Between 1996 and 2010, Oprah’s Book Club was the biggest
meal ticket in the literary world. Her stamp of approval easily meant an author’s
work could go from copies in the tens of thousands into the hundreds of
thousands or millions. I have long held mixed emotions regarding her book club;
I see her club as opening America’s minds to literary fiction but closing her
ardent followers minds to great genre fiction and silencing the important
opinions from established outlets, bloggers, and readers’ friends and family. I
believe William Faulkner to be a great author, but I do not believe everyone
should feel compelled to read The Sound
and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, and
Light in August as she did in June
2005 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah%27s_Book_Club).
Once upon a time, I worked at a library that separated out
their genre fiction from their literary fiction: meaning inspirational,
mystery, science fiction, and western were shelved separately. Oprah’s Book Club, which entry usually had
numerous copies available to check out, was also shelved separately. No book
was more popular than James Frey’s A
Million Little Pieces. When it became a member of the club in October 2005,
there were upwards to thirty people on hold for six or eight copies. For over
three months. Rather than reading diverse readings, this community enthralled
by James Frey’s story of addiction and crime. When it came out that Frey had
lied (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/celebrity/million-little-lies),
people weren’t so interested in reading his story except for the controversy
surrounding his lies. To my recollection, after the story broke and the façade fell,
A Million Little Pieces never saw
more than one or two copies out at a time.
As a librarian, I wish people were not so enthralled by
stories just because of one person’s opinion. At that time, Oprah’s Book Club
being separated from other fiction and nonfiction kept people from exploring
other options for their recreational reading. Memoirs and genre fiction of
excellent quality went unread and were eventually weeded from the collection
because of one media mogul’s impactful book club.
I don't know why some people feel compelled to claim they have been through more than they have been through and then claim it is fact. If you want to write such a story . . . claim fiction and then watch it grow in an honest way. Yes, sometimes media can be lead astray and then lead the common man astray.
ReplyDeleteI agree a bit about the genre fiction. I looked through Oprah's picks and, while there are certainly some great titles, I wish there were more variety among genres. Most of my favorite genres are not represented in her book club, and I wish that someone could bring attention and accolades to the books I love to read. I know that Oprah is under no obligation to recommend books from other genres but it would be nice if she used her significant clout that way!!
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ReplyDeleteIf Oprah wasn't famous, no one would care what she was reading. I agree, Matthew with your paradox - Oprah's book club has been both a good and bad influence on America's readers. But, in our world of celebrity worship, the opinions of celebrity will always make a difference, like celebrity endorsements of political figures. Why do we care more about a celebrity endorsement than one by a political expert?
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