Barack Obama Releases 2026 Summer Reading List Featuring DATA EMPIRE and Other Picks

Former President Barack Obama has published his annual summer reading list for 2026, a tradition he began in 2009. The eleven‑title selection spans fiction and non‑fiction, highlighting works by authors such as Tayari Jones, whose novel Kin explores Black Southern women’s relationships, and Colson Whitehead, noted for his Harlem crime trilogy. A new addition is DATA EMPIRE: The Power of Information to Organize, Control, and Dominate by Roopika Risam, a sweeping history of data from ancient clay tablets to modern algorithmic governance. Obama promoted the list on Instagram, inviting followers to suggest their own reads, and noted the range of genres from gritty crime narratives to a science book on data's role in power structures.

The featured titles underline Obama’s ongoing effort to spotlight diverse voices and contemporary issues, reinforcing the reading list’s status as a cultural touchstone for book lovers and policy‑interested audiences alike.