Barack Obama is preparing to host a new podcast centred on books that, in his words, have “profoundly shaped his worldview and our society”.

Titled ‘A Great Book with Barack Obama’, the six-part series will premiere on Audible on 24 September. The podcast is being produced by Audible, in partnership with Higher Ground, the production company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama.

Each episode will focus on one book selected by the former US president. Obama will be joined by a guest to discuss why the title matters, what it reveals about the human experience and how literature can influence the way people understand themselves and the world around them.

The six books chosen for the series span fiction, politics, race, morality and espionage. They are ‘Song of Solomon’ by Toni Morrison, ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ by John le Carré, ‘The Fire Next Time’ by James Baldwin, ‘All the Pretty Horses’ by Cormac McCarthy, ‘Gilead’ by Marilynne Robinson and ‘All the King’s Men’ by Robert Penn Warren.

Obama said books have long helped him make sense of his identity and beliefs. He added that the six titles featured in the podcast have remained important to him over the years and continue to offer lessons about the human condition. The conversations, he said, are intended to examine why certain books stay with readers, how they shape personal and social understanding, and why literature still matters. The names of the podcast’s guests have not yet been revealed.

The project follows Obama’s long-running habit of publicly sharing his reading recommendations. For years, he has released annual summer reading lists and end-of-year selections, often mixing contemporary literary fiction with non-fiction and other genres.

His 2026 summer reading list, published in late July, included ‘Kin’ by Tayari Jones, ‘Vigil’ by George Saunders, ‘The Things We Never Say’ by Elizabeth Strout, ‘Transcription’ by Ben Lerner and ‘Cool Machine’ by Colson Whitehead.

There is, however, a notable difference between those regular reading lists and the titles chosen for the podcast. Most of the six books are decades old. Five were published in the 20th century, while Marilynne Robinson’s ‘Gilead’, released in 2004, is the only 21st-century title in the selection.

Obama’s connection with Robinson also extends beyond admiration for her work. The two developed a correspondence after he invited her to dinner at the White House, and in 2012 he presented her with the National Humanities Medal.

With ‘A Great Book with Barack Obama’, the former president is moving beyond simply recommending books. The podcast gives him space to explain why certain works endured in his own life and why he believes their ideas remain worth discussing now.