Barack Obama has continued his tradition of publishing end-of-year lists, compiling the books, songs and films that the former US president has most enjoyed over the passed 12 months, with Zadie Smith, Beyoncé and Jay Z’s Apeshit and Armando Iannucci’s political satire The Death of Stalin all included.
“As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favourite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists,” Obama wrote on Facebook, adding that the list included work that he found “thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved”. The lists – which started in 2015, while he was still in office – are meant to highlight work from famous and lesser-known writers, directors and musicians.
In 2018, Obama read biographies including David W Blight’s study of Frederick Douglass, the anti-slavery advocate and intellectual (Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom) and tennis star Arthur Ashe: A Life by Raymond Arsenault. Max Tegmark’s cautionary examination of what human life might look like in a future with superintelligent AI, Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, was also included, as was fiction in the form of Florida by Lauren Groff.
Obama started the tradition in 2015 when he released a playlist of the songs he’d been listening to, including artists such as the Isley Brothers, and Coldplay. He added book recommendations later that year, including Ta-Nehisi Coates’ celebrated book about race and America, Between the World and Me. In 2016, he recommended Pulitzer prize-winner Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, as well as Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train and H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald.
This year’s film list was no less tasteful, with Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters, sitting alongside Barry Jenkins’ James Baldwin adaptation, If Beale Street Could Talk and Alfonso Cuarón’s Oscar-tipped Roma. Alex Garland’s shapeshifting sci-fi Annihilation was also included, as was Ryan Coogler’s Marvel superhero epic Black Panther.
Music was dominated by pop, rap and R&B. The backpacker hip-hop of J Cole, sat alongside rappers from Obama’s adopted hometown of Chicago in the form of Chance the Rapper and BJ the Chicago Kid. Irish singer Hozier found a space on the list as did indie darlings Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile. There was also a special mention of Nancy Wilson (one “the great jazz singers of all time”, according to Obama) who died in December. There was no place for Aretha Franklin, however.
Here are the lists in full.
Favourite books of 2018
American Prison, Shane Bauer
Arthur Ashe: A Life, Raymond Arsenault
Asymmetry, Lisa Halliday
Feel Free, Zadie Smith
Florida, Lauren Groff
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, David W Blight
Immigrant, Montana, Amitava Kumar
The Largesse of the Sea Maiden, Denis Johnson
Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Max Tegmark
There There, Tommy Orange
Washington Black, Esi Edugyan
Favourite movies of 2018
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?
Favourite songs of 2018
Apeshit, The Carters
Bad Bad News, Leon Bridges
Could’ve Been, H.E.R. (ft Bryson Tiller)
Disco Yes, Tom Misch (ft Poppy Ajudha)
Ekombe, Jupiter and Okwess
Every Time I Hear That Song, Brandi Carlile
Girl Goin’ Nowhere, Ashley McBryde
Historia De Un Amor, Tonina (ft Javier Limón and Tali Rubinstein)
I Like It, Cardi B (ft Bad Bunny and J Balvin)
Kevin’s Heart, J Cole
King For a Day, Anderson East
Love Lies, Khalid and Normani
Make Me Feel, Janelle Monáe
Mary Don’t You Weep (Piano and a Microphone 1983 version), Prince
My Own Thing, Chance the Rapper (ft Joey Purp)
Need a Little Time, Courtney Barnett
Nina Cried Power, Hozier (ft Mavis Staples)
Nterini, Fatoumata Diawara
One Trick Ponies, Kurt Vile
Turnin’ Me Up, BJ the Chicago Kid
Wait by the River, Lord Huron
Wow Freestyle, Jay Rock (ft Kendrick Lamar)
The Great American Songbook, Nancy Wilson
