Library News

President Obama and reading

As the presidency transitions on January 20th, there has been much discussion and reflection of the Obama years. Among the outgoing President’s habits, his reading lists are a remarkable one. President Obama’s reading lists and writings, discussions on and with authors, and encouragement of reading and writing that shaped his formative years, are all going to be missed by this librarian.  A recent New York Times article addressed this aspect of President Obama and how it shaped his presidency.

The library has quite a few of books from President Obama’s reading lists in our Relax and Read section. In the last month, I have read two: The Underground Railroad and H is for Hawk. Each were different in theme and characters, but both had messages in which I would want my President and leader to be exposed. Check them out! In the words of Obama, “the role of stories is to unify — as opposed to divide, to engage rather than to marginalize — is more important than ever.”