the ocean. It's about how humans, as a species, have screwed up the planet, and how we tend to screw it up more when we try to fix our mistakes. It's also about how we're developing a bunch of new fixes to go after our old... Read more

Proyecto Hail Mary

By: Andy Weir
Narrated by: Raúl Llorens
Length: 18 hours 23 minutes

La nueva novela del autor de El marciano, que se convertirá en una película protagonizada y producida por Ryan Gosling. UN ÚNICO ASTRONAUTA. UNA MISIÓN IMPOSIBLE. UN ALIADO QUE JAMÁS HABRÍA IMAGINADO. Ryland Grace es el único superviviente en una misión desesperada. Es la última oportunidad y, si fracasa, la humanidad y la Tierra misma... Read more

Empire of Pain

The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

By: Patrick Radden Keefe
Narrated by: Patrick Radden Keefe
Length: 18 hours 6 minutes

NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE NOMINEE • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR • NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A grand, devastating portrait of three generations of the Sackler family, famed for their philanthropy, whose fortune was built by Valium and whose reputation was destroyed by OxyContin. From the prize-winning and bestselling author of... Read more

Land Of Big Numbers

Stories

By: Te-Ping Chen
Narrated by: Eddy Lee, Fiona Rene, Matt Yang King, Christine Lakin, Katie Tang, Chris Naoki Lee & Lynn Chen
Length: 6 hours 35 minutes

“ How can someone write about China? It’s a land of contradictions and multitudes seemingly impossible to tease apart. Te-ping Chen has managed to do just that with this slim and stunning short story collection. Each entry is a small glimpse into someone’s life; you will hunger for more. The book blends the real with the surreal to delicately... Read more