books recommended by Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is an American media executive, actress, talk show host, television producer, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which was the highest-rated television program of its kind in history.

Oprah Winfrey is an American media executive, actress, talk show host, television producer, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which was the highest-rated television program of its kind in history.

media personality

books recommended by Oprah Winfrey

The Four Agreements

The Four Agreements

Don Miguel Ruiz

Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina

Leo Tolstoy

Becoming

Becoming

Michelle Obama

The Road

The Road

Cormac McCarthy

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee

A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens

East of Eden

East of Eden

John Steinbeck

Song of Solomon

Song of Solomon

Toni Morrison

One Hundred Years of Solitude

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Wild

Wild

Cheryl Strayed

A New Earth

A New Earth

Eckhart Tolle

The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad

Colson Whitehead

An American Marriage

An American Marriage

Tayari Jones

Sula

Sula

Toni Morrison

Will

Will

Will Smith and Mark Manson

A Fine Balance

A Fine Balance

Rohinton Mistry

The Good Earth

The Good Earth

Pearl S. Buck

The Bluest Eye

The Bluest Eye

Toni Morrison

The Corrections

The Corrections

Jonathan Franzen

The Seat of the Soul

The Seat of the Soul

Gary Zukav

Love in the Time of Cholera

Love in the Time of Cholera

Gabriel García Márquez

The Sound and the Fury

The Sound and the Fury

William Faulkner

Light in August

Light in August

William Faulkner

Love Warrior

Love Warrior

Glennon Doyle

As I Lay Dying

As I Lay Dying

William Faulkner

The Tiger's Wife

The Tiger's Wife

Téa Obreht

Cry, the Beloved Country

Cry, the Beloved Country

Alan Paton

She's Come Undone

She's Come Undone

Wally Lamb

Freedom

Freedom

Jonathan Franzen

The Poisonwood Bible

The Poisonwood Bible

Barbara Kingsolver

Middlesex

Middlesex

Jeffrey Eugenides

I Know This Much Is True

I Know This Much Is True

Wally Lamb

Great Expectations

Great Expectations

Charles Dickens

While I Was Gone

While I Was Gone

Sue Miller

All That You Leave Behind

All That You Leave Behind

Erin Lee Carr

Devotions

Devotions

Mary Oliver

Atlas of the Heart

Atlas of the Heart

Brené Brown

There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé

There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé

Morgan Parker

After Visiting with Friends

After Visiting with Friends

Michael Haney

Fall On Your Knees

Fall On Your Knees

Ann-Marie MacDonald

The Heart of a Woman

The Heart of a Woman

Maya Angelou

White Oleander

White Oleander

Janet Fitch

The Sun Does Shine

The Sun Does Shine

Anthony Ray Hinton

Vinegar Hill

Vinegar Hill

A. Manette Ansay

The Water Dancer

The Water Dancer

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Gap Creek

Gap Creek

Robert Morgan

Rapture of Canaan

Rapture of Canaan

Sheri Reynolds

The Deep End of the Ocean

The Deep End of the Ocean

Jacquelyn Mitchard

What Looks Like Crazy On an Ordinary Day

What Looks Like Crazy On an Ordinary Day

Pearl Cleage

Say You're One of Them

Say You're One of Them

Uwem Akpan

Back Roads

Back Roads

Tawni O'Dell

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

Ayana Mathis

The Measure of a Man

The Measure of a Man

Sidney Poitier

Breath, Eyes, Memory

Breath, Eyes, Memory

Edwidge Danticat

Songs in Ordinary Time

Songs in Ordinary Time

Mary McGarry Morris

The Book of Ruth

The Book of Ruth

Jane Hamilton

A Virtuous Woman

A Virtuous Woman

Kaye Gibbons

Midwives

Midwives

Chris Bohjalian

Where the Heart Is

Where the Heart Is

Billie Letts

Black and Blue

Black and Blue

Anna Quindlen

The Best Way to Play

The Best Way to Play

Bill Cosby

Drowning Ruth

Drowning Ruth

Christina Schwarz

Night

Night

Elie Wiesel

The Pilot's Wife

The Pilot's Wife

Anita Shreve

Open House

Open House

Elizabeth Berg

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

David Wroblewski

House of Sand and Fog

House of Sand and Fog

Andre Dubus III

Ellen Foster

Ellen Foster

Kaye Gibbons

Tara Road

Tara Road

Maeve Binchy

Olive, Again

Olive, Again

Elizabeth Strout

Stolen Lives

Stolen Lives

Malika Oufkir

Ruby

Ruby

Cynthia Bond

The Invention of Wings

The Invention of Wings

Sue Monk Kidd

Icy Sparks

Icy Sparks

Gwyn Hyman Rubio

We Were the Mulvaneys

We Were the Mulvaneys

Joyce Carol Oates

Here on Earth

Here on Earth

Alice Hoffman

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

Carson McCullers

Stones from the River

Stones from the River

Ursula Hegi

Paradise

Paradise

Toni Morrison

Daughter of Fortune

Daughter of Fortune

Isabel Allende

River, Cross My Heart

River, Cross My Heart

Breena Clarke

A Lesson Before Dying

A Lesson Before Dying

Ernest J. Gaines

Mother of Pearl

Mother of Pearl

Melinda Haynes

Cane River

Cane River

Lalita Tademy

The Reader

The Reader

Bernhard Schlink

A Million Little Pieces

A Million Little Pieces

James Frey

A Map of the World

A Map of the World

Jane Hamilton

Jewel

Jewel

Bret Lott

Behold the Dreamers

Behold the Dreamers

Imbolo Mbue

The Pillars of the Earth

The Pillars of the Earth

Ken Follett

Finding Me

Finding Me

Viola Davis

Book recommendations coming soon!

Book recommendations coming soon!

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Books written by Oprah Winfrey

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What I Know For Sure

What I Know For Sure

Oprah Winfrey

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The Path Made Clear

The Path Made Clear

Oprah Winfrey

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Books allowed me to see a world beyond the front porch of my grandmother’s shotgun house…[and] the power to see possibilities beyond what was allowed at the time.

Oprah Winfrey

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Did Oprah Winfrey recommend all these books?

This book list has Oprah Winfrey's must-read recommendations, it can also be comprised of mentions, suggestions or social media posts.

How do you know Oprah Winfrey mentioned these books?

Every suggestion made by Oprah Winfrey is validated by our editors either via reaching out to the featured person, their social media or mentions from interviews.

Did Oprah Winfrey actually create this list?

A few of our lists have been created by the featured person. The rest are either crowdsourced or created by the Good Books staff.

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Oprah Winfrey's book recommendations

The Four Agreements

Anna Karenina

Becoming

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