Irish author makes it onto Barack Obama's 'must read' list

It's been a bumper year for Sally Rooney.

 

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Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing my annual list of favorites — books, films, and music — with all of you. This has become a fun little tradition for me, and I hope it is for you, too. Because while each of us has plenty that keeps us busy—work and family life, social and volunteer commitments—outlets like literature and art can enhance our day-to-day experiences. They’re the fabric that helps make up a life—the album that lifts us up after a long day, the dog-eared paperback we grab off the shelf to give to a friend, the movie that makes us think and feel in a new way, works that simply help us escape for a bit. To start, here are the books that made the last year a little brighter for me. Most of them came out in 2019, but a few were older ones that were new to me this year. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama) on Dec 28, 2019 at 1:17pm PST

Source: Instagram (barackobama) 

Sally Rooney woke up this morning to the news that Barack Obama had included her best selling book Ordinary People on his must-read list for 2019.

The book follows the lives of Marianne and Connell, two teenagers living in the West of Ireland as they navigate complicated teenage relationships and heartbreak.

Pretty relatable, if you ask us.

The novel was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize earlier this year and is being adapted by the BBC.

In an Instagram post, the former US President told followers;

"outlets like literature and art can enhance our day-to-day experiences. They’re the fabric that helps make up a life—the album that lifts us up after a long day, the dog-eared paperback we grab off the shelf to give to a friend, the movie that makes us think and feel in a new way, works that simply help us escape for a bit."

"To start, here are the books that made the last year a little brighter for me. Most of them came out in 2019, but a few were older ones that were new to me this year. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did", he added.

Cover Image source: Waterstones.com