Barack Obama’s summer reading list

“This definitive memoir traces the arc of his life from a small village, to his years as a revolutionary, to his long imprisonment and ultimately his ascension to unifying president, leader and global icon,” Obama writes.

“Long Walk to Freedom” takes a deep dive into Mandela’s journey, detailing the events that made him instrumental in fighting racial oppression in South Africa and ultimately changing the country’s political systems.

“Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand history — and then go out and change it,” Obama says.