12 Former US President Barack Obama’s annual list of favourite films, music and books has a way of turning personal taste into global buzz. When Prateek Kuhad’s cold/mess featured on his 2019 playlist, it made the singer hot property overnight. This year, Obama’s reading list has done something rarer still: it has brought together two generations of Indian writing.For 2025, Obama has picked books by Anita Desai and her daughter Kiran Desai. Kiran has already been getting rave reviews for her new novel ‘The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny’, with some even dubbing it the Great American Indian novel. It made it to the Booker longlist, nearly 19 years after she won the prize for ‘The Inheritance of Loss’. Though it didn’t win the prize, the tale of two Indians navigating love and migration in the US resonated with readers.Anita, 88, whose latest novella ‘Rosarita’ is about a student stumbling on her mother’s hidden past in Mexico, has been shortlisted for the Booker three times but never won. Salman Rushdie has called the mother-daughter pair “the first dynasty of modern Indian fiction.” While their fiction could not be more different, their shared appearance on Obama’s bookshelf marks a quiet literary milestone.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosVaping, Bhow-Bhow & Shouting Match: A Look At Viral Moments Of Parl As Chaotic Winter Session EndsBondi Beach Terror Suspect Visited Hyderabad Six Times After Leaving India, Telangana Police Reveal’To Delay Elections, Instigate India’: Former Minister Blames Yunus Govt For Bangladesh ViolenceBangladesh Crisis: Tharoor Panel Red Flags 5 Reasons That Make It India’s Biggest Test Since 1971Rijiju Blames Congress As Parliament Session Ends Without Pollution Debate, Jairam Ramesh RespondsBangladesh: Hindu Man Lynching Sparks Outrage, Former Indian Envoy Calls Situation Total MobocracyExplained: Why Bangladesh’s Fresh Unrest Ahead Of Polls Is One Of India’s Biggest Strategic WorriesWho Was Sharif Osman Hadi, The Anti-India Face Of Bangladesh Whose Death Has Set Dhaka AblazePakistan Embarrassed Globally As Saudi Deports 56000 Beggars Despite No Fly Lists And Warnings’Countries Like Us Must Stick Together’: Jaishankar And Dutch FM On Strengthening India-EU Ties123PhotostoriesThe right way to add protein to your diet, according to ICMRAlia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana redefine method dressing7 Christmas delicacies you should warn off if you’re diabetic17 one-pot rice dishes for winter months5 gym mistakes that can put heart health at riskFrom Labubu dolls to Prada Kolhapuris: 5 viral fashion moments of 2025 that broke the internetHarrison Ford, aging gracefully at 83: 6 habits behind his long-term vitalityNot just reindeer: 5 animals that make Christmas specialExclusive – Bigg Boss 19 Winner Gaurav Khanna on the dull phase in his career, facing hate from Farrhana, and reacting to trolls targeting wife Akanksha over her choice to not have childrenFrom Samosa to White Butter: Kareena Kapoor’s cheat meals to try this winter123Hot Picksvb g ram gICICI Prudential AMCUAE RainGold rate todaySilver rate todayPublic Holidays DecemberBank Holidays DecemberTop TrendingJosh Allen Luxury Car CollectionRandi MahomesAuston MatthewsWho is Nicole LundersJeremy Doku and Shireen Doku Net WorthZachary BolducQuinn HutsonJake PaulCalvin PickardCristiano Ronaldo
Former US President Barack Obama’s annual list of favourite films, music and books has a way of turning personal taste into global buzz. When Prateek Kuhad’s cold/mess featured on his 2019 playlist, it made the singer hot property overnight. This year, Obama’s reading list has done something rarer still: it has brought together two generations of Indian writing.For 2025, Obama has picked books by Anita Desai and her daughter Kiran Desai. Kiran has already been getting rave reviews for her new novel ‘The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny’, with some even dubbing it the Great American Indian novel. It made it to the Booker longlist, nearly 19 years after she won the prize for ‘The Inheritance of Loss’. Though it didn’t win the prize, the tale of two Indians navigating love and migration in the US resonated with readers.Anita, 88, whose latest novella ‘Rosarita’ is about a student stumbling on her mother’s hidden past in Mexico, has been shortlisted for the Booker three times but never won. Salman Rushdie has called the mother-daughter pair “the first dynasty of modern Indian fiction.” While their fiction could not be more different, their shared appearance on Obama’s bookshelf marks a quiet literary milestone.
