President Obama Shares His Favorite Books, Movies of 2019. Here’s What Made the Cut

Former President Barack Obama released lists of his favorite books and movies of 2019 in a series of Instagram posts, as part what has become a “fun little tradition,” he wrote. In the coming days, he will also be releasing his favorite music.

“Outlets like literature and art can enhance our day-to-day experiences,” Obama wrote on his Instagram post. “They’re the fabric that helps make up a life — the album that lifts us up after a long day, the dog-eared paperback we grab off the shelf to give to a friend, the movie that makes us think and feel in a new way, works that simply help us escape for a bit.”

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Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing my annual list of favorites — books, films, and music — with all of you. This has become a fun little tradition for me, and I hope it is for you, too. Because while each of us has plenty that keeps us busy—work and family life, social and volunteer commitments—outlets like literature and art can enhance our day-to-day experiences. They’re the fabric that helps make up a life—the album that lifts us up after a long day, the dog-eared paperback we grab off the shelf to give to a friend, the movie that makes us think and feel in a new way, works that simply help us escape for a bit. To start, here are the books that made the last year a little brighter for me. Most of them came out in 2019, but a few were older ones that were new to me this year. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama) on Dec 28, 2019 at 1:17pm PST

This year’s list from the former POTUS includes 19 works of fiction, nonfiction — two specifically tagged for sports fans, including a biography by Jim Rooney about his father and the “Rooney Rule” that has become synonymous with his legacy.

Here are some of the books that made the cut:

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight For a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power, Shoshana Zuboff

This heavily researched work of nonfiction by former Harvard Business School professor Shoshana Zuboff explores society’s digital future and complacency with surveillance as it continues to expand into nearly every sector of the economy. The book has received accolades from The New York Times, The Guardian and was on TIME’s list of Must-Read Books of 2019.

Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee, Casey Cep

Cep provides insight into the life of one of America’s most beloved authors, Harper Lee, by telling the tales of two courtroom dramas. The book examines the case of Reverend Willie Maxwell, who was accused of murdering five members of his family, and the case of the man who shot him dead — all while taking a look at the life of Lee, who sat in the audience to research her own true-crime novel. Furious Hours is also on TIME’s list of Must-Read Books of 2019

Lost Children Archive, Valeria Luiselli

This novel by award-winning Mexican author Valeria Luiselli tells the story of a family road-tripping from New York to Arizona amid the backdrop of the “immigration crisis” at the Southern Border. It is Luiselli’s first novel written in English.

Other books that made an impact on Obama’s nightstand this past year include (but are by no means limited to) Sally Rooney’s Normal People, Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise, Sarah M. Brown’s The Yellow House, and David Treuer’s Heartbeat at Wounded Knee.

Read more: The 100 Must-Read Books of 2019

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Next up are my favorite movies and TV shows of 2019. This year’s list includes everything from explorations of class dynamics and relationships, to an inspired reboot of a classic graphic novel, to a portal back to one of the most special places in history — an Aretha Franklin concert. Of course, there’s also American Factory, a film from our own production company, Higher Ground, that was recently shortlisted for an Oscar. It’s our first offering in partnership with Netflix, and I’m excited about the other projects we’ve got in the works. Here’s the full list:

A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama) on Dec 29, 2019 at 9:04am PST

And from screens big and small, Obama cited movies including The Farewell, Little Women, Parasite and Netflix’s The Irishman — though he did not specify whether he made it through the latter in one go. His favorite TV shows included Watchmen and Fleabag.