# Has ANY President's summer reading list been as scrutinized as Obama's? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 24, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-presidents-summer-reading-list-been-as-scrutinized-as-obamas/593911 "2011-08-24T16:23:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-presidents-summer-reading-list-been-as-scrutinized-as-obamas/593911/21 "2011-08-25T01:25:51Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I would be surprised if someone who has nothing but briefs shoved under his nose all day would want to read to relax. Why is it so difficult to understand that some people enjoy reading? Honestly, I don’t know if Obama is one of those, and maybe his reading list is made-up. Maybe the reading list is Michelle’s, and Barack’s got a stack of Danielle Steele novels on the nightstand. But the fact that people who read all day for work or study can also enjoy reading for relaxation is hardly as big a mystery to me as it seems to be to you. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-presidents-summer-reading-list-been-as-scrutinized-as-obamas/593911/22 "2011-08-25T01:31:24Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Why is it so difficult to understand that some people enjoy reading? Honestly, I don’t know if Obama is one of those, and maybe his reading list is made-up. Maybe the reading list is Michelle’s, and Barack’s got a stack of Danielle Steele novels on the nightstand. But the fact that people who read all day for work or study can also enjoy reading for relaxation is hardly as big a mystery to me as it seems to be to you. What’s so hard to believe that some people like to play golf. Since there are a fair few pictures of the President (pick one) playing golf I’m just going to go out on a limb and suggest they like to play it. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-presidents-summer-reading-list-been-as-scrutinized-as-obamas/593911/23 "2011-08-25T01:39:54Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > What’s so hard to believe that some people like to play golf. Since there are a fair few pictures of the President (pick one) playing golf I’m just going to go out on a limb and suggest they like to play it. Aha! You believe that a person can only do one thing to relax! Since the president plays golf for relaxation, he must not also enjoy reading for relaxation. Wait, that makes no sense at all. I must be misunderstanding you. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-presidents-summer-reading-list-been-as-scrutinized-as-obamas/593911/24 "2011-08-25T01:45:22Z")
If I were president and headed off on a vacation, the last thing I would want to read is anything nonfiction [unless it was a cook book] I would probably go with: Something by Stephen King or Dean Kuntz, a good juicy old school horror Harry Potter, not sure which, maybe Chamber of Secrets [Undead and Unwed](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undead_and_Unwed) just to mess with folks 😃 and [Thud](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thud%21) ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-presidents-summer-reading-list-been-as-scrutinized-as-obamas/593911/25 "2011-08-25T03:35:07Z")
> [@CJJ](#): > > And there is even criticism from the left, with [Robin Black complaining](http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2011/08/24/obama_summer_reading/index.html) that Obama’s current list–while containing more female authors than in the past–is still overwhelmingly masculine. Oh come on, the guy lives with his wife, mother in law, two daughters, and a neutered dog. Let him enjoy his manly books! ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-presidents-summer-reading-list-been-as-scrutinized-as-obamas/593911/26 "2011-08-25T20:06:43Z")
Well, it wouldn’t surprise me, nor would I care, if someone who spends tons of time dealing with briefings and reports and speechs and charts and learning the history and motivations of various tribes in Libya and Egypt and Syria _ad infinitum_ would spend their vacation not reading, or reading **World War Z**. Now **Twilight** , on the other hand, might bother me. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-presidents-summer-reading-list-been-as-scrutinized-as-obamas/593911/27 "2011-08-25T21:03:54Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > My GF emailed me this morning with the following reading list for Obama that the Tea Party would have him read. She said it was from [Salon.com](http://Salon.com) but I cannot find it for a proper cite here. > > I had no idea there was fuss over this so without context I just thought it was mildly humorous. Makes more sense now though. > > Obama’s reading list the Tea Party would propose: > > -How to win friends and influence people by throwing a tantrum > > -The heroic billionaire next door > > -Seven habits of highly deluded people > > -All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten (literally) > > -When bad things happen to white people > > -Men are from Mars, women are from their ribs > > -The power of positively not thinking Being a Secret Muslim for Dummies [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-presidents-summer-reading-list-been-as-scrutinized-as-obamas/593911.md?page=1)