Barack Obama to host new literary podcast on Audible

Former U.S. President Barack Obama will host a new six-episode podcast titled ‘A Great Book with Barack Obama,’ set to premiere exclusively on Audible on September 24, 2026. The series is a collaboration between Audible and Higher Ground, the media company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama.

In the podcast, Obama will discuss six influential literary works that have shaped his worldview and understanding of society. He will be joined by guests, described as luminaries, thinkers, or artists, though the specific identities of these guests have not yet been announced. The selected books include 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.’

Obama noted that the project aims to highlight the joy and power of reading in an era where attention is increasingly fragmented. The series marks the sixth project under the first-look deal between Audible and Higher Ground.