Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club: Season 1

Air Date

November 1, 2019

Episodes

14 episodes

Oprah's Book Club

Season 1

Episodes

Ta-Nehisi Coates: The Water Dancer

1. Ta-Nehisi Coates: The Water Dancer

November 1, 2019
58 min

Oprah and Ta-Nehisi discuss the 10-year process of writing his #1 best-selling debut novel and the cultural conversation it has provoked. Plus, Ta-Nehisi visits Monticello, which inspired his book’s setting.

Elizabeth Strout: Olive, Again

2. Elizabeth Strout: Olive, Again

January 18, 2020
43 min

Elizabeth tells Oprah how her celebrated protagonist reappeared and why she finds the everydayness of life to be extraordinary.

Jeanine Cummins: American Dirt (1)

3. Jeanine Cummins: American Dirt (1)

March 6, 2020
66 min

Jeanine and Oprah are joined by authors Reyna Grande, Julissa Arce, and Esther Cepeda for a raw, revealing conversation about the novel.

Jeanine Cummins: American Dirt (2)

4. Jeanine Cummins: American Dirt (2)

March 6, 2020
40 min

Latinx people who saw themselves reflected in the book share insights into real-life migrant experiences.

Robert Kolker: Hidden Valley Road

5. Robert Kolker: Hidden Valley Road

June 12, 2020
52 min

Oprah has in-depth discussions with author Kolker and surviving members of the Galvin family about living this extraordinary true story.

James McBride: Deacon King Kong

6. James McBride: Deacon King Kong

July 30, 2020
19 min

Oprah and McBride discuss how his novel speaks to the current moment, his focus on the Black experience, and the inspiration for his characters.

Isabel Wilkerson: Caste

7. Isabel Wilkerson: Caste

October 2, 2020
36 min

Calling the book ”a must-read for all of humanity,” Oprah asks Wilkerson what compelled her to write it and why we need a new language for race.

8. Marilynne Robinson: Gilead

April 23, 2021
12 min

Oprah talks to Robinson about her Pulitzer Prize-winning second novel, finding the character of John Ames, and how faith shapes her writing.

9. Marilynne Robinson: Home

April 30, 2021
8 min

Robinson explains what inspired her to revisit the story of Gilead from different points of view and why she chose to address the subject of race.

10. Marilynne Robinson: Lila

May 7, 2021
11 min

Oprah and Robinson discuss finding new layers in established characters, what America looks like at its best, and how loneliness can be a privilege.

11. Marilynne Robinson: Jack

May 14, 2021
15 min

Discussing the fourth Gilead novel, Robinson opens up about its interracial romance, her writing process, and the possibility of more stories.

12. Nathan Harris: The Sweetness of Water

July 23, 2021
29 min

Oprah sits down with Harris to discuss his debut novel's inspiration, his writing process, and how a biracial upbringing shaped his point of view.

13. Honorée Fanonne Jeffers: The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois

September 23, 2021
27 min

The acclaimed poet opens up to Oprah about the inspiration for her epic debut novel and what she hopes to impart about the Black experience.

14. Richard Powers: Bewilderment

October 22, 2021
29 min

Oprah and Powers talk about his first novel since a Pulitzer Prize win, finding empathy through our differences, and his hopes for our planet.