Oprah's Book Club Picks

Oprah Winfrey's impact on the publishing industry—what some have termed the "Oprah Effect"—is indisputable. Winfrey has been recommending books to readers for more than two decades, first to viewers of her long-running talk show and now to a global online audience through Oprah's Book Club 2.0. Each book club pick experiences skyrocketing sales, often sending a title to the top of best-sellers lists for months. Here, we present comprehensive Study Guides for several of Oprah's most popular book club selections to help you get the most out of these reads.

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction

We Were the Mulvaneys is a novel by American writer Joyce Carol Oates, originally published in the US in 1996. Set largely in the rural Northeastern United States in the 1970s, this story deals with the myth of the ideal American family and the ruinous effects it can have when real-life events threaten the appearance of familial unity. After having been featured as an Oprah Book Club selection in January 2001, the novel became a... Read We Were the Mulvaneys Summary


Publication year 1995

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Family, Society: Community

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Romance

Where the Heart Is was published in 1995 and is the first novel by award winning American novelist Billie Letts. The novel is set in Letts’s home state of Oklahoma and follows the story of teenager Novalee Nation and her ne’er-do-well boyfriend, Willy Jack Pickens. The novel was chosen as a selection for Oprah’s Book Club in December of 1998. It also won the Walker Percy Award in 1994. The novel was made into a... Read Where the Heart Is Summary


Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy

White Oleander was written by Janet Fitch and first published in 1999. It is a young adult realistic fiction novel that functions as a bildungsroman and focuses on the story of a young girl who is separated from her mother and placed in a series of dysfunctional foster homes. The novel was chosen for Oprah’s Book Club in 1999 and achieved national bestseller status afterward. It was also adapted into a 2002 film of the... Read White Oleander Summary


Publication year 2012

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Mothers

Tags Grief / Death, Travel Literature, Relationships, Love / Sexuality, Science / Nature, Action / Adventure, Biography