In a Washington Post Live interview with Opinion Columnist Michele Norris and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander, former President Barack Obama talked about his new memoir, “A Promised Land,” his role as a writer, and the literary and political influence of various writers and books. We wanted to share them with you:

“Song of Solomon,” by Toni Morrison

“The Fire Next Time,” by James Baldwin

“On the Road,” by Jack Kerouac

“Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth,” by Mohandas K. Gandhi

Shakespeare’s Tragedies