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A Bookish Tour Through Obama's Years in the White House

January 19, 2017 - As the current reader-in-chief finishes his term, we've gathered a list of many of the books Obama recommended, read and bought while in office. No list can be complete, but it offers a bookish glimpse into the mind of a president. (Tracy Mumford)
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The Post-American World (Fareed Zakaria)
The Post-American World
1
Fareed Zakaria
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (Doris Kearns Goodwin)
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
2
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Collected Poems
Collected Poems
3
Ghost Wars by Steve Coll
Ghost Wars by Steve Coll
4
Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (Jeffrey D. Sachs)
Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet
5
Jeffrey D. Sachs
Netherland
Netherland
6
What Is the What (Dave Eggers)
What Is the What
7
Dave Eggers
The Way Home (George Pelecanos)
The Way Home
8
George Pelecanos
Hot, Flat, and Crowded
Hot, Flat, and Crowded
9
Lush Life (Richard Price)
Lush Life
10
Richard Price
Plainsong (Kent Haruf)
Plainsong
11
Kent Haruf
John Adams (David McCullough)
John Adams
12
David McCullough
Freedom (Jonathan Franzen)
Freedom
13
Jonathan Franzen
Tinkers (Paul Harding)
Tinkers
14
Paul Harding
A Few Corrections (Brad Leithauser)
A Few Corrections
15
Brad Leithauser
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
16
Harper Lee
The Red Pony (John Steinbeck)
The Red Pony
17
John Steinbeck
The Bayou Trilogy (Daniel Woodrell)
The Bayou Trilogy
18
Daniel Woodrell
Rodin's Debutante (Ward Just)
Rodin's Debutante
19
Ward Just
Cutting for Stone (Abraham Verghese)
Cutting for Stone
20
Abraham Verghese
To the End of the Land (David Grossman)
To the End of the Land
21
David Grossman
The Warmth of Other Suns (Isabel Wilkerson)
The Warmth of Other Suns
22
Isabel Wilkerson
Where the Wild Things Are (Maurice Sendak)
Where the Wild Things Are
23
Maurice Sendak
Parting the Waters (Taylor Branch)
Parting the Waters
24
Taylor Branch
Gilead (Marilynne Robinson)
Gilead
25
Marilynne Robinson
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena (Anthony Marra)
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
26
Anthony Marra
Red Sparrow (Jason Matthews)
Red Sparrow
27
Jason Matthews
The Lowland (Jhumpa Lahiri)
The Lowland
28
Jhumpa Lahiri
Wild: From Lost to Found (Cheryl Strayed)
Wild: From Lost to Found
29
Cheryl Strayed
Being Mortal (Atul Gawande)
Being Mortal
30
Atul Gawande
Age of Ambition (Evan Osnos)
Age of Ambition
31
Evan Osnos
Brown Girl Dreaming (Jacqueline Woodson)
Brown Girl Dreaming
32
Jacqueline Woodson
The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Richard Flanagan)
The Narrow Road to the Deep North
33
Richard Flanagan
The Laughing Monsters (Denis Johnson)
The Laughing Monsters
34
Denis Johnson
All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)
All the Light We Cannot See
35
Anthony Doerr
Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)
Heart of Darkness
36
Joseph Conrad
Nora Webster (Colm Tiobin)
Nora Webster
37
Colm Tiobin
Redeployment (Phil Klay)
Redeployment
38
Phil Klay
The Sixth Extinction (Elizabeth Kolbert)
The Sixth Extinction
39
Elizabeth Kolbert
Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
Between the World and Me
40
Ta-Nehisi Coates
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