By Sarah Irwin
Launching September 24, Obama will host A Great Book with Barack Obama: a six-episode podcast available exclusively on Audible–an online audio and podcast service.
The podcast is set to provide a deep dive into six texts that have “profoundly shaped [Obama’s] worldview and our society.”
Each episode will also feature a guest with whom Obama will discuss his chosen texts.
Obama is known to be a literature lover, and the year-end wrap-up of his favourite books, which he shares on his social media, has become a much-anticipated annual tradition.
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“Great books have always helped me figure out who I am and what I believe,” said Obama in a statement announcing the upcoming podcast.
While the guests featured in each episode will be announced at a later date, listeners will not have to wait to find out the chosen books.
Audible’s announcement of the series, produced in collaboration with the Obamas’ production company Higher Ground, included the names of the six titles:
“The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin
“Song of Solomon” by Toni Morrison
“All the Pretty Horses” by Cormac McCarthy
“Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson
“All the King’s Men” by Robert Penn Warren
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” by John Le Carré
Five of the six featured authors are American, with the exception being British writer John Le Carré.
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Identity, power, memory, and culture
The discussions of each book are expected to reflect on “identity, power, memory, and culture,” according to Audible.
Notably, the podcast has one “central question”: What do the stories we love tell us about the world we live in and the world we want to create?
“I hope listeners will be inspired to discover or rediscover books that change the way they see themselves and the world,” said Obama.
The six-episode project is not the first time an Obama has hosted a podcast on Audible.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama collaborated with the Amazon-owned company to produce Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast.
Featuring nine episodes, the podcast was released in March 2023, following the release of her 2022 book The Light We Carry: Overcoming Uncertain Times.
Each episode is a live recording of conversations between the former First Lady and guests, such as Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, on her six-city book tour of the (then) new release.
Barack Obama is also featured in Audible’s The History Channel and Pushkin Industries, hosted by Malcolm Gladwell, released in June this year.
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