Every Single Book Michelle Obama Thinks You Need to Read

Even while maintaining a packed schedule, Michelle Obama turns to books to open up new worlds — and she believe we should all be doing the same. 

"We need to learn each other’s stories so we can humanize each other," the former First Lady said at a New York Public Library press event. "There are people who do bad things but we are all just trying to work things out; empathy, openness and speaking to each other are vital."

Well before the days of promoting her own best-selling memoir, "Becoming," Obama was always vocal about the books and authors she particularly enjoys reading. Below, we've rounded up every title that Obama has publicly recommended (that we could find!). Add these to your summer reading list, stat.

1. "Educated" — Tara Westover

“It’s an engrossing read, a fresh perspective on the power of an education, and it’s also a testament to the way grit and resilience can shape our lives," Obama told the New York Times. "Also, since I’ve just finished a memoir of my own, I love to see how people choose to tell their own story — the small moments that tell larger truths, the character development, the courage it takes to tell a story fully.” 

2. "An American Marriage" — Tayari Jones

3. "Exit West" — Moshin Hamid

4. "White Teeth" — Zadie Smith

“I love the way the story weaves together so many complex and powerful forces that affect our lives and our relationships — family and parenting, religion and politics, and so much more," Obama told the Times. "Plus, it’s just plain funny. I love books that make me laugh every now and then.”

5. "Commonwealth" — Ann Patchett

6. "Conversations With Myself" — Nelson Mandela

“It’s a collection of his writings and speeches, an extension of sorts to 'Long Walk to Freedom,'" Obama told the Times. "I like to flip through it from time to time because it always seems to give me an extra boost when I need it.” 

7. "Song of Solomon" — Toni Morrison

“One of the first books that I loved and read cover to cover in one day, not because anybody made me read it but because the book was good, was 'Song of Solomon'" Obama said at a Take Your Child to Work Day event in 2011. "That book helped me love reading, because before then reading was kind of like something you did when you had to do it.  But that book, it like grabbed me and pulled me and I just kept reading and kept reading.” 

8. "The Snowy Day" — Ezra Jack Keats

9. "Life of Pi" — Yann Martel

10. "Where the Wild Things Are" — Maurice Sendak

11. "The Light of the World" — Elizabeth Alexander

12. "Goodnight Moon" — Margaret Wise Brown

13. "Pippi Longstocking" — Astrid Lindgren

“I loved her strength — not just her physical power, but the idea that she wouldn’t allow her voice to be diminished by anyone," Obama told the Times. "She’s independent, clever and adventurous, and she’s clearly a good person, someone who always does right by her friends. What I loved most was that she was a girl, and she was a little different, and she was still the most powerful character in those books.”