If you are a fan of Oprah Winfrey and reading, dive into this complete Oprah’s Book Club List, which I have updated with all books from 1996 until 2020. Oprah is not afraid to pick difficult reads: classics, long books and heavy topics.
Although Oprah is no longer on a talk show on television, she is doing great things with her book club over on Instagram. I love her discussions, and the comments are always very thoughtful. She also works with Apple TV to provide content for the books she chooses.
Best of Oprah’s Book Club List
I have not read all of the books from the Oprah’s Book Club list, but I have read some of them. It’s always hard to pick favorites, but I would described the following as my most beloved, especially as time passes and I can see what has really stuck with me:
The Complete Oprah’s Book Club List (Updated 1996-2020) with Summaries and Reviews
Let’s get to it! Below is the complete Oprah’s book club list, updated from 1996 to 2020. I have also added ratings in the form of “stars” for the books I have read (from 1 star to 5 stars – and my ratings do vary greatly here) as well as short summaries for each one, so you can better determine if it may be for you or not.
Of note, I listed the books Oprah selected by Bill Cosby long ago in order to make this Oprah’s Book Club list complete, but based on his recent convictions, I am choosing not to provide summaries or links to those books.
And if you want to create a list of books from Oprah’s book club list to read or review the ones you have read, get all my bookish printable PDFs for FREE when you sign up for my weekly email newsletter — a quick, warm and fuzzy email with curated book pairings. (It’s like Reading Rainbow for women!)
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The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard
A family copes with the disappearance of their child.
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
This book follows the life of the son of the richest Black family in a small town.
The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
An award winning book about a woman who comes to terms with her relationship with her mother after her father’s death.
She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
A teenage girl welcomes womanhood and is intent on conquering her insecurities.
Stones From the River by Ursula Hegi
A woman who is a dwarf grapples with Nazism in Germany while learning that all humans are unique.
The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds
A teenager fears her grandfather, the leader of a strict Christian congregation, after she becomes pregnant.
Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris
A vulnerable divorcee becomes prey of a con man.
The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou
Angelou’s autobiography of her move to New York from California with her son and the Black artists that shaped her.
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
A Black man, is the sole survivor of a shooting that left a white store owner killed.
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
An award winning book about a young girl who plots the death of her father.
A Virtuous Woman by Kay Gibbons
An unexpected couple finds solace in their differences.
The Meanest Thing to Say by Bill Cosby
The Treasure Hunt by Bill Cosby
The Best Way to Play by Bill Cosby
Paradise by Toni Morrison
This book explores race relations in Oklahoma, including a battle between two communities, one of which is led by women refusing to give up their freedom.
Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman
A woman returns to her hometown and faces her past, which includes a man with whom she was previously in love.
Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
A woman runs away from her abusive husband to give her son a better life
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
A 12-year-old girl is forced to move to New York to live with her mother, who has not been involved in her upbringing.
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
An honest, humorous account of mental illness, domestic abuse, and family dysfunction.
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage
A woman leaves Atlanta to return to her rural home.
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
A midwife is accused of accidentally killing a baby’s mother after saving the baby during an emergency C-section.
Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
(4 stars; my high school English class enjoyed this one!)
A pregnant teen finds herself living in a Wal-Mart in the South.
Jewel by Bret Lott
A mother-daughter story about a woman and her last born daughter.
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
This book tells of a relationship between a young man and a woman twice his age who ends up on trial for a war crime.
The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve
A woman deals with the death of her husband and the things she didn’t know about him.
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
The popular coming-of-age story of a girl who bounces between foster homes after separation from her mother.
Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes
A portrayal of racism and small town life in 1950s Mississippi.
Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
Two women swap lives for a summer and learn each other’s secrets.
River, Cross My Heart by Breena Clarke
An African American couple’s lives change after the death of their five-year-old daughter.
Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay
A woman moves in with her in-laws, raises two children, and deals with her husband’s unemployment.
A Map of The World by Jane Hamilton
A family is permanently changed after they witness their neighbor’s daughter drown in a pool.
Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
A woman navigates adulthood after getting married soon after her brother’s death.
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
A Chilean orphan creates a new life during the 19th century California Gold Rush.
Back Roads by Tawni O’Dell
The story of the son of a woman who was jailed for murdering his father, who was a serial abuser.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
(4 stars. Excellent, but also very, very difficult subject matter.)
An 11-year-old African American girl who prays for beauty grows into herself.
While I Was Gone by Sue Miller
The re-appearance of a former housemate forces a woman to face the skeletons in her closet.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
A family led by an evangelical Baptist father unravels when they are tested during a mission to Africa.
Open House by Elizabeth Berg
A woman deals with divorce while raising her son.
Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
The family of Mathilda Neumann changes after she dies in a freezing lake.
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
Three people attempt to live the American Dream, with intertwining lives. This book is also on the 
Rory Gilmore book list.
We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
The hopeful story of a family in crisis.
Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio
A girl finds herself in eastern Kentucky in the 1950s.
Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir and Michèle Fitoussi
The memoir of Malika Oufki, who was adopted by the King of Morocco when she was five.
Cane River by Lalita Tademy
A multi-generational story of women born slaves.
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
An entertaining book about a family in chaos as the matriarch attempts to bring them home for Christmas.
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
The story of four people who share a cramped apartment in India in the 1970s.
Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
A multi-generational saga of four sisters dealing with ambition, family and forbidden love.
Sula by Toni Morrison
Two African American girls in Ohio hold a secret that follows them and threatens their friendship.
East of Eden By John Steinbeck
(5 stars; this is one of my all time favorite books!)
