The Astounding Sway of Ophra’s Book Club

While Oprah Winfrey, the most powerful and influential woman in the world, transformed media statement from mere report talking to a much more distinguished ‘rapport’ talk at The Oprah Winfrey Show, she also introduced a seemingly contemporary wedge which focused on all genre of books, the Ophra’s Book Club.

It was a part of the show wherein Oprah herself personally selects a novel for viewers to look at and converse each month usually bringing it to the public’s prevalent attention. Along with the Book Club receiving high recognition and positive feedback among millions of Americans, the books, too, which were selected, increased sales by millions. In some cases, the segment also helped some of these books with even murky titles become acclaimed best-sellers. This phenomenon was globally termed as the ‘Oprah effect’.

Take for example, the classic novel, East of Eden by John Steinbeck. After Oprah selected it, the sales dramatically soared to an affirmative fettle thereby placing it at the top of the charts. A book acknowledged by Ophra’s Book Club always meant additional sales to the author. And we’re not just talking about thousands here but millions.

It was in late 1996 that the segment started with its first selection, The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard. For the next six years, Winfrey’s preference rated to a single book for one month. In 2002, she declared that she couldn’t cope up with the requisite reading while still looking for new and existing novels which resulted to the temporarily stopping of the segment. The books were then chosen in a more limited basis after its resurgence in 2003.

Since then, Ophra’s Book Club has become a powerful medium which enabled the general public, readers or non- readers alike, to pick up books and be engrossed in the journey the book takes them into. Winfrey has invited 66 titles to her Book Club since its debut on 1996.

A lot of debates nonetheless storm Ophra’s Book Club selection process. Most remarkably Jonathan Franzen’s discontent on Winfrey selecting his novel ‘The Corrections’ and the altercation on live telecast pertaining to accusations on the production of James Frey’s, A Million Little Pieces.

This is how compelling the selection is. It gets people to talk .There is always something to concur and squabble about, a clear proof that the segment has the authority big enough to get its viewers to read, interact and give opinions on their top books list. But most importantly, its dominance have reflected in a more optimistic way - that the viewer’s minds have been opened to the reality that sometimes, it’s good to take time to listen to another belief, tale, or voice every now and then by scanning the pages of these books.

On the introduction of her very first selection, Winfrey once told her spectators, "When I was growing up, books were my friends. When I didn't have any friends, I had books. And one of the greatest contentment I have right now in life is to be reading a really good book and knowing that I have a really, really good book after relentlessly reading it." Authors can only wish it’s their book Winfrey is pertaining to.

wenze slaus is a educator and community activistFor more information visithttp://www.printablecouponssource.com/http://oprahsbooksite.com/m/