Thirty years ago, media mogul Oprah Winfrey launched what became a cultural phenomenon: Oprah’s Book Club.
September 17, 1996, Winfrey announced her first selection as Jacquelyn Mitchard’s novel, “The Deep End of the Ocean.” The book became an instant bestseller, with sales topping 2 million copies. Over the years, Winfrey has highlighted 124 of her favorite reads, introducing new writers to massive audiences and sending book sales into the stratosphere.
And in those three decades, GBH’s Under the Radar has been on the same page as Winfrey — enthusiastic about some of the same books and authors she selected and featuring them as part of Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club.
On this week’s special episode, we highlight two of Winfrey and Callie Crossley’s twin picks: “Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family” by Robert Kolker, who originally spoke with Callie Crossley in May 2020; and “An American Marriage,” by Tayari Jones, who spoke with Crossley in April 2018.
We also speak with Kolker and Jones for updates and to learn more about what it was like for them to be selected by Winfrey, how it changed the trajectory of their books and careers, and what they’re up to now.
Guests
- Robert Kolker, author of “Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family,” “Lost Girls” and the upcoming nonfiction book, “The Vanishing Family: Love, Fate, and the Quest to End Dementia.”
- Tayari Jones, author of five novels, including “An American Marriage” and “Kin” — both selections for Oprah’s Book Club.
