President Barack Obama will curl up with the six books that have most influenced him — along with six “luminaries” to discuss the works — in a new podcast from Audible and Higher Ground.
Amazon’s Audible and Higher Ground, Barack and Michelle Obama’s media company, announced “A Great Book with Barack Obama,” a new original podcast hosted by the 44th U.S. president about the books that have “profoundly shaped his worldview and our society.”
“A Great Book” is the sixth release under Audible and Higher Ground’s exclusive first-look deal. The series debuts Sept. 24, 2026, exclusively from Audible in the initial release. It can be pre-ordered from Audible at this link. The six “thinkers, writers and artists” who will sit down with him as guests in the “intimate” podcast will be announced at a later date, the companies said.
The six books Barack Obama selected for the podcast are: “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; and “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” by John le Carré.
The podcast is described like this by Audible and Higher Ground: “Reflecting on identity, power, memory and culture, the conversations between President Obama and his guests explore one central question: What do the stories we love tell us about the world we live in and the world we want to create?”
