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The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy
The Oprah Winfrey Show came to an end on May 25, 2011, after 25 years on television. Arguably the most influential television personality of all time, Ms. Winfrey and her show have had an impact on American culture that cannot be overstated. This beautifully illustrated book will explore and celebrate the legacy of the show using essays and tributes from a stellar group of contributors including Maya Angelou, Bono, Ellen DeGeneres, Nelson Mandela, Toni Morrison, Julia Roberts, Maria Shriver, Gloria Steinem, John Travolta, and more. The book will feature photographs from the Harpo archive, spanning the 25 years the show has been on the air, including the farewell season.
Essays within the book will be dedicated to different themes (e.g., personal growth, social action, and literature) and will explore how the show has touched people’s lives and impacted the conversation around those issues. The essays will be followed by narrative text, which will guide the reader through the history of the show’s involvement with each topic and will include stories about the events, people, and organizations that have acted as touchstones or provided insights along the way. Accompanying the essays and narrative text will be images from the show, behind-the-scenes photographs, as well as signature portraits of the contributing celebrities taken by noted photographers.
The book will allow Oprah Winfrey Show fans to understand the broad cultural impact of the show, while revisiting favorite guests, episodes, and stories.
Praise for Oprah Winfrey Reflections on an American
“A lavish and loving tribute to the television personality, icon, and philanthropist makes a powerful case for Oprah’s centrality and influence on American culture. . . . The book shines when it . . . gives us, in its gorgeous photographs, behind-the-scenes glimpses of the empty studio, the primping process (with no fewer than three makeup artists), and the vast army of producers and writers behind Oprah’s magic.”
“A big, glossy paean to the queen of talk . . . A chance to relive the first twenty-five years of ‘aha’ moments.” — USA Today
“[A] sumptuous tribute to the talk-show icon.” — Washington Post (A Best Book of 2011)
“This is a perfect gift for any Oprah fan or anyone just looking for inspiration.” —Dallas Morning News
— Publishers Weekly
Essays within the book will be dedicated to different themes (e.g., personal growth, social action, and literature) and will explore how the show has touched people’s lives and impacted the conversation around those issues. The essays will be followed by narrative text, which will guide the reader through the history of the show’s involvement with each topic and will include stories about the events, people, and organizations that have acted as touchstones or provided insights along the way. Accompanying the essays and narrative text will be images from the show, behind-the-scenes photographs, as well as signature portraits of the contributing celebrities taken by noted photographers.
The book will allow Oprah Winfrey Show fans to understand the broad cultural impact of the show, while revisiting favorite guests, episodes, and stories.
Praise for Oprah Winfrey Reflections on an American
“A lavish and loving tribute to the television personality, icon, and philanthropist makes a powerful case for Oprah’s centrality and influence on American culture. . . . The book shines when it . . . gives us, in its gorgeous photographs, behind-the-scenes glimpses of the empty studio, the primping process (with no fewer than three makeup artists), and the vast army of producers and writers behind Oprah’s magic.”
“A big, glossy paean to the queen of talk . . . A chance to relive the first twenty-five years of ‘aha’ moments.” — USA Today
“[A] sumptuous tribute to the talk-show icon.” — Washington Post (A Best Book of 2011)
“This is a perfect gift for any Oprah fan or anyone just looking for inspiration.” —Dallas Morning News
— Publishers Weekly
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
4 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 10, 2016
I'd finished this book quite a while ago but chose to hold my review until I could give this book the response it deserves.
I know that there are many who see Oprah as a self-absorbed, uppity individual who saves the best of her philanthropic activities to boost her own ratings. I think, to a degree, this could be true. No one is perfect. I do not agree with all of her political drives, or how she aims to water-down certain religious principles. She’s made some bad decisions in life as an unknown and as the phonon that she has become. The thing about life is that you make due; you try and make it so that the good that you do outweigh the inevitable bad that we are all prone to. I think that Oprah has done this.
The many co-signers of this theory have laced this sort of journal of The Oprah Winfrey Show with proof that Oprah Winfrey’s good was worthy of remembrance.
Over 20 iconic figures give homage to Ms. Winfrey in this biography, from Maya Angelou to Roger Ebert. They tell what they love about her and what made her show the phenomenon that it remains to this day. The book is broken into 9 sections which highlight the primary focus of the show; i.e., women’s rights, equality, giving back, and books just to name a few. By the way, WITHOUT QUESTION, she brought me back to the pastime I love: reading. The most outstanding feature of the book has to be its size and the beautiful pictures. The book is HUGE! It is 10.8 x 1.2 x 13.6 inches, which translates into about the size of your forearm up and a little less across. It takes two hands to traverse its pages; you can’t rest this one on your chest or belly as you read in bed without getting up to stinging pain. :) I usually read this at my computer desk. The pictures are like looking at your flat screen TV – there’s no difference in clarity. I was unaware that pictures could be this clear, this flawless, this beautiful.
Oprah does not comment in this book.
The way that one can accurately measure oneself is by tracking the company that one keeps. This is a life story told through the eyes of some of the best of renowned humanity –Oprah’s effect on what are often considered the least of humanity is often told as well through the words of the author as a narrator. That lends weight to the greatness of this legendary philanthropist and activist. I’m bettered by this read.
