Readings benefits are not limited to just increasing the knowledge; many people read books because they believe reading is the best activity to convey a sense of calm. Barack Obama is one of those book lovers.
Featured image credit – Karl-Ludwig Poggemann from Salzbergen, Germany, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
“When I wasn’t working, the weekends would usually find me alone in an empty apartment, making do with the company of books,” Barack Obama said in his book “Dream from My Father.”
Readings benefits are not limited to just increasing the knowledge; many people read books because they believe reading is the best activity to convey a sense of calm. Barack Obama is one of those book lovers.
Once that he was introducing his favorite book to people, he declared, “whether you’re camped out on the beach or curled up on the couch on a rainy day, there’s nothing quite like sitting down with a great book in the summer.”
So fasten your seat belt to discover some of the best books recommended by Barack Obama. Are you ready?
Book 1: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is absolutely one of the greatest authors of all time, and Barack Obama has announced in many of his interviews that the Song of Solomon is one of his favorites of all time.
This book is not only recommended by Barack Obama, but it has been on a lot of to-read book lists as the writer had got a Nobel prize in 1993. The content of this book includes some unanswerable questions and historical elements about its primary character’s life.
The content of this book includes some unanswerable questions and historical elements about its primary character’s life. The story starts with a suspicious suicide and a black child who has been just born in Michigan hospital.
Many of Toni Morrison’s books are in poetic style, and the Son of Solomon is one of them. “The Bluest Eye” and “Beloved” are other examples of the same manner.
Book 2: Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson
The “Self-Reliance” was written in 1841 by an American philosopher named Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was a transcendental idealism who mainly emphasized self-culture, self-reliance, and individual expression.
The book is the once-in-generation event that recreates our thinking and world.
When Ralph Waldo Emerson published this essay, which was his most popular and famous essay, it was in the financial collapse of 1837, when the values of humanity and society were reforming.
Book 3: For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
This novel was published in 1940. The story is about Robert Jordan and an American volunteer attached to the Republican guerrilla unit when the Spanish Civil War happened.
After that, he discovers a young woman called Maria who had escaped from Franco’s rebels.
When Jordan, Maria, and others manage to escape, Jordan gets injured and awaits certain death. At that time, he declares his love to Maria and finally does. The book was published when the Spanish civil war was finished.
Book 4: The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
“The Federalist Papers” series includes 85 essays. It was first published between 1787 and 1788 and supported the ratification of the constitution.
In the new edition of “The Federalist Papers,” some essays are critical assigned federalism.
This book highly fits people interested in government and politics, and of course, anyone looking for foundational statements about America and democracy.
Book 5: The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
The Power and the Glory is a novel written in 1940 by a British author called Graham Greene.
In the introduction, the author calls The Power and the Glory “Graham Greene’s masterpiece…. The energy and grandeur of his finest novel derive from the will toward compassion, an ideal communism even more Christian than Communist.”
According to the book, the vestiges of Catholicism were being outlawed by their government in the southern Mexican state of Tabasco in the 1930s.
Book 6: FDR by Jean Edward Smith
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a politician, lawyer, and the 32d president of the US from 1933 to 1935. The “FDR” is a comprehensive and modern book written by one of the premier biographers about Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s epic life.
Edward Smith has written this book with admiration and delving into the intimate life of the FDR and WWII success.
Book 7: The Quiet American by Graham Greene
“The Quiet American” is a novel written in 1955 by Graham Greene and also recommended by Anderson Cooper. This book which was twice adapted to film, remains a prescient and terrifying portrait of innocence.
For a long time, “The Quiet American” was considered the most controversial book written by this author. The story is based on love between three people; an Englishman, an American, and an Asian woman.
The first chapter of the book describes the young Pyle as learned in political philosophy, unlike the woman who knew nothing about the events of the outside world.
Book 8: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
This is an illustrated children’s book written by American artist and writer Maurice Sendak published in 1963. The book was considered a pioneer for its fair treatment of children’s anger and other emotions and won the Caldecott Medal in 1964.
According to the story, young Max is a very naughty boy, and his mother always calls him a “wild thing.” Sometimes when his mother gets furious with him, she would send him to bed without supper. Google honored this book as children worldwide by indicating a Wild Things illustration in June 2013.
So those are some of Barack Obama’s most popular books. They have had considerable impacts on his life as he has announced this fact in interviews several times. So if you are passionate about politics, why not trying them?
