Former President Barack Obama released his annual year-end favorites list on Friday, sharing his best-loved songs, books and films from 2018.
This year’s list once again highlights a wide range of critically acclaimed films, best-selling novels and genre-crossing singles that highlight his eclectic taste that ranges from the popular to the obscure. He shared the list on Instagram Friday morning, calling the annual list a “favorite tradition.”
“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. “It 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. Swipe through to see my best of 2018 list – I hope you enjoy reading, watching, and listening.”
Unsurprisingly, “Becoming“, his wife and former first lady Michelle Obama’s autobiographical memoir, made an appearance at the top of the list, with a side note (obviously my favorite!). He also included “The World As It Is” by his former Deputy National Security Advisor, Ben Rhodes, as well as classics including “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe and “Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela.
In the music department, Obama’s favorite songs included hip-hop singles “I Like it” by Cardi B, J Balvin and Bad Bunny, as well as”Apes**t” by The Carters. He also included the late Nancy Wilson’s The Great American Songbook album “in honor of one of the great jazz singers of all time who died this year.”
Obama’s favorite films included Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman”, Ryan Coogler’s superhero blockbuster “Black Panther” and documentaries “Won’t You Be My Neighbor“, and Bing Lius’s “Mind The Gap.”
See his full list here.
