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44+ Works 3,019 Members 55 Reviews 1 Favorited

About the Author

Oprah Winfrey was born in 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. At the age of 19, Winfrey landed her first broadcasting job as a reporter for radio station WVOL in Nashville. She enrolled in Tennessee State University to study speech and performing arts in 1970, and in 1971, she was named Nashville's show more Miss Fire Prevention, followed by being named Miss Black Tennessee in 1972. In her sophomore year at Tennessee State University, Winfrey switched to media and became the first African-American anchor at Nashville's WTVF-TV. In 1977 she moved to Baltimore to co-anchor the six o'clock news. Once there she was recruited to co-host Baltimore's WJZ-TV's local talk show, People Are Talking. In 1984 she relocated again, this time to Chicago to host WLS-TV's morning talk show, AM Chicago. AM Chicago becomes the number one talk show a mere month later. In less than a year, the show expanded to one hour and was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. Winfrey had her feature film debut as "Sofia" in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple, based on the novel by Alice Walker, in 1985. She received nominations for a Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role. The Oprah Winfrey Show entered syndication 1986 and remained the number one talk show for fourteen consecutive seasons, receiving 34 Emmys throughout it's run, and Oprah is given the honor of hosting the 14th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 1987. In 1988 Harpo Productions, Inc., Winfrey's production company is born, and in 1989, Winfrey produced and starred as "Mattie Michael" in the miniseries,The Women of Brewster Place, which recounts the lives of the female denizens of an inner-city brownstone. Again in 1990, she hosted the 17th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards. Winfrey executive produced and performed in the TV Series, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, further promoting Harpo Productions. In 1991, she initiated the National Child Protection Act, testifying in front of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to establish a national database of convicted child abusers. In 1996 she received the George Foster Peabody Individual Achivement Award and the International Radio and Television Society's Gold Medal Award for all of her work in these mediums. She began Oprah's Book Club, an on-air reading club, of which all of the Book Club selections have become instant bestsellers. In 1997, she was named Newsweek's most important person in books and media, and a year later named TV Guide's Television Performer of the Year, as well as one of the 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century by Time Magazine. She went on to receive the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997 as well. That same year, she announced that she would join producers Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner (Cosby, Roseanne) and Geraldine Laybourne (Nickelodeon) to launch Oxygen Media, Inc., a cable channel and interactive network for women. She also joined Stedman Graham in teaching at Northwestern University's J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. In 2000 she was presented with the National Book Foundation's 50th anniversary gold medal for all that Oprah's Book Club has done for books and authors. In 2014 Oprah released What I Know for Sure, a collection of essays that she had written for her monthly column of the same name in O, The Oprah Magazine. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the names: Oprah, Winfrey Oprah, Oprah Whinfrey

Works by Oprah Winfrey

What I Know For Sure (2014) 506 copies, 17 reviews
Journey to Beloved (1998) 117 copies, 1 review
Life [Blu-ray] 4 copies
Was ich vom Leben gelernt habe (2015) 4 copies, 1 review
Oprah Winfrey Speaks (1998) 4 copies
O Que Eu Sei De Verdade (2017) 2 copies
Artik Biliyorum (2000) 2 copies

Associated Works

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) — Foreword, some editions — 15,256 copies, 226 reviews
The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country (2021) — Foreword, some editions — 1,262 copies, 29 reviews
In the Kitchen with Rosie: Oprah's Favorite Recipes (1975) — Introduction, some editions — 817 copies, 4 reviews
The Princess and the Frog [2009 film] (2009) — Voice — 606 copies, 4 reviews
Charlotte's Web [2006 film] (2006) 430 copies, 3 reviews
The Color Purple [1985 film] (1985) — Actor — 331 copies, 6 reviews
More Myself: A Journey (2020) — Narrator, some editions — 169 copies, 5 reviews
Selma [2014 film] (2014) — Actor / Producer — 168 copies, 7 reviews
The Great Debaters [2007 film] (2007) 153 copies, 3 reviews
A Wrinkle in Time [2018 film] (2018) 152 copies, 3 reviews
Life (2009) — Narrator — 140 copies
The Hundred-Foot Journey [2014 film] (2014) — Producer — 131 copies, 3 reviews
O, The Oprah Magazine Cookbook (2008) — Introduction — 121 copies
The Star [2017 film] (2017) — Actor — 100 copies, 3 reviews
Beloved [1998 film] (1998) — Actor — 52 copies, 1 review
African American Lives [2006 TV episode] (2004) — Narrator — 31 copies, 3 reviews
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks [2017 film] (2017) — Actor / Producer — 25 copies, 1 review
The Women of Brewster Place (Uncut Edition) (1988) — Actor — 9 copies
White Oleander [abridged] (1999) — Narrator, some editions — 8 copies, 1 review
Adele One Night Only [2021 TV Special] (2021) — Self — 1 copy

Tagged

1001 (55) 1001 books (56) 20th century (118) African American (424) African American literature (51) African Americans (90) American (84) American literature (137) Arkansas (94) autobiography (788) biography (475) civil rights (91) classic (120) classics (148) coming of age (121) cookbook (132) cookbooks (53) cooking (96) drama (69) DVD (223) family (75) feminism (92) fiction (297) health (73) literature (119) Maya Angelou (148) memoir (745) movie (75) non-fiction (886) own (75) poetry (329) race (121) racism (216) rape (91) read (177) self-help (60) to-read (990) unread (63) USA (98) women (135)

Common Knowledge

Members

Reviews

Wow. Such a powerful conversation. I hope this is the catalyst for us to start having many more conversations like this.
 
Flagged
LaPhenix | 12 other reviews | Jul 8, 2024 |
It came as no surprise that Oprah’s book was filled with wise and profound lessons; none of them new or earth-shattering, no offense Oprah, but we’ve heard them all before. But the way she tells these lessons - that’s were the money is; our girl O, she has a way of making us all sit up, listen, and take note. What I Know for Sure, was no exception.

A really good reminder on how to treat people, how to treat ourselves, and how to live our best life. We, and I speak from the collective perspective as woman and human, appreciate you, your work and your words.

I would definitely recommend this easy read to anyone - anyone. (Yes, I meant to repeat that to make sure it was heard.) Read the book, people.
… (more)
 
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LyndaWolters1 | 16 other reviews | Apr 3, 2024 |
One of my top 50 books of all time. I recommend it if you want to gain more insight into child trauma and why parents do what they do to themselves and their children. It’s not all about the bad, either! There is hope for everyone suffering from mental health issues as long as we can learn the whys.
 
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BrandyWinn | 12 other reviews | Feb 2, 2024 |
There were quite a few recipes in the book that I would love to try. My mom and I used to make Rosie's unfried chicken (now it's Art's she loves). We went to Lyfe restaurant quite a few times and had Art's unfried chicken and it was delicious.
I'm excited to try the early garlic soup since I have about 40 heads of garlic growing in my garden this year.
I also love how much she loves truffles! I adore truffle oil and need to invest in a good truffle salt. While pricey you use little and it really pumps up your food.… (more)
 
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ankhamun | 3 other reviews | Nov 2, 2023 |

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Works
44
Also by
22
Members
3,019
Popularity
#8,457
Rating
4.0
Reviews
55
ISBNs
136
Languages
13
Favorited
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