Sex is cool and all... but have you ever sung the entire Hamilton soundtrack at the very top of your lungs on a road trip? #lotsofstaresdontcare

In today’s polarized environment, where the internet has let people increasingly retreat to their own silos (talking only to like-minded folks, who amplify their certainties and biases), the president sees novels and other art (like the musical “Hamilton”) as providing a kind of bridge that might span usual divides and “a reminder of the truths under the surface of what we argue about every day.”