I hate Oprah. I wish I could put it eloquently, but I think she's a fake, obnoxious, greedy person and I think she needs to shut her mouth. Especially about books.
I received an email today from Borders, telling me to "save now" on her newest pick. Curious about what she's telling her sheep to read, I clicked on the link, only to find that she hasn't even revealed the next pick! What? People are supposed to blindly trust Oprah and click "add to cart?" Seriously? Oprah Winfrey? Really? And what irks my more than anything is that people will. I'd bet that as soon as she releases the title on Friday it will jump to the number one selling position on Amazon, Borders, and Barnes and Noble.
I'm not saying the book will necessarily be bad- she's had plenty of quality reads on her list, such as The Road, Middlesex, and Anna Karenina. What irritates me is that people blindly follow her recommendations, forgetting the fact that the decision is really based on whatever author is willing to cater to Oprah's show schedule, whore himself/herself out to Harpo, and agree to allow that god-awful "O" sticker on future reprints. Granted I'm happy for legitimate, talented, authors who are able to reap financial rewards, but must wonder if the price is worth selling out. Interestingly, a lot of the more talented authors on her list are dead- after hearing the news that his book was a selection, Tolstoy concluded he'd gone to hell. On that note, Jeffrey Eugenides, we need to talk.
I went through a period where I almost approved of her club- it got people to read things other than the paperback crap at the supermarket checkout. That was short lived as I had to seriously ask myself if the demographic that watches her show are going to understand Tolstoy, McCullers, and Faulkner. The answer- probably not (I cracked up at the "Faulkner 101" section on her website... it's going to take a lot more than a few helpful hints to help Harriet Housewife from Ohio understand William "I like to ramble" Faulkner's prose).
Hey, Oprah, by the way, how's your buddy James Frey doing?
Stay tuned- part 2 of my rant will surely continue this weekend after we see what Oprah tells her flock to go buy.
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