Barack Obama shares his 12 favorite books from 2017

Yuri Gripas/Reuters

Former President Barack Obama has made it a yearly tradition to share his favorite books from the previous year on Facebook.

On New Year's Eve, the 44th president listed 10 titles (and two bonus titles) that he thinks are worth picking up — ranging from short stories to memoirs to biographies.

Here's the full list.

'The Power' by Naomi Alderman

Amazon

Set in an alternate reality where teenage girls have the power to effortlessly cause others tremendous pain and suffering, "The Power" imagines what effects this titular ability might have on society.

The book tackles issues of gender equality, resonating with many readers as a kind of counterpoint to Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale," in which women are effectively powerless.

'Grant' by Ron Chernow

Amazon

Chernow, a veteran biographer of George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, chronicles Ulysses S. Grant's life in his lastest biography.

Chernow captures the 18th US president's tumultuous life, replete with fortunes, falls from grace, humble Midwestern roots, lifelong alcoholism, and extraordinary achievements. It's a portrait of a man that history has gravely misunderstood.

 

'Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City' by Matthew Desmond

Amazon

Harvard sociologist Matthew Desmond follows eight families on the brink of poverty in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in "Evicted." The stories firmly disprove the stereotype that poverty stems from a deficiency of willpower, work ethic, or intellectual rigor.

Desmond sheds light on the profound economic challenges faced by poor people and how people accustomed to the finer things in life can become poor through no fault of their own. 

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