From being called “The Year of Covid” to being labeled as the most distressful year courtesy the pandemic, earthquakes, election anxiety and untimely death news, 2020 is finally wrapping up on a holiday note. With this year turning our mental stability fragile, there has been nothing better than helping each other through these times and as Christmas is at our doorstep, we found 7 books recommended by Oprah Winfrey which “comfort, inspire and enlighten” and are a perfect Xmas present to send your loved ones.
America’s popular talk show host and philanthropist, Oprah Winfrey is one of the most soft-hearted philanthropists and holds the potential to bring anyone to tears with her inspirational story. Her work inspires millions of young minds and her talk show alone has been one of the most prestigious shows for all the artists.
Oprah’s Book Club handle on Instagram has been engaging with readers all over the world where people have been “reading and rejoicing all season long”. In October this year, Oprah shared a video where she revealed about the books that helped her sail through.
“I know it’s hard to focus on anything right now because we’re so distracted by the roar of the news and the steady hum of our own anxiety. So for the next six weeks over at @oprahsbookclub, I’ll be spotlighting a curated list of seven books I cherish for their ability to comfort, inspire, and enlighten me (sic),” Oprah had shared. She added, “Let’s help each other through these times with the help of these books (sic).”
Recommendation #1: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
{{/usCountry}}Recommendation #1: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
{{/usCountry}}Oprah called this bestseller, one of the most transformative books she’s ever read and considers it “essential spiritual teaching.” The book was published in 1997 and is regarded as one of the most prominent spiritual guides of the 21st century and Oprah shared, “It’s gotten me through more crises than I can count. It truly helped me discover how to live in the now – to not linger on past mistakes, but to learn from them and then let them go.”
Recommendation #2: The Soul of America by Jon Meacham
As per Oprah’s reviews, the book is a history of America, focusing on divisive moments and how the country rose above them. “Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham demonstrates the resiliency of our republic from the colonial era to today.” Each page promises to leave you with the knowledge that we’ll get through it.
The book reassures readers of the truth that America has survived turbulent times before. Oprah shared, “To help me understand our current era and be reassured that our country can bounce back from dark times, I turn to historian Jon Meacham’s The Soul of America.”
Recommendation #3: His Truth Was Marching On by Jon Meacham
A beautiful portrait is painted of the civil rights icon’s life from John Lewis’ childhood up to his 1968 election to Congress. The book also features an inspiring afterword from Lewis himself and his legacy continues to teach us how we can rise above despair to create a more equal and just society.
Recommendation #4: Devotions by Mary Oliver
Oprah reviews, “Poetry is language’s music, and the poems in “Devotions” touch on so much of what makes life meaningful. Whether reflecting on a sublime summer’s morning, or giving bold instructions on how to live bravely, Oliver’s words leap off the page to offer wisdom, beauty and calm.” As America’s most popular and bestselling poets, Mary Oliver’s beautiful and approachable verses have won her legions of fans including Oprah who shared, “I’ve been soothed, comforted, informed, enhanced by her words. Mary Oliver was a blessing to the world.”
Recommendation #5: The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Oprah expressed that from the perspective of the Black author, “America’s reckoning with inequality has yet to occur.” She added, “Filled with stylistic and moral power, Baldwin’s words are as fresh and inspiring today as they were in 1963.”
Baldwin turned into a celebrity as the book published in 1963, while he was touring the South in support of the civil rights movement.
Recommendation #6: Between the World and Me by Ta Nehisi Coates
This book expandes on Baldwin’s credo and was born when former American President Obama met with Ta Nehisi Coates while he was re-reading “The Fire Next Time.” As Obama told him not to give up hope, Coates realised how much his personal philosophy of racial justice, inspired by Baldwin, differed from the then President’s.
Oprah reviews, “Coates refuses to provide easy answers or reassurances on navigating life in America and systemic racism. Instead, he challenges the reader to chart their own path to thriving “within the all of it.”
Recommendation #7: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
About the quintessential American author and her favourite, Oprah says, “As you read Morrison’s exquisite prose, you too will be inspired, moved, and perhaps even take flight.”
She shared, “Toni Morrison was our conscience. Our seer. Our truth-teller. She was a magician with language…It is exhilarating and life-enhancing every time I read and share her work.” Toni Morrison was a trailblazer in the literary world, from her first book published at age 39 to being the first Black woman awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Oprah shared in her review of the book, “With Morrison’s razor-sharp use of language applied to the theme of belonging that echoes through “Song of Solomon,” it is an inspiring message of the power of family, a sense of home, and self-determination against all odds.”
Truly, nothing heals better than the power of words!
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