President Barack Obama and Reading

On President Barack Obama’s last full day in office, I thought I’d share some articles about him which relate to reading.  It is well known that he is an avid reader.

Back in December, Bustle had an article entitled, “8 Of President Obama's Best Quotes About Reading” (https://www.bustle.com/p/8-of-president-obamas-best-quotes-about-reading-25956).  Considering who is being sworn in tomorrow, my favourite is Obama’s comment that “libraries remind us that truth isn’t about who yells the loudest, but who has the right information,” a statement he made in his essay, "Bound to the Word," published in the August 2005 issue of American Libraries.

The November issue of WIRED magazine contained a list of 10 books President Obama recommends for future leaders. Serving as guest-editor-in-chief, the POTUS laid out "the books that shaped him" (https://www.wired.com/2016/10/president-obama-reading-list).  According to WIRED analysts, it would take the average reader 89 hours to make it through President Obama's essential reading list. 

Donald Trump could perhaps make use of this list.

Electric Literature put together "every summer reading list, every Small Business Saturday bookshop haul, every all-time-favorite-list President Barack Obama has put out since taking office back in 2008" (https://electricliterature.com/barack-obama-reader-in-chief-fb1e58791422#.xrph9kff2).

Finally, The New York Times had an interview with President Obama about what books mean to him:  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/16/books/transcript-president-obama-on-what-books-mean-to-him.html?smid=tw-nytbooks&smtyp=cur&_r=0. 

Get ready for the next president who seems to read nothing that is longer than 140 characters!