Oprah Winfrey Popular Books

Oprah Winfrey Biography & Facts

Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), also known mononymously as Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011. Dubbed the "Queen of All Media", she was the richest African-American of the 20th century and was once the world's only black billionaire. By 2007, she was often ranked as the most influential woman in the world.Winfrey was born into poverty in rural Mississippi to a single teenage mother and later raised in inner-city Milwaukee. She has stated that she was molested during her childhood and early teenage years and became pregnant at 14; her son was born prematurely and died in infancy. Winfrey was then sent to live with the man she calls her father, Vernon Winfrey, a barber in Nashville, Tennessee, and landed a job in radio while still in high school. By 19, she was a co-anchor for the local evening news. Winfrey's often emotional, extemporaneous delivery eventually led to her transfer to the daytime talk show arena, and after boosting a third-rated local Chicago talk show to first place, she launched her own production company. Credited with creating a more intimate, confessional form of media communication, Winfrey popularized and revolutionized the tabloid talk show genre pioneered by Phil Donahue. By the mid-1990s, Winfrey had reinvented her show with a focus on literature, self-improvement, mindfulness, and spirituality. Though she has been criticized for unleashing a confession culture, promoting controversial self-help ideas, and having an emotion-centered approach, she has also been praised for overcoming adversity to become a benefactor to others. Winfrey also emerged as a political force in the 2008 presidential race, with her endorsement of Barack Obama estimated to have been worth about one million votes during the 2008 Democratic primaries. In the same year, she formed her own network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). In 2013, Winfrey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.In 1994, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. She has received honorary doctorate degrees from multiple universities. Winfrey has won many awards throughout her career, including 18 Daytime Emmy Awards (including the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Chairman's Award), two Primetime Emmy Awards (including the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award), a Tony Award, a Peabody Award, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award awarded by the Academy Awards, in addition to two competitive Academy Award nominations. Winfrey was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021. Early life Orpah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954; her first name was spelled Orpah on her birth certificate after the biblical figure in the Book of Ruth, but people mispronounced it regularly and "Oprah" stuck. She was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, to a teenaged mother, Vernita Lee, and father Vernon Winfrey. Winfrey's parents never married. Vernita Lee (1935–2018) was a housemaid. Vernon Winfrey (1933–2022) was a coal miner turned barber turned city councilman who was in the Armed Forces when she was born. A genetic test in 2006 determined that her matrilineal line originated among the Kpelle ethnic group, in the area that today is Liberia. Her genetic makeup was determined to be 89% Sub-Saharan African, 8% Native American, and 3% East Asian. However, given the imprecision of genetic testing, the East Asian markers may actually be Native American.After Winfrey's birth, her mother traveled north, and Winfrey spent her first six years living in rural poverty with her maternal grandmother, Hattie Mae (Presley) Lee (April 15, 1900 – February 27, 1963). Her grandmother was so poor that Winfrey often wore dresses made of potato sacks, for which other children made fun of her. Her grandmother taught her to read before the age of three and took her to the local church, where she was nicknamed "The Preacher" for her ability to recite Bible verses. When Winfrey was a child, her grandmother was reportedly abusive.At age six, Winfrey moved to an inner-city neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her mother, who was less supportive and encouraging than her grandmother had been, largely as a result of the long hours she worked as a maid. Around this time, Lee had given birth to another daughter, Winfrey's younger half-sister, Patricia, who died of causes related to cocaine addiction in February 2003 at age 43. By 1962, Lee was having difficulty raising both daughters, so Winfrey was temporarily sent to live with Vernon in Nashville, Tennessee. While Winfrey was in Nashville, Lee gave birth to a third daughter, who was put up for adoption in the hopes of easing the financial straits that had led to Lee's being on welfare, and was later also named Patricia. Winfrey did not know that she had a second half-sister until 2010. By the time Winfrey moved back with her mother, Lee had also given birth to Winfrey's half-brother Jeffrey, who died of AIDS-related causes in 1989. At the age of eight, she was baptized in a Baptist church.Winfrey has stated she was molested by her cousin, uncle, and a family friend, starting when she was nine years old, something she first announced on a 1986 episode of her TV show regarding sexual abuse. A biographer alleged that when Winfrey discussed the alleged abuse with family members at age 24, they reportedly refused to believe her account. Winfrey once commented that she had chosen not to be a mother because she had not been mothered well. At 13, after suffering what she described as years of abuse, Winfrey ran away from home. When she was 14, she became pregnant, but her son was born prematurely and died shortly after birth. Winfrey later stated she felt betrayed by the family member who had sold the story of her son to the National Enquirer in 1990.Winfrey attended Lincoln Middle and High School in Milwaukee, but after early success in the Upward Bound program, was transferred to the affluent suburban Nicolet High School. Upon transferring, she said she was continually reminded of her poverty as she rode the bus to school with fellow African-Americans, some of whom were servants of her classmates' families. She began to rebel and steal money from her mother in an effort to keep up with her free-spending peers. As a result, her mother once again sent her to live with Vernon in Nashville, although this time she did not take her back. Vernon was strict but encouraging, and made her education a priority. Winfrey became an honors student, was voted Most Popular Girl, and joined her high school speech team at East Nashville High School, placing second in the nation in dramatic interpretation. In 1986, Winfrey said, "'When my father took me, it changed the course of my life. He saved me.... Discover the Oprah Winfrey popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Oprah Winfrey books.

