Exclusive: Barack Obama reflects on masculinity in ‘A Great Book’

Exclusive: Barack Obama reflects on masculinity in 'A Great Book'.

Key points

• Previously, he wrote "Dreams From My Father" in 1995 and 2006's "The Audacity of Hope, " both New York Times bestsellers.
• Michelle Obama at present hosts "IMO" with her brother, Craig Robinson, and Obama recently launched "Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise, " an eight-part history series with Malcolm Gladwell.
• Audible, owned by Amazon, signed a multi-year, exclusive first-look production accord with the Obama's production business, Higher Ground, in 2022.
• Star-studded musical performances mark the dedication ceremony for the new Obama Presidential Center opening Juneteenth, on Chicago's South Side.
• Former President Barack Obama is a four-time bestselling author, but his newest post-White House project will delve into the pages of beloved American books.

Exclusive: Barack Obama reflects on masculinity in 'A Great Book'. Jay Stahl USA TODAY. In dedication, President Obama honors America's founding vision.

For context, the "A Great Book With Barack Obama" podcast, a six-part series premiering Sept. 24, will explore books "that have profoundly shaped his worldview and our society, " according to a press release earlier this year.

Notably, the last installment features Obama in conversation with novelist Lauren Groff regarding "All the Pretty Horses, " the author Cormac McCarthy's opus that garnered the National Book Award for fiction in 1992. In "Pretty Horses, " Texas cowboy John Grady Cole leaves his Lone Star life behind for Mexico and afterwards falls in love with Alejandra, the daughter of an affluent rancher.

"A John Grady Cole, I want a bunch of men like that, " Obama tells Groff in a clip shared exclusively with USA TODAY. "The question then becomes. 'How do we as a society have a language to try to cultivate that?'".

He continues, "The challenge I do think is, for a lot of boys and men, when they hear, you know 'patriarchy' and you know 'toxic masculinity, ' etc., there's a part of them that's thinking, 'Well, gosh I don't know, I don't want to be toxic.'".

Obama launching 'A Great Book' podcast. Which favorites will he discuss and why?

Obama is a voracious reader and confirmed the "Great Book" podcast days after releasing his annual summer reading list. This year's selections feature 11 picks, including "Kin" by Tayari Jones, Roopika Risam's "Data Empire" and "Whistler" by Ann Patchett. He additionally recaps each calendar year with an further list of favorite reads.

During the "Great Book" episode, Groff replies, "You, sitting in front of us here, were and are the best possible argument for that kind of man." The "Fate and Furies" author then tells Obama, "Personally I feel so grateful that you were the president when my oldest son was born. You offered an example."

Notably, the clip ends when Groff notes we may not need language for young boys and men but, instead, examples of radical empathy and compassion coming from places of power. Obama's next chapter: 'A Great Book'.

Notably, the Obamas have embraced post-presidency media ventures. Michelle Obama at present hosts "IMO" with her brother, Craig Robinson, and Obama recently launched "Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise, " an eight-part history series with Malcolm Gladwell.

While Obama's "A Promised Land" was published in 2020, both Obamas published post-White House memoirs: The former first lady penned her personal memoir "Becoming" issued in 2018, accompanied by a 2020 Netflix film of the same name.

Her Black dad couldn't go on a Capitol trip. She could be a US senator.

Previously, he wrote "Dreams From My Father" in 1995 and 2006's "The Audacity of Hope, " both New York Times bestsellers. He wrote a children's book, "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters, " in 2010, and "Renegades: Born in the USA, " co-authored with his close friend and rocker Bruce Springsteen, came out in 2021.

Audible, owned by Amazon, signed a multi-year, exclusive first-look production accord with the Obama's production business, Higher Ground, in 2022. The Obamas previously produced "The Michelle Obama Podcast" and a "Renegades" companion audio series with Springsteen under a three-year accord with Spotify. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

For now, exclusive: Barack Obama reflects on masculinity in A Great Book remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.