10 Oprah’s Book Club Picks She’d Read Again

When Oprah first began reading Caste, she made notes, underlining sentences, and reading passages aloud to friends. This insightful work of nonfiction illustrates how caste systems—the untouchables of India, the Third Reich, and others—paved the way for segregation and other institutions that were created to give power to some while ensuring that others remain powerless. “This book is an essential read for anyone who cares to really understand our current state of America—‘the Origins of Our Discontents,’” said Oprah. “It explains where we are, in terms of inequality and racial injustice. I sent this book to 500 people in leadership positions—from senators and mayors to heads of universities—hoping if everyone read it and spread the word, we might save ourselves.”

The novel follows the story of Hiram Walker, a young man born as a slave on a plantation in Virginia who has been gifted a mysterious magical power that eventually saves his life when he nearly drowns in a river. “It is an incredible book,” said Oprah. “It is as beautiful as it is tragic…. I knew early on the book was going to cut me up. I ended up with my soul pierced.”

“It’s so engaging, so gripping, so epic, that I wanted absolutely everybody to share the joy of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle,” Oprah said about this homage to Hamlet. Author Wroblewski brings us the fictional story of Edgar Sawtelle, who was born mute and has only ever known a peaceful, bucolic life on his parents’ farm in Wisconsin, raising dogs. His whole world changes when his uncle arrives and his father dies suddenly, leaving Edgar looking for answers. “I think that this is right up there with the greatest American novels ever written,” Oprah added, “up there with Steinbeck and even Harper Lee.”

In this spiritual classic, Tolle explains how to remove our attachments from anxiety, materialism, anger, and toxic relationships. By focusing on the present moment, we can free ourselves from pain—and connect to other with compassion. “I’d never recommended a book in the spiritual or self-help genre before,” said Oprah, “But because A New Earth had such a profound impact on me, I thought others might also be struck by the idea of putting the ego in check and becoming more aware of being rather than doing.”

“This is everything a novel should be. I brought the book club back to share this book with you,” said Oprah. Steinbeck’s multigenerational novel tells the story of the Hamilton and Trask families, using the classic Biblical analogy of Cain and Abel. Two competing brothers, a demanding, grief-stricken father, and a cruel mother all feed into this saga set in the Salinas Valley of California.

Set in India, Mistry’s novel focuses on four characters who share a cramped apartment. Forced to endure a caste system and government corruption in the 1970s, they face inhumane conditions that strengthen some bonds and destroy others. “I’ve never encountered pages that took me so far and removed me from my own way of life and way of thinking the way A Fine Balance did,” said Oprah.

“Whenever anyone asks me to recommend a book, this is at top of my list for intrigue. It is an unforgettable novel about loss, love, culture, and the cruelty of circumstance.” Three people’s desires converge on the house: an alcoholic trying to save her property, a retired Iranian colonel who puts his savings into the home to improve his family’s fortunes, and the alcoholic’s lover, a sheriff fighting for justice.

The main character of this celebrated work of fiction—and Morrison’s first novel—is 11-year-old Pecola Breedlove, who begins to grow into her own in the author’s hometown of Lorain, Ohio. With themes of race, class, and incest, the writer tackles difficult topics with her compassion and lyricism. “I rarely read novels again. This I read every few years and still feel altered every time by the character Pecola Breedlove, and Toni Morrison’s adept portrayal of life in this community,” said Oprah.

A 1999 coming-of-age story centers on Astrid, who bounces between foster homes after being separated from her mother. Rhythmic and poetic, Fitch’s masterful writing immerses the reader from beginning to end. “Page after page, I fell in love with a story that deeply moved me, and vivid passages that described the sky as the color of peaches and compared sorrow to the taste of a copper penny,” said Oprah in an interview with the author.

When Oprah announced Songs as a pick in 1997, she said, “I read a book last year that instantly became one of my all-time favorites. I read it in less than a week. I couldn’t wait to get home just to read the book.” In 1960 Vermont, a vulnerable divorcee Marie Fermoyle seeks a better life for her three children. With no assistance from her drunk ex-husband, she soon falls prey to a con man who turns the family’s life upside down. A sweeping novel “with over 20 other characters who fill the book, and they don’t ever leave your brain…you’ll be waking up wondering what they’re doing,” said Oprah.