Getty
Pres. Barack Obama has a tradition of sharing his favorite films, music, and books at the year’s end and 2018 was no different. The 44th President of the United States included Apeshit by The Carters as his favorite song, First Lady Michelle Obama’s book ‘Becoming,’ as his favorite read of the year and Annilhation as his favorite film. On his Instagram, within five minutes of posting his lists, more than 100,000 had liked it tens of thousands had commented. Similarly, on Facebook and Twitter, hundreds of thousands of people liked and shared his posts. Within five minutes.
“As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists. It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books, movies, and music that I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved. It also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors, artists, and storytellers – some who are household names and others who you may not have heard of before. Here’s my best of 2018 list – I hope you enjoy reading, watching, and listening.”
One of the most popular and oft written comments remarked how much people admired that he’s a voracious reader.
@BarackObama A President who reads. If only we’d realized those were the Good Old Days.
So what are Obama’s favs?
Let’s go:
Obama’s Favorite Books of 2018
Note: “Here’s a reminder of the books that I read this year that appeared on earlier lists:”
Becoming by Michelle Obama (“Obviously my favorite,” he wrote)
I’m having so much fun with all of you on my #IAmBecoming tour that I decided to do one final round of events to see folks in some cities we missed! These conversations have been so meaningful for me, and I hope they’ve been meaningful for you all, too. t.co/tOEk59nT71
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die by Keith Payne
Educated by Tara Westover
Factfulness by Hans Rosling
Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging by Alex Wagner
A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong’o
A House for Mr Biswas by V.S. Naipaul
How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History by Mitch Landrieu
Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
The New Geography of Jobs by Enrico Moretti
The Return by Hisham Matar
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
Why Liberalism Failed by Patrick Deneen
The World As It Is by Ben Rhodes
Here are Obama’s “other favorite books of 2018:”
American Prison by Shane Bauer
Arthur Ashe: A Life by Raymond Arsenault
Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
Feel Free by Zadie Smith
Florida by Lauren Groff
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight
Immigrant, Montana by Amitava Kumar
The Largesse of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson
Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max Tegmark
There There by Tommy Orange
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing the tradition of sharing my year-end lists. It gives me a moment to reflect on the year through the books, movies, and music that I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved. I hope you enjoy it:
Obama’s Favorite Movies of 2018
Annihilation
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Blindspotting
Burning
The Death of Stalin
Eighth Grade
If Beale Street Could Talk
Leave No Trace
Minding the Gap
The Rider
Roma
Shoplifters
Support the Girls
Won’t You Be My Neighbor
Last But Not Least, Here Are Obama’s Favorite Songs of 2018:
Apes••t by The Carters
Bad Bad News by Leon Bridges
Could’ve Been by H.E.R. (feat. Bryson Tiller)
Disco Yes by Tom Misch (feat. Poppy Ajudha)
Ekombe by Jupiter & Okwess
Every Time I Hear That Song by Brandi Carlile
Girl Goin’ Nowhere by Ashley McBryde
Historia De Un Amor by Tonina (feat. Javier Limón and Tali Rubinstein)
I Like It by Cardi B (feat. Bad Bunny and J Balvin)
Kevin’s Heart by J. Cole
King For A Day by Anderson East
Love Lies by Khalid & Normani
Make Me Feel by Janelle Monáe
Mary Don’t You Weep (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version) by Prince
My Own Thing by Chance the Rapper (feat. Joey Purp)
Need a Little Time by Courtney Barnett
Nina Cried Power by Hozier (feat. Mavis Staples)
Nterini by Fatoumata Diawara
One Trick Ponies by Kurt Vile
Turnin’ Me Up by BJ the Chicago Kid
Wait by the River by Lord Huron
Wow Freestyle by Jay Rock (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
And in honor of one of the great jazz singers of all time, who died this year, a classic album: The Great American Songbook by Nancy Wilson
Here’s Some Reactions to Obama’s Lists by Filmmakers, Artists, Writers, & Musicians, Critics, & Everday People
I can’t believe that my book of columns, Massaging A Ghost – available in paperback t.co/AxKS0BzNX0 and on Kindl: t.co/xInRfVAf9a – is on Barack Obama’s year-end list.
Love Lies made Obama’s Favorite Songs of 2018 list!!!!!!!!!
@Aiannucci, dude you made Obama’s list