Best Seller Oprah Winfrey Books of 2024

  • Living Through the Meantime synopsis, comments

    Living Through the Meantime

    Iyanla Vanzant

    “The most powerful spiritual healer, fixer, teacher on the planet.” Oprah Winfrey From the host of the OWN TV show, Iyanla: Fix My Life, the companion workbook to Iyanla Vanzant’s ...

  • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks synopsis, comments

    The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

    Rebecca Skloot

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “The story of modern medicine and bioethicsand, indeed, race relationsis refracted beautifully, and movingly.”Entertainment WeeklyNOW A MAJO...

  • The Hill We Climb synopsis, comments

    The Hill We Climb

    Amanda Gorman

    The instant #1 New York Times bestseller and #1 USA Today bestseller Amanda Gorman’s electrifying and historic poem “The Hill We Climb,” read at President Joe Biden’s inauguration,...

  • What I Know For Sure synopsis, comments

    What I Know For Sure

    Oprah Winfrey

    The inspirational wisdom Oprah Winfrey shares in her monthly O., The Oprah Magazine column updated, curated, and collected for the first time in a beautiful keepsake book. As a cr...

  • Wherever You Go, There You Are synopsis, comments

    Wherever You Go, There You Are

    Jon Kabat-Zinn

    Find quiet reflective moments in your lifeand reduce your stress levels drasticallywith this classic bestselling guide updated and featuring a new introduction and afterword. In th...

  • The Sun Does Shine synopsis, comments

    The Sun Does Shine

    Anthony Ray Hinton & Lara Love Hardin

    Oprah's Book Club Summer 2018 SelectionThe Instant New York Times Bestseller A powerful, revealing story of hope, love, justice, and the power of reading by a man who spent thirty...

  • Nightcrawling synopsis, comments

    Nightcrawling

    Leila Mottley

    NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER  AN OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK A dazzling novel about a young Black woman who walks the streets of Oakland and stumbles headlong into the failure of...

  • The Water Dancer synopsis, comments

    The Water Dancer

    Ta-Nehisi Coates

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK From the National Book Award–winning author of Between the World and Me, a boldly conjured debut novel about a magical gift, a...

  • The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois synopsis, comments

    The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois

    Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

    An instant New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today Bestseller  AN OPRAH BOOK CLUB SELECTION ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2021 WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CR...

  • The Coldest Winter Ever synopsis, comments

    The Coldest Winter Ever

    Sister Souljah

    Nominated as one of America’s bestloved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.Renowned hiphop artist, writer, and activist Sister Souljah brings the streets of New York to life i...

  • Unbound synopsis, comments

    Unbound

    Tarana Burke

    INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER"Searing. Powerful. Needed." Oprah“Sometimes a single story can change the world. Unbound is one of those stories. Tarana’s words are a testimony t...

  • Acts of Faith synopsis, comments

    Acts of Faith

    Iyanla Vanzant

    “The most powerful spiritual healer, fixer, teacher on the planet.” Oprah WinfreyIn an updated and expanded 25th anniversary edition, the beloved “purple book” Acts of Faith guides...

  • Oprah Winfrey synopsis, comments

    Oprah Winfrey

    Ilene Cooper

    Oprah Winfrey has been called the Queen of All Media for good reason?during her more than thirtyyear career, she has left an indelible mark on radio, television, film, theater, mag...

  • Fantasyland synopsis, comments

    Fantasyland

    Kurt Andersen

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “The single most important explanation, and the fullest explanation, of how Donald Trump became president of the United States . . . nothing less than th...

  • Strength in Stillness synopsis, comments

    Strength in Stillness

    Bob Roth

    Instant New York Times Bestseller A simple, straightforward exploration of Transcendental Meditation and its benefits from world authority Bob Roth.Oprah Winfrey and Jerry Seinfeld...

  • Eve synopsis, comments

    Eve

    Wm. Paul Young

    From the author of the twentyfivemillioncopy bestseller The Shack comes a captivating new novel destined to be one of the most talkedabout books of the decade.Eve is a bold, unprec...

  • Queen Sugar synopsis, comments

    Queen Sugar

    Natalie Baszile

    The inspiration for the acclaimed OWN TV series produced by Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay"Queen Sugar is a pageturning, heartbreaking novel of the new south, where the past is nev...

