More leading from behind: The White House today released Obama's summer vacation reading list of five titles, and nothing is current. The three good books on it were big buzz titles in 2009 and 2010; the trilogy titles are reprints from the 80s; and the fifth came out last winter.
In three years of summer reading he has never included any fiction by a woman. Other than Isabel Wilkerson's study of black migration on this year's list, his entire summer break library is all-male.
David Grossman, To the End of the Land
[[Kindle]]
Ward Just, Rodin's Debutante
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Abraham Verghese, Cutting for Stone
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Isabel Wilkerson, The Warmth of Other Suns [[Kindle]]
Daniel Woodrell, The Bayou Trilogy
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Jonathan Franzen, Freedom
Paul Harding, Tinkers
Brad Leithauser, A Few Corrections
Thomas Friedman, Hot, Flat, and Crowded
Kent Haruf, Plainsong
David McCullough, John Adams
George Pelecanos, The Way Home
Richard Price, Lush Life
Oh, can't you just imagine the meetings, the spin put on these lists. I'm currently reading George Orwell's 'Homage to Catalonia' but if I were president, would I be advised to publicly announce that?
Posted by: Sandy | August 21, 2011 at 06:42 AM
I'm pretty sure he must not have finished Hot, Flat and Crowded...based on what little has occurred in the realm of climate change. =/
Posted by: J.P. | August 22, 2011 at 06:47 AM
Give the man a break. At least he reads! What business is it of ours what he's reading? The White House should not be issuing this list. How about some boundaries.
Posted by: Jim MacSweeney | August 22, 2011 at 01:21 PM
We can only hope that he's reading much more that he wants to keep private. DOES HE KNOW BAND OF THEBES? HE SHOULD.
Posted by: clt | August 23, 2011 at 07:22 AM