How Obama's Reading List Really Gets Made

As a journalist covering the book-publishing industry, when an editor reaches out to me about a story, it's usually because there's something dark lurking under the cover. The (now failed) Penguin Random House/Simon & Schuster merger was a messy game of corporate maneuvers with the potential to leave employees and authors in the dust. The New York Times best-seller list is calculated with a secret formula that authors and publishers regularly attempt to cheat. I usually have anonymous sources falling all over themselves to spill industry secrets, so you can imagine that when I was assigned to investigate the methodology behind Barack Obama's annual lists of book recommendations, I set out to expose a secret apparatus of industry shenanigans. Although the lists are generally well received among anyone not naturally inclined to hate Barack Obama for unrelated political reasons, not everyone believes the authenticity of his recommendations. What I found was much more shocking.

View in Browser  SHOP EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBE Behind the Scenes of Barack Obama's Reading Lists As a journalist covering the book-publishing industry, when an editor reaches out to me about a story, it's usually because there's something dark lurking under the cover. The (now failed) Penguin Random House/Simon & Schuster merger was a messy game of corporate maneuvers with the potential to leave employees and authors in the dust. The New York Times best-seller list is calculated with a secret formula that authors and publishers regularly attempt to cheat. I usually have anonymous sources falling all over themselves to spill industry secrets, so you can imagine that when I was assigned to investigate the methodology behind Barack Obama's annual lists of book recommendations, I set out to expose a secret apparatus of industry shenanigans. Although the lists are generally well received among anyone not naturally inclined to hate Barack Obama for unrelated political reasons, not everyone believes the authenticity of his recommendations. What I found was much more shocking. Read More The Coffee I Can't Go a Day Without Introducing some of the boldest beans this coffee snob has ever tasted. Read More Five Fits With: Michael Hill, the Man Behind the 'Weird, Wonderful' World of Drake's The creative director of the cult-favorite menswear brand breaks down his personal style. Read More Succession Will Never Be The Same If you haven't seen last night's shocking episode of Succession—and no one has spoiled it for you yet—you're probably feeling great this morning. For every other distraught viewer, the HBO series is finally living up to its name. Part of me always thought that Succession was a tongue-in-cheek title—that it was actually a reference to the very thing its writers were never going to actually give its audience. At different points, all four of Logan Roy's children have seemed likely to take over for their father throughout the HBO show's 32 episodes thus far—even Connor!—but all fell short. Boy, was I wrong. Read More Kieran Culkin Bares (a Lot of) His Soul The Succession star is feeling introspective as the HBO series that reignited his career comes to a close. On a long ferry ride, and over several rounds of drinks, he talks about where Roman ends and Kieran begins. Read More 5 Pairs of Noise-Cancelling Headphones to Help You Block Out the World Escape it all in a pair of these. Read More You Don't Want Any Beef With Joseph Lee Have you ever wanted to see Steven Yeun downing four Burger King chicken sandwiches in one sitting? How about Ali Wong pointing a gun at her phone? Well, your highly specific wishes have been granted. BEEF, Netflix and A24's new series from Lee Sung Jin, serves up unhinged energy, creative cursing, Incubus covers, and so much more. By the end of the series, though, it might just be Joseph Lee's George Nakai—the loving husband—who is BEEF's true breakout, as a sculptor struggling with an identity crisis of his own. "Ultimately, he's somebody that doesn't have a firm grasp of his own identity," Lee, 35, tells me over Zoom. Considering George's big moment in the season finale, we had to ask Lee about all of it: our favorite moments from the show, the lowdown on the "celebration of chairs," a certain hospital-bed scene, and his perspective on BEEF's unrelenting existential questions. Read More Follow Us Unsubscribe | Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection esquire.com ©2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019