The Power of Books Shapes Path to the Presidency

Throughout presidential history, each of our 44 Presidents have expressed an eclectic list of their own favorites: James Madison’s—John Locke, William McKinley’s—Lord Byron while Warren G. Harding favored The Rules of Poker. Perhaps, no president since Abraham Lincoln has been as shaped by reading and writing as President Barack Obama. As Former President Obama prepared to leave office earlier this month, Michiko Kakutani, book critic for The New York Times, interviewed him about his favorite books and the impact books have had during his life.