In the article in the August 25 newspaper, “President's reading list a hefty one: From 'upscale thrillers' to a Pulitzer winner,” which ran below a montage of the covers of the five books, Wolf also relayed more effusive praise: “Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said the list shows that Obama 'has exquisite taste. All five of his picks are classics.'”
On Monday night, a NewsBusters item recounted, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams trumpeted how “we also learned the President's reading list.” He proceeded to list the five books the White House said he brought “to read on vacation,” including New York Times columnist Tom Friedman's Hot, Flat and Crowded. “When you add it all up, that's 2,300 pages of reading,” Williams noted, but “then again, he does have ten days of vacation.”
The five books, as listed by USA Today:
- Hot, Flat, and Crowded, by Thomas Friedman, which urges a “green revolution.”
- John Adams, by David McCullough, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2002.
- Lush Life, by Richard Price, a murder novel set in New York City.
- Plainsong, by Kent Haruf, a novel set in Colorado that became a TV special.
- The Way Home, a crime thriller set in Washington by George Pelecanos.