Barack Obama's Favorite Books of Summer 2022: Buy Them on Amazon

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Summer might be quickly wrapping up, but that doesn’t mean you should stop adding to your TBR list for this season. We still have a couple weeks left to page through some of the most engrossing reads of the past year, and thanks to former President Barack Obama, we won’t have to look far for recommendations. Obama recently shared some of his favorite summer reads of 2022, and you can buy any of his selections on Amazon right now.

Obama’s 2022 summer reading list is just as eclectic as you’d imagine. The former president‘s list of reads includes novels, a book on basketball, thoughtful commentary on the fragile state of our democracy, and more. There’s really something for everyone on this list.

“I’ve read a couple of great books this year and wanted to share some of my favorites so far,” Obama began the caption to his above post, featuring the full list of his summer 2022 reads. “What have you been reading this summer?” While we know the summer days are limited, there’s still enough time to read through at least one or two selections from Obama’s list. So don’t wait — add your next read to your TBR list right now with any of the books below.

‘Sea of Tranquility’ by Emily St. John Mandel
Emily St. John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility follows interconnecting stories spanning 500 years. A novel about time travel, plague, love and more, the author of Station Eleven invites readers to explore a whole new world in her 2022 novel.
'Sea of Tranquility' by Emily St. John Mandel
$12.50$25.0050% Off
on Amazon.com
‘Why We’re Polarized’ by Ezra Klein
In this thought-provoking book, author Ezra Klein maps how 20th century politics merged with identity politics, bringing us to our current, fraught moment. Klein takes Why We’re Polarized a step further, contextualizing what these factors mean for the survival or detriment of America.
'Why We're Polarized' by Ezra Klein
$11.90$18.9937% Off
on Amazon.com
‘The Candy House’ by Jennifer Egan
The desire for connection, love, and privacy are all wrapped up in Jennifer Egan’s The Candy House. Bix Bouton is an inventor, who creates a way for people to own their unconscious — in other words, have access to all their memories and have the ability to share those memories with others. Of course, this new technology comes with new concerns, and it’s not long before the world Bix has helped to create becomes threatened.
'The Candy House' Jennifer Egan
$15.75$28.0044% Off
on Amazon.com
‘A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance’ by Hanif Abdurraqib
Hanif Abdurraqib spotlights performers from Michael Jackson to Patti LaBelle, Billy Dee Williams, and more in this book chronicling performances from Black artists. With critical commentary, and a touch of humor, A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance sees these instances of artistic expression as significant moments in time.
'A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance' by Hanif Abdurraqib
$12.31$18.0032% Off
on Amazon.com
‘To Paradise’ by Hanya Yanagihara
Three different stories of love, secrets, and mystery fuel To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara. Stretching across 200 years, Yanagihara introduces readers to a different America in 1893, where in New York, you can love who you desire — or so it would seem. But 200 years pass, and the world To Paradise opens on has all but disappeared. What is left? And what secrets lie in wait to be uncovered?
'To Paradise' by Hanya Yanagihara
$20.01$32.5038% Off
on Amazon.com
‘Silverview’ by John le Carré
In John le Carré’s Silverview, Julian Lawndsley has chosen to lead a quiet life running a book shop in a small seaside town in England. One day, however, Julian meets Edward, a Polish man who somehow knows more than he should about Julian’s family. What ensues is an investigation in the seaside town, and meeting the revelation regarding what we owe to the ones we love.
'Silverview' by John le Carré
$12.50
on Amazon.com
‘Black Cake’ by Charmaine Wilkerson
When it comes to inheritance, there’s so much more we gain that goes unseen. Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson relates the story of Eleanor Bennett and her two sons Byron and Benny. Following Eleanor’s death, the young men find their mother left them two things: a recipe for a black cake and a voice recording, which recalls the story of a young woman who escapes her home island under the suspicion of murder. Will Benny and Byron piece together the puzzle their mother left them?
'Black Cake' by Charmaine Wilkerson
$17.81$28.0036% Off
on Amazon.com
‘The Family Chao’ by Lan Samantha Chang
There’s something buzzing in the small, idyllic town of Haven, Wisconsin. For years residents have enjoyed the Chao family restaurant, despite any whispers about the family who own it. After all, Big Leo Chao and his wife, Winnie, raised three sons who all earned scholarships to good univiersities. But when the boys return home from school, old tensions flare, and after patrairch Leo is found dead, the three sons must find a way to survive in a place they once called home in The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang.
'The Family Chao' by Lan Samantha Chang
$13.99$28.0050% Off
on Amazon.com
‘Velvet was the Night’ by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
In Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Velvet was the Night, two strangers, Elvis and Maite, search for a missing girl named Leonora, uncovering secrets and discovering even more about themselves set against the backdrop of Mexico in the 1970s.
'Velvet was the Night' by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
$13.43
on Amazon.com
‘Mouth to Mouth’ by Antoine Wilson
In Antoine Wilson’s Mouth to Mouth the sanctity of faith is at the center of young Jeff Cook’s tale. Years after resuscitating a drowning man, Jeff goes in search of the gentleman he saved, only to find that he’s a renowned art dealer who hardly remembers Jeff at all. The man, Francis, nevertheless takes Jeff under his wing, and their paths come together and detract throughout this tall tale.
'Mouth to Mouth' Antoine Wilson
$16.37$26.0037% Off
on Amazon.com
‘The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure’ by Yascha Mounk
Yascha Mounk’s The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure not only unpacks the history of successful democracies, but also seeks to understand how one so diverse as America’s can succeed, even though history would suggest otherwise. Mounk draws on the schools of social psychology, history, and comparative politics to find the answers we need to ensure our country’s future.
'The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure' by Yascha Mounk
$16.22$28.0042% Off
on Amazon.com
‘The School for Good Mothers’ by Jessamine Chan
Frida Liu’s life isn’t what she imagined. She doesn’t have a career worthy of her immigrant parents’ sacrifices, and her husband, Gust, won’t give up his mistress. It’s only in her daughter Harriet where Frida finds the solace she needs. But there’s a looming threat in the world Frida and her young daughter inhabit. A new, government-operated initiative seeks to determine whether or not mothers are good enough for their roles — now, including Frida. Jessamine Chan’s The School for Good Mothers plunges readers into this dystopian world, where Frida tries to prove that even someone perceived as a bad mother is redeemable.
'The School for Good Mothers' by Jessamine Chan
$18.19$27.0033% Off
on Amazon.com
‘Razorblade Tears’ by S.A. Cosby
In S.A. Cosby’s Razorblade Tears, the murders of Derek and Isiah, a married couple, completely rock their fathers, Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee. While they don’t know anything about each other, the two men band together to find out who killed their sons. These fathers have nothing in common, save for a history of time in prison, a love for their sons, and a difficult past accepting their boys for who they were. But they nevertheless have one mission — find out who took everything from them.
'Razorblade Tears' by S.A. Cosby
$12.14$17.9933% Off
on Amazon.com
‘Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks’ by Chris Herring
If you’re a basketball fan, then this one’s for you: Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks by Chris Herring recounts the history of the New York Knicks during the 1990s. In particular, Herring focuses on how Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason brought the franchise back in ways that hadn’t been seen before.
'Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks' by Chris Herring
$19.59$28.9932% Off
on Amazon.com