The 'Oprah's Next Chapter' host falls for Ayana Mathis' debut novel, saying 'The opening pages of Ayana's debut took my breath away.'
- Dec 6, 2012
AceShowbiz - Oprah Winfrey has chosen "The Twelve Tribes of Hattie" by Ayana Mathis for Oprah Book Club 2.0. Oprah explained why she picked the novel, "The opening pages of Ayana's debut took my breath away."
She gushed, "I can't remember when I read anything that moved me in quite this way, besides the work of Toni Morrison." Meanwhile, Ayana was surprised when she was told that her novel was chosen by the CEO of OWN.
"Really?" the 39-year-old novelist asked in disbelief. "This is really Oprah Winfrey? No it's not. This is a joke." She was in Paris when she received a phone call from the TV personality herself.
Announcing the book to be included in her book club, Oprah also provides some exclusive content on her book club site such as a reader's guide, as well as her personal notes of her favorite passages of the novel. The book will be available for sale on Thursday, December 6.
The "Oprah's Next Chapter" host also has an exclusive interview with the Brooklyn author which will air on Emmy Award-winning daytime talk show "Super Soul Sunday" Sunday, February 3 at 11 A.M. ET/PT on OWN. It will also be aired on OWN's Facebook page and Oprah Radio in an "Oprah's Soul Series" episode.
"The Twelve Tribes of Hattie" is set in around 1920s. It tells the story about the Great Migration of African Americans from Georgia to Philadelphia from the point of view of Hattie Shepherd and her large family. The novel has gained starred pre-publication reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and Booklist.
