Madeleine Thien’s Novel Featured on Obama’s 2025 Summer Reading List

Canadian author Madeleine Thien has been selected for former U.S. president Barack Obama’s prestigious 2025 summer reading list, showcasing her novel The Book of Records. This annual list, which Obama shares at the end of each summer, includes a diverse range of fiction and nonfiction titles from both international and American authors. Thien stands out as the only Canadian writer included in this year’s ten-book selection.

Set a century in the future, The Book of Records follows the journey of Lina, a young girl from China, and her ailing father as they seek refuge in a place known as “the Sea.” In this imagined world, time has collapsed, allowing voyagers and philosophers from history to coexist with contemporary migrants. Lina grows up with only three books, each detailing the lives of notable voyagers, which come alive through her eccentric neighbors, transforming into her friends. Obama praised the novel as “a beautiful fable about migration, memory, and the struggle to recognize our common humanity.”

Thien shared her surprise at being included on Obama’s list. In an Instagram post, she recounted the moment she received the news while selecting a can of chickpeas at a grocery store. Expressing her amazement, she described her novel as “admittedly strange and personal and perhaps demanding.”

Thien’s Literary Acclaim

Thien is no stranger to literary recognition. Her previous novel, Do Not Say We Have Nothing, won both the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General’s Award in 2016, and received a nomination for the Man Booker Prize. Her debut novel, Certainty, published in 2006, garnered the Amazon First Novel Award and was named a Globe and Mail Best Book.

Additionally, Thien authored Dogs at the Perimeter, recognized as a Globe and Mail Best Book, and the children’s book The Chinese Violin. Her first work of fiction, Simple Recipes, won four awards in Canada and was a finalist for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, cementing her reputation as a significant voice in contemporary literature.

Obama’s 2025 summer reading list features a variety of titles that reflect his personal interests and commitment to promoting diverse narratives. Thien’s inclusion not only highlights her literary talent but also reinforces the universal themes of migration and humanity explored in her work. As summer approaches, readers may eagerly anticipate discovering the stories that have captured Obama’s attention this year.