Barack Obama Keeps Recommending Books About The End Of The World, And I’m Wondering Why
Barack Obama’s reading lists have repeatedly featured fiction about existential threats, from climate catastrophe to extinction and social collapse. The article argues that these choices are striking because the books focus less on life after disaster than on governments and other institutions struggling to respond, inviting readers to consider why such stories appeal to a former president.
One example is Kim Stanley Robinson’s *The Ministry for the Future*, an Obama favourite in 2020, which begins with a deadly heatwave in India and explores how governments, central banks and international groups might address climate change. The article also notes Neal Stephenson’s *Seveneves*, about the Moon’s destruction, and Andy Weir’s *Project Hail Mary*, which Obama endorsed the following summer; the supplied text ends while introducing the latter.
- Obama’s lists often include fiction about global crises.
- The books examine institutions under pressure.
- The article wonders what draws him to these themes.
New here? Start with this
Barack Obama is a former US president who has shared lists of books he has read. Some of the novels on those lists imagine threats to humanity, including climate change, extinction and the breakdown of society.
Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future, one of Obama’s picks, explores how governments and international organisations might respond to a deadly heatwave and climate change. Other examples include Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves, which begins with the Moon’s destruction, and Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary.
These books focus on how people and institutions react to large-scale dangers. Their place on Obama’s reading lists has prompted discussion about what draws him to stories of crisis and how they portray the challenges facing leaders.