My 2025 Summer Reading List
Reading has always been an important part of my journey, which is why I couldn’t be more excited that we’ll have a new branch of the Chicago Public Library at the Obama Presidential Center when it opens next year.
For now, I figured I’d share some of the books I’ve read recently, along with some notes about why I liked them — and why you might, too. Take a look and let me know what I should check out next.
And with everything going on right now, I didn’t have time to put a summer playlist together this year, but send me songs that I should listen to for my year-end playlist.
• Mark Twain — Ron Chernow
A comprehensive biography of one of the most important writers and social commentators in American history.
• The Book of Records — Madeleine Thien
A beautiful fable about migration, memory, and the struggle to recognize our common humanity.
• King of Ashes — S.A. Cosby
One of my favorite crime fiction writers delivers in this story of family, ambition and corruption in a racially charged and violent South.
• Abundance — Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
A must-read for progressives who want a blueprint for reforming government so it can deliver for working people.
• Rosarita — Anita Desai
A short, beautiful novella about a woman’s discovery of her mother’s secret past.
• Audition — Katie Kitamura
A quiet novel about the ways we hide our true selves from others — and ourselves.
• The Buffalo Hunter Hunter — Stephen Graham Jones
A mash-up of history and horror that explores the brutal legacy of conquest against Native American peoples.
• A Marriage at Sea — Sophie Elmhirst
Amazing, true story of a couple surviving crisis in the open seas.
• Who is Government? — Michael Lewis
A timely reminder of the quiet dedication and skill of the people who work every day to make this country work.
• The Sirens’ Call — Chris Hayes
A useful primer on how social media and the attention economy have warped our democracy and reshaped our lives.
