The wait is over; today on CBS Mornings, Oprah announced that her 103rd Book Club pick is Jesmyn Ward’s newest novel, Let Us Descend. The novel tells the story of Annis, a young, enslaved woman who is separated from her mother and sold South. Traveling from the Carolina rice fields to the New Orleans slave markets the harsh world of a Louisiana sugar plantation, Annis uncovers a hidden world of spiritual forces and African ancestor wisdom that help her survive the inhumanity she endures.
Jesmyn Ward is the author of three previous novels—two of which have won the National Book Award. She is the only woman and the only Black author to have received that honor.” A fan of her writing for years,” Oprah has read all of Ward’s books and calls her newest offering, Let Us Descend, “a vital work for our culture.”
It turns out, the admiration is mutual. “Ms. Oprah Winfrey’s work has loomed large in my life since I was a child,” Ward says. “As I grew older and came into my voice as a novelist, I was deeply moved by Ms. Winfrey’s ability to challenge herself creatively and her unabashed championing of literature and the written word. I tried to emulate all of this in my own life, and over the last 20 years, I worked my way through rejection and revision to now, when I find myself in a momentous point in my career. I am deeply grateful to Ms. Winfrey for choosing Let Us Descend for her Book Club, and I am so honored to contribute to the discussion at the heart of her club, which over the years, has considered what it means to be American, to be human, to be alive, to hope and yearn, with each outing.”
We are, likewise, excited for the transcendent discussions this book is sure to spark. Read along with Oprah’s Book Club by following the schedule below. You can also join in on weekly discussions on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok! #ReadWithUs
Let Us Descend Reading Schedule
Week #1: Chapters 1 & 2
Discussion begins on Saturday, November 4th.
Week #2: Chapters 3–6
Discussion begins on Saturday, November 11th.
Week #3: Chapters 7–9
Discussion begins on Saturday, November 18th.
Thanksgiving Week Break:
No Discussion
Week #4: Chapters 10–End
Discussion begins on Saturday, December 2nd.
Charley Burlock is the Associate Books Editor at Oprah Daily where she writes, edits, and assigns stories on all things literary. She holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from NYU, where she also taught undergraduate creative writing. Her work has been featured in the Atlantic, the Los Angeles Review, Agni, the Apple News Today podcast, and elsewhere. She is currently working on a book about collective grief (but she promises she’s really fun at parties).
