Obama to Launch New Podcast Ahead of Midterms

Former President Barack Obama is returning to podcasting with a new series centered on literature, expanding the media portfolio he and former first lady Michelle Obama have continued to build since leaving the White House.

Obama announced Monday that he will host a six-episode podcast, “A Great Book With Barack Obama,” which is scheduled to debut next month. The series will explore six books that he says have shaped his views on politics, race, faith and American society.

“At a time when fewer people are able to sit down with a book, it’s important to remember the joy and power that can come from reading,” Obama wrote in a social media post announcing the project.

“And some books don’t just tell a story — they change the way we see the world,” he added.

Each episode will focus on a different title and feature conversations about why the selected works remain relevant and what lessons readers can still draw from them.

The books chosen for the series are James Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time,” Toni Morrison’s “Song of Solomon,” Cormac McCarthy’s “All the Pretty Horses,” Marilynne Robinson’s “Gilead,” Robert Penn Warren’s “All the King’s Men” and John le Carré’s “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.”