  • The Wisdom of Sundays synopsis, comments

    The Wisdom of Sundays

    Oprah Winfrey

    Oprah Winfrey says Super Soul Sunday is the television show she was born to do. “I see it as an offering,” she explains. “If you want to be more fully present and live your life wi...

  • Meditations synopsis, comments

    Meditations

    Marcus Aurelius & Martin Hammond

    'Their icy blasts are refreshing and restorative. They tell you the worst. And having heard the worst, you feel less bad' Blake MorrisonWritten in Greek by the only Roman emperor w...

  • More Famous Quotes by Famous People from Hippocrates to Oprah Winfrey synopsis, comments

    More Famous Quotes by Famous People from Hippocrates to Oprah Winfrey

    Ellen Dean

    The second collection of quirky, inspirational and feel good quotes from some of the world's most well known leaders and achievers including Oprah Winfrey. Laid out in AZ format ...

  • What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey - A 15-minute Summary synopsis, comments

    What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey - A 15-minute Summary

    InstaRead Summaries

    PLEASE NOTE: This is a summary of the book and NOT the original book.  What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey A 15minute Instaread Summary.   Inside this Instar...

  • Yesterday, I Cried synopsis, comments

    Yesterday, I Cried

    Iyanla Vanzant

    “The most powerful spiritual healer, fixer, teacher on the planet.” Oprah WinfreyWhat is the lesson in abuse, neglect, abandonment, rejection? What is the lesson when you lose some...

  • I Never Promised You a Goodie Bag synopsis, comments

    I Never Promised You a Goodie Bag

    Jennifer Gilbert

    A warm, wise, and wholly original memoir of survival, renewal, and transformation, by one of New York City’s most successful and respected special events coordinatorsWith her tople...

  • The Girl Who Smiled Beads synopsis, comments

    The Girl Who Smiled Beads

    Clemantine Wamariya & Elizabeth Weil

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “The plot provided by the universe was filled with starvation, war and rape. I would notcould notlive in that tale.”   Clemantine Wamariya was six y...

  • Every Day I Pray synopsis, comments

    Every Day I Pray

    Iyanla Vanzant

    “The most powerful spiritual healer, fixer, teacher on the planet.” Oprah WinfreyFrom the bestselling author of Until Today! and One Day My Soul Just Opened Up comes a unique invit...

  • The Places That Scare You synopsis, comments

    The Places That Scare You

    Pema Chödrön

    “A lively and accessible take on ancient techniques for transforming terror and pain into joy and compassion,” from beloved Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön (O, The Oprah Ma...

  • Olive, Again synopsis, comments

    Olive, Again

    Elizabeth Strout

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout continues the life of her beloved Olive Kitteridge, a character who has captured the imagi...

  • The Seat of the Soul synopsis, comments

    The Seat of the Soul

    Gary Zukav

    The anniversary edition of this beloved bestseller is celebrated in Prefaces by Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou and contains a new Foreword by the author, website links, and a new S...

  • Meditations synopsis, comments

    Meditations

    Marcus Aurelius

    Marcus Aurelius was born in Rome in 121 AD and would become its Emperor from 161 to 180. Considered by Machiavelli as the last of the good Emperors, Marcus Aurelius would become on...

  • Value in the Valley synopsis, comments

    Value in the Valley

    Iyanla Vanzant

    “The most powerful spiritual healer, fixer, teacher on the planet.” Oprah WinfreyIs it the job you hate but need in order to pay the rent? Is it that relationship that you gave you...

  • The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible synopsis, comments

    The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible

    Charles Eisenstein

    As seen on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday A beacon of hope in the face of our current world crises, this uplifting book demonstrates how embracing our interconnectedness is key to world...

  • Oprah synopsis, comments

    Oprah

    Kitty Kelley

    For the past twentyfive years, no one has been better at revealing secrets than Oprah Winfrey. On what is arguably the most influential show in television history, she has gotten h...

  • The Path Made Clear synopsis, comments

    The Path Made Clear

    Oprah Winfrey

    Everyone has a purpose. And, according to Oprah Winfrey, “Your real job in life is to figure out as soon as possible what that is, who you are meant to be, and begin to honor your ...

  • A Wrinkle in Time Movie Tie-In Edition synopsis, comments

    A Wrinkle in Time Movie Tie-In Edition

    Madeleine L'Engle

    A movie tiein edition of A Wrinkle in Time, now a major motion picturewith an introduction by director Ava DuVernay.In 1962, Madeleine L’Engle debuted her novel A Wrinkle in Time, ...

  • In the Meantime synopsis, comments

    In the Meantime

    Iyanla Vanzant

    “The most powerful spiritual healer, fixer, teacher on the planet.” Oprah Winfrey The #1 national bestseller from the host of the show Iyanla: Fix My Life on the Oprah Winfrey Netw...

  • The Butler synopsis, comments

    The Butler

    Wil Haygood

    This mesmerizing companion book to the awardwinning film, The Butler traces the Civil Rights Movement and explores crucial moments of twentieth century American history through the...