Former President Barack Obama recently released his annual list of his favorite books of the year. This year featured a variety of names, including four well-known figures who appeared on “Influencers with Andy Serwer,” a weekly interview series with leaders in business, politics, and entertainment.

“This has become a fun little tradition for me, and I hope it is for you, too,” Obama wrote on Facebook. “Because while each of us has plenty that keeps us busy—work and family life, social and volunteer commitments—outlets like literature and art can enhance our day-to-day experiences.”

One of Obama’s top picks was “The Sixth Man” by NBA player Andre Iguodala. The memoir tells the story of Iguodala’s journey from being an All-Star to becoming the sixth man off the bench for the Golden State Warriors championship team.

View photos Obama unveiled his annual list on Dec. 30. (Photo: Barack Obama/Facebook) More

“I’ve been getting a lot of questions from the new generation, the rookies coming in,” Iguodala said on Influencers. “They always ask me about how business works. How do you carry yourself as a professional on a court? And I feel like it was just a perfect time to get that message to them, as well as the generation after, and still be able to have some room left.”

‘I was so disheartened in the last presidential election’

Obama named books by three other Influencers guests in his book recommendations for 2019: “The Education of an Idealist” by Samantha Power, “Finding My Voice” by Valerie Jarrett, and “Tough Love: My Story of Things Worth Fighting For” by Susan Rice.

“Part of what I tried to accomplish in my book is to encourage people to find their voices and recognize the power that each voice has, beginning with voting for example,” Jarrett told Serwer. “I was so disheartened in the last presidential election to see that 43% of eligible voters didn’t even participate. And I think everybody has a responsibility to participate. Because if we don’t, I assure you the special interest groups will go in there and fight for the status quo.”

During Obama’s time in the White House, Jarrett served as his senior advisor and assistant to the president for intergovernmental relations and public liaison. It’s this experience within government that fueled her to write her memoir, and why she believes civic engagement is so critical.

“My takeaway is that everybody needs to get involved,” she said. “And the midterm elections were heartening. I was delighted to see so many additional women elected to Congress. I think that it’s important that people who elect us represent the rich diversity of our country, and I think they’re breathing a breath of fresh air and shaking things up a little bit.”

Jarrett explained that her memoir is an opportunity to use her voice to speak up for things she’s passionate about.

“I’m really heartbroken to think that in a country such as ours — this great, great country — that we have this epidemic of gun violence,” she said. “Over 3,000 people die every single year. Two-thirds of them take their own lives. What are we going to do to change that?”

‘I’m deeply worried’

View photos National Security Adviser Susan Rice talks with President Barack Obama before the afternoon plenary session of the Nuclear Security Summit, Friday, April 1, 2016, in Washington. (Photo: AP Photo/Alex Brandon) More

For Rice, she wrote her memoir after becoming increasingly concerned with the direction the country was headed towards following the 2016 presidential election.

“One of the many reasons I wanted to write this book — one of the most urgent reasons — is because I’m deeply worried that we’re at a point where our domestic political divisions threaten to undermine the stability of our democracy and very importantly, our national security,” she told Serwer. “And in the last chapter, in particular, I write about both — how I’m wrestling with that challenge in the microcosm of our family, where we’ve got kids from very different political points of view.”