A compulsively readable re-telling of the story of Cain and Abel told through the Hamilton and Trask families, sharing themes of good versus evil.
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
A re-telling of the history of apartheid in South Africa, told from both sides.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
The magical realism story of the rise and fall of a mythical town, told through the history of the Buendiá family. This book is also on the Rory Gilmore book list.
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
A coming-of-age story with themes of loneliness and isolation amidst racial disparity in the South.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The classic Russian story of a married woman who falls for a wealthy army officer destroys her family and her happiness. This book is also on the Rory Gilmore book list.
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
(2 stars; the only thing I recall about this book was being really bored by it in high school)
The rags-to-riches story of a peasant Chinese farmer.
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
A family journeys across Mississippi to mourn their matriarch. This book is also on the Rory Gilmore book list.
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
(4 stars; my high school English class enjoyed this one!)
The post-Civil War tragedy of the Southern Compson family, including the memorable “manchild” Benjy. This book is also on the Rory Gilmore book list.
Light in August by William Faulkner
Three lives intersect in Jefferson, Mississippi.
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
A memoir about rehab that faced a lot of controversy over its truthfulness.
Night By Elie Wiesel
(5 stars; a must read!)
An autobiographical account if survival in the Holocaust. This book is also on the Rory Gilmore book list.
The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier
The memoir of the esteemed and award-winning African American actor.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
A post-apocalyptic novel about a father and son’s fight to survive.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
An LGBT story about growing up female but struggling between male and female identity. This book is also on the Rory Gilmore book list.
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
An epic 50 year love story.
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
An 800 page book about the erection of a Gothic cathedral in the 12th century.
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
A spiritual guide for life in the present.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
A mute boy with a peaceful life experiences trauma.
Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan
Short stories of childhood in Africa.
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Behind the veil of a picture-perfect family in Minnesota.
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The story of orphan Pip from humble beginnings to manhood. This book is also on the Rory Gilmore book list.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Two men love the same woman amidst the Reign of Terror. This book is also on the Rory Gilmore book list.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
A woman’s memoir of self-discovery after her mother’s death and a severed marriage. This book is also on the Rory Gilmore book list.
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
The matriarch of an African American family tackles love and loss through the Great Migration.
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
The 35 year journey of and abolitionist from South Carolina, her sister and their slave.
Ruby by Cynthia Bond
A woman faces her childhood demons in the face of racial injustice.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
A teenage slave runs away from a cotton plantation.
Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle
(2 stars; I didn’t connect with Doyle or this book at all!)
A memoir of betrayal and self-discovery inspiring others to confront pain and accept love.
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
(5 stars; one of my favorite recent reads and an excellent Black Lives Matter book! And if you are doing the Around the World Reading Challenge, you can add this book to your PDF tracker for Cameroon! For more, read my full review of Behold the Dreamers)
An #ownvoice book about African immigrants and their New York employers tackles race, class and the economy through many lenses.
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
(4 stars; I liked it overall as an interesting take of the consequences of false convictions. For more, read my full review of An American Marriage.)
A love triangle involving a new marriage and a false conviction.
The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton
(5 stars; a page turner and a must read Black Lives Matter book)
A man falsely convicted of murder spends 30 years on Death Row before his release.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
(4 stars; absolutely loved it! If you are doing a 50 States of America reading challenge, this also makes a great book for Illinois.)
The memorable and moving memoir of the the first African American First Lady of the United States.
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
A young slave on a plantation in Virginia has a power that saves his life when he nearly drowns in a river.
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
(5 stars; one of my favorite recent reads and a great book for mothers!)
A curmudgeon touches upon major life themes in short snippets of real life. For more info, read my full review of Olive, Again.
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
A Mexican woman and her son immigrate to the United States after their family is murdered by a cartel. A very controversial book!
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of An American Family by Robert Kolker
The story of a mid-century American family with twelve children, six of whom were diagnosed with schizophrenia, any how their lives helped scientists understand the disease.
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
In 1969, a church deacon goes into the courtyard of the Cause Houses housing project in south Brooklyn and shoots the project’s drug dealer at point-blank range. This is the story of the causes and consequences of the violent act.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
(5 stars; a compulsively readable game changer and a must read — one of my Best Books of 2020!)
Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling author Wilkerson explores the caste system that has shaped America and explains how we are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions in this revealing modern American classic.
Books that helped Oprah “through”
A change to Oprah’s book club list! In October 2020, Oprah chose to highlight seven books that helped her “through” in lieu of an official book club selection. They are:
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
- The Soul of America by Jon Meacham
- Devotions by Mary Oliver
- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
- When the Light of the World was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through edited by Joy Harjo
PHEW! I hope this complete Oprah’s Book Club list inspired you to add some books to your TBR list.
As a reminder, if you want to create a list of books from Oprah’s book club list to read or review the ones you have read, get all my bookish printable PDFs for FREE when you sign up for my weekly email newsletter — a quick, warm and fuzzy email with curated book pairings. (It’s like Reading Rainbow for women!)
After you subscribe, the PDF freebies will be delivered straight to your inbox. Click the image below to subscribe:
Lastly, pin this post to Pinterest because I will be updating it over time with new selections from Oprah’s book club list.
Dara says
I’ve actually read some of the older ones on the list that were quite good – Black and Blue , What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, Midwives, Middlesex, The Pilot’s Wife, White Oleander, Tara Road, etc.
Julianne Buonocore says
I definitely want to catch up on those.
Anita P Brown says
Thank you for the summaries and star ratings on the books. I really appreciated this . Very helpful!
Jules Buono says
You are SO welcome!