Barack Obama releases year-end lists of the books, movies, and songs that he ‘just plain loved’

'Becoming' unsurprisingly Mr. Obama's favorite book of 2018.

On Friday, former President Barack Obama shared his annual year-end list of books, movies, and music on Facebook. The list consists of things that he “found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved” in 2018.

“As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists. It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books, movies, and music that I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved,” Obama wrote.

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For movies, some of his picks were Black Panther, Annihilation, BlacKkKlansman and If Beale Street Could Talk. For songs, Mr. Obama is a fan of Prince, Cardi B, Janelle Monae, and the Carters. Of course Michelle Obama’s memoir “Becoming” is “obviously my favorite” he wrote.

Obama said compiling the list “also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors, artists, and storytellers — some who are household names and others who you may not have heard of before.”

“Here’s my best of 2018 list – I hope you enjoy reading, watching, and listening.”

He also noted that some of the book titles “appeared on earlier lists.”

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Here is Mr. Obama’s full annual year-end list of his favorite movies, books and music:

Books

“Becoming” by Michelle Obama

“An American Marriage” by Tayari Jones

“Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“American Prison” by Shane Bauer

“Arthur Ashe: A Life” by Raymond Arsenault

“Asymmetry” by Lisa Halliday

“The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die” by Keith Payne

“Educated” by Tara Westover

“Factfulness” by Hans Rosling

“Feel Free” by Zadie Smith

“Florida” by Lauren Groff

“Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom” by David W. Blight

“Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging” by Alex Wagner

“A Grain of Wheat” by Ngugi wa Thiong’o

“A House for Mr Biswas” by V.S. Naipaul

“How Democracies Die” by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

“Immigrant, Montana” by Amitava Kumar

“In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History” by Mitch Landrieu

“The Largesse of the Sea Maiden” by Denis Johnson

“Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” by Max Tegmark

“Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela

“The New Geography of Jobs” by Enrico Moretti

“The Return” by Hisham Matar

“There There” by Tommy Orange

“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe

“Warlight” by Michael Ondaatje

“Washington Black” by Esi Edugyan

“Why Liberalism Failed” by Patrick Deneen

“The World As It Is” by Ben Rhodes

Movies

Annihilation

Black Panther

BlacKkKlansman

Blindspotting

Burning

The Death of Stalin

Eighth Grade

If Beale Street Could Talk

Leave No Trace

Minding the Gap

The Rider

Roma

Shoplifters

Support the Girls

Won’t You Be My Neighbor

Songs

“Apes**t” by The Carters

“Bad Bad News” by Leon Bridges

“Could’ve Been” by H.E.R. (feat. Bryson Tiller)

“Disco Yes” by Tom Misch (feat. Poppy Ajudha)

“Ekombe” by Jupiter & Okwess

“Every Time I Hear That Song” by Brandi Carlile

“Girl Goin’ Nowhere” by Ashley McBryde

“Historia De Un Amor” by Tonina (feat. Javier Limón and Tali Rubinstein)

“I Like It” by Cardi B (feat. Bad Bunny and J Balvin)

“Kevin’s Heart” by J. Cole

“King for a Day” by Anderson East

“Love Lies” by Khalid & Normani

“Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monáe

“Mary Don’t You Weep (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version)” by Prince

“My Own Thing” by Chance the Rapper (feat. Joey Purp)

“Need a Little Time” by Courtney Barnett

“Nina Cried Power” by Hozier (feat. Mavis Staples)

“Nterini” by Fatoumata Diawara

“One Trick Ponies” by Kurt Vile

“Turnin’ Me Up” by BJ the Chicago Kid

“Wait by the River” by Lord Huron

“Wow Freestyle” by Jay Rock (feat. Kendrick Lamar)

The Great American Songbook by Nancy Wilson (full album)

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