Barack Obama names his favorite books, movies, and music of 2018
It’s the end of the year, which in the realm of pop culture means it’s list-making season. We at Entertainment Weekly aren’t the only ones who make lists of the year’s best culture; Barack Obama participates in the annual tradition as well. On Friday, the former president posted a Facebook status with a list of his favorite books, movies, and music from 2018.
The No. 1 book on his list should come as no surprise. Michelle Obama’s memoir Becoming was a force this year, selling millions of copies and inspiring live concert-like tour dates, and her husband was there to support her all the way. “Obviously my favorite,” Obama wrote in parentheses next to Becoming’s spot at the top of his list. Obama’s other literary favorites included fiction and non-fiction books alike, and even shared two novels with EW’s own best-books-of-2018 list: There, There by Tommy Orange and Washington Black by Esi Edugyan.
The movies were a new inclusion; Obama’s 2017 list only included books and songs. But this year, the former president found time to enjoy some movies as well. Presented in alphabetical order, Obama cited movies as diverse as Annihilation, BlacKkKlansman, Roma, and Won’t You Be My Neighbor among his list.
Obama finished the post by listing his favorite songs of the year. The list included Cardi B, the Carters, and EW’s own top pick, “Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monáe. But the former president also threw in a nod to a classic. Noting that jazz singer Nancy Wilson died this year, Obama ended the list by recommending her album The Great American Songbook. He called it “a classic album,” and did the recommendation “in honor of one of the great jazz singers of all time, who died this year.”
Check out the full list below.
