Former US President Barack Obama is set to host a podcast about books that have profoundly shaped his worldview and our society. This was reported by infohub.kz.
The podcast, called "A Great Book with Barack Obama", will launch on Audible on 24 September. Produced by the Amazon-owned company in collaboration with Obama's production company Higher Ground, each of the six episodes will feature the former president discussing one of his chosen titles with a guest.
Obama's selections include Toni Morrison's "Song of Solomon", John le Carré's "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", James Baldwin's "The Fire Next Time", Cormac McCarthy's "All the Pretty Horses", Marilynne Robinson's "Gilead", and Robert Penn Warren's "All the King's Men".
"Great books have always helped me figure out who I am and what I believe," said Obama. "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," he added. "I hope listeners will be inspired to discover or rediscover books that change the way they see themselves and the world." The podcast's guests are yet to be announced.
Obama has publicly shared his favourite books for years, posting summer reading lists and end-of-year roundups. This summer's list includes Tayari Jones's "Kin", George Saunders's "Vigil", Elizabeth Strout's "The Things We Never Say", Ben Lerner's "Transcription", and Colson Whitehead's "Cool Machine".
While his roundups are often made up of recently published books, all of his picks for the podcast were published in the 20th century, except for Robinson's "Gilead", released in 2004. Robinson and Obama struck up a correspondence after he invited her to dinner at the White House, and in 2012, he awarded her the National Humanities Medal.