These Are Barack Obama’s Favorite Music, Movies, TV Shows, and Books of 2019

As one year ends and another one begins, people often take to social media to reflect on the past, particularly looking back at the widely consumed pop culture we all enjoyed during the past 365 days. Former President Barack Obama is no different. In his annual social media tradition, the 44th Commander in Chief has shared his list of favorite books, movies, TV shows, and music of 2019. As in previous years, the lists reflect both his intellectual nature as well as his pop culture savvy. They also confirm that he’s still one of the world’s coolest dads.

If you’re surprised by the number of movies Obama saw or the books he read, don’t be. The former President recognizes the value that art has in our lives. “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,” he remarked on Instagram. “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.”

Wondering what Obama loved in 2019? His favorite picks run the gamut. There are novels, for instance, that focus on history (and shattering its myths) including David Treuer’s The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee as well as titles that relate to the digital future like The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff. For films, he enjoyed the comedy Booksmart as well as the thriller Parasite. He also placed American Factory on the list, which is a film from his and wife Michelle’s production company, Higher Ground. (The documentary has been shortlisted for an Oscar.) And when it comes to his favorite songs, Obama proves he’s not immune to the catchy record-breaking bop that is Old Town Road (Remix) by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus or Lizzo’s Juice.

Check out Obama’s best-of lists below. And if you want to make his favorites your new reading list, we’ve linked the texts below. (It might also be time to get a Kindle Unlimited subscription!)

Former President Barack Obama shared his annual list featuring his favorite list of music, movies, TV shows, and books from 2019.

 

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A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama) on Dec 30, 2019 at 9:01am PST

 

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

 

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

Want to make Obama's favorite books part of your reading list? You can buy all of these texts on Amazon.

1. The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff
2. The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire by William Dalrymple
3. Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep
4. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
5. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer
6. How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell
7. Lost Children Archive: A Novel by Valeria Luiselli
8. Lot: Stories by Bryan Washington
9. Normal People: A Novel by Sally Rooney
10. The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson
11. The Yellow House: A Memoir by Sarah M. Broom
12. Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
13. Solitary by Albert Woodfox
14. The Topeka School: A Novel by Ben Lerner
15. Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino
16. Trust Exercise: A Novel by Susan Choi
17. We Live in Water: Stories by Jess Walter
18. A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney's Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule by Jim Rooney
19. The Sixth Man: A Memoir by Andre Iguodala
20. American Spy: A Novel by Lauren Wilkinson
21. The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir by Samantha Power
22. Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang
23. Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward by Valerie Jarrett
24. Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh
25. How to Read the Air by Dinaw Mengestu
26. Inland: A Novel by Téa Obreht
27. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
28. Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Stephanie Land
29. Men Without Women: Stories by Haruki Murakami
30. The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates
31. The Nickel Boys: A Novel by Colson Whitehead
32. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
33. The Shadow of Sirius by W.S. Merwin
34. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr
35. Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For by Susan Rice
36. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
37. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

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