Barack Obama Has Shared His Favorite Books of 2022

Just when you think you’ve got your 2023 reading plans in order, Barack Obama releases his favorite books of 2022 The former president has made a tradition of sharing his reading lists, and this year is no different. Obama included some buzzy titles — including “The Light We Carry,” written by his own wife, Michelle Obama (“I’m a bit biased on this one,” he admitted). Whether you need another book to reach your 2022 reading goal or are looking to shake up your reading plans in the new year, here are some highlights from his list.

“Black Cake” traces how family and heritage are passed down through food, telling the story of two estranged who delve into their mother’s past — and how it all connects to her traditional Caribbean black cake recipe.

“The School for Good Mothers” is a powerful examination of the impossible standards that society holds mothers to, and the ways in which the state’s control of women and their autonomy harm everyone. Jessamine Chan’s novel takes place in a dystopian society where a young Chinese-American mother named Frida is sent to a government reform program for “inadequate moms” and separated from her young daughter after a moment of poor judgment.

“An Immense World” was also named one of the best books of 2022 by Barnes & Noble, The New York Times, and more. In this nonfiction book, Pultizer Prize-winning science journalist Ed Yong examines the radically different ways that animals perceive the world, whether they’re swimming in the ocean, crawling underground, or flying into the night sky.

Beloved “Station Eleven” author Emily St. John Mandel is back with her sixth book, “Sea of Tranquility.” Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, this speculative novel questions “what constitutes reality, how time flows, and what memory is in the context of perception” by pondering the possibilities of time travel.

Penned by columnist and African-American culture scholar Imani Perry, “South to America” dives deep into the complexities of the American South, and the ways in which the region has shaped the United States as a whole.

See Obama’s full list below: