Former U.S. President Barack Obama holds up a library card with former first lady Michelle Obama at the Barack Obama Presidential Center in John Lewis Plaza on June 19, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. Win McNamee/Getty Images President Obama is hosting a new podcast focused on six books that have shaped his worldview.
The podcast, A Great Book with Barack Obama, will see the former president sitting down with six “luminaries” to discuss the seminal novels. The book selections are: The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré.
This marks the sixth release from Audible and the Obamas’ Higher Ground after the two signed a first-look deal, but is the first the former president is hosting. The six-episode series will debut exclusively on Audible on Sept. 24.
“Great books have always helped me figure out who I am and what I believe. The six books featured in this series have stayed with me throughout my life, and each one has something to teach us about the human experience. For this podcast, I invited some friends to explore why they resonate, how they can shape our understanding of ourselves and each other, and why literature matters now more than ever. I hope listeners will be inspired to discover or rediscover books that change the way they see themselves and the world,” Obama said.
“President Obama has a remarkable ability to connect books to the questions of who we are and how we see the world. In A Great Book, he invites us into deeply personal conversations about books that have shaped not only a President, but also a person and citizen. This series represents everything we strive for at Audible: connecting listeners with transformative storytelling through the intimacy of audio. We’re honored to continue our collaboration with Higher Ground and to bring this series to our global audience,” said Rachel Ghiazza, chief content officer at Audible.
The other Audible and Higher Ground projects include Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast hosted by Michelle Obama, Your Mama’s Kitchen: Conversations from the Heart of the Home hosted by Michele Norris, The Wonder of Stevie hosted by Wesley Morris, Fela Kuti: Fear No Man hosted by Jad Abumrad, and Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise, hosted by Malcolm Gladwell and featuring President Barack Obama.
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