I know that there are many who see Oprah as a self-absorbed, uppity individual who saves the best of her philanthropic activities to boost her own ratings. I think, to a degree, this could be true. No one is perfect. I do not agree with all of her political drives, or how she aims to water-down certain religious principles. She’s made some bad decisions in life as an unknown and as the phonon that she has become. The thing about life is that you make due; you try and make it so that the good that you do outweigh the inevitable bad that we are all prone to. I think that Oprah has done this.
The many co-signers of this theory have laced this sort of journal of The Oprah Winfrey Show with proof that Oprah Winfrey’s good was worthy of remembrance.
Over 20 iconic figures give homage to Ms. Winfrey in this biography, from Maya Angelou to Roger Ebert. They tell what they love about her and what made her show the phenomenon that it remains to this day. The book is broken into 9 sections which highlight the primary focus of the show; i.e., women’s rights, equality, giving back, and books just to name a few. By the way, WITHOUT QUESTION, she brought me back to the pastime I love: reading. The most outstanding feature of the book has to be its size and the beautiful pictures. The book is HUGE! It is 10.8 x 1.2 x 13.6 inches, which translates into about the size of your forearm up and a little less across. It takes two hands to traverse its pages; you can’t rest this one on your chest or belly as you read in bed without getting up to stinging pain. :) I usually read this at my computer desk. The pictures are like looking at your flat screen TV – there’s no difference in clarity. I was unaware that pictures could be this clear, this flawless, this beautiful.
Oprah does not comment in this book.
The way that one can accurately measure oneself is by tracking the company that one keeps. This is a life story told through the eyes of some of the best of renowned humanity –Oprah’s effect on what are often considered the least of humanity is often told as well through the words of the author as a narrator. That lends weight to the greatness of this legendary philanthropist and activist. I’m bettered by this read.
October 1, 2020
Entertaining with historical accounts of the evolution of Oprah Winfrey's career in an impressive hardcover, coffee table book. Nice compliment to your collector's book library. Good read.
May 14, 2018
Most people see Oprah as a person who had a talk show, was famous and became a billionaire. However there was more to her show than what we saw on screen. This book goes further into that and shows us different aspects and what Oprah wanted from the show.
This book touched my heart. Before reading this I thought Oprah was just a talk show host, who’s famous, and has a lot of money. After reading I found out about her experiences, personal life and heart. This book also made me realize that Oprah is my hero. It has changed my life forever.
This book touched my heart. Before reading this I thought Oprah was just a talk show host, who’s famous, and has a lot of money. After reading I found out about her experiences, personal life and heart. This book also made me realize that Oprah is my hero. It has changed my life forever.
December 27, 2019
was a bit redundant. It was informative for a brief synopsis of Oprah's life, so I guess it served its purpose. Just looked oprah up on wiki, and its basically this book. not sure how this is considered a book.
May 30, 2015
WARNING: THIS BOOK IS MASSIVE. If you don't like lugging around this thing, which is literally bigger than my head easily, then you may not like reading it. I understand it's got the feel of a coffee table book with all its visual appeals, but c'mon: A gigantic personality doesn't necessarily require a gigantic book. Unfortunately, despite its size, the contents aren't all that grandiose. This book isn't gonna teach anything new, but it is interesting in that it compiles articles penned by the famous and iconic about Lady O. It essentially deals with the many aspects that the show dealt with, from life-saving skills for women (e.g., self-defense) to beauty to sexual, mental, and physical health (e.g., the spread of AIDS through closeted husbands, cardiovascular disease and mad cow disease, the positives of veganism and menopause... the list is endless) to philanthropy (e.g., her work in Africa, New Orleans, and post-9/11) all the way to the razzle-dazzle of celebrity, explaining a little bit about her past along the way. There are lots of photos, but the biggest photographs (full-size, two page layout) stem from her last few shows, from getting ready in the make-up chair to walking out the exit. Final verdict: It's pretty to look at, but there's nothing here you couldn't find on a Wikipedia page.
June 13, 2015
I have not been an Oprah fan, to any extent. Of course, I was aware of her influence, especially on reading, when her Oprah’s Book Club ‘made’ authors’ reputations, their books bestsellers, and the library hold queues extraordinarily long! I wasn’t able to join in the “Did you see yesterday’s Oprah?” conversations, as I work afternoons and have not found any television compelling enough to record. I surprised myself, however, by picking up The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy, [791.4572 O62D 2011}, a beautiful coffee table book from Abrams publishers. Edited by Deborah Davis, it’s divided into 9 sections that capture Oprah’s social impact: a forum for women, star power, embracing equality, giving back, soul searching, in good health, here’s to books, moving the needle, and the farewell season. Many sections have tributes by her starring guest with accompanying photos. It’s a good read for Oprah fans, casual readers, or those pondering the social impact of the media.
July 27, 2012
Coffee table-sized with big, clear photographs of show moments, this book is fun memorabilia for fans. Though not literature, the task of summarizing the history of this show was a big one, and the author pulls it off very well. Hits all the high points (and some low ones unfortunately). The book is divided into sections on wellness, spirituality, the book club, etc. If you watched very faithfully at all, you probably won't get new aha moments from it, but it's a nice reminder of the best ones.
June 8, 2016
I only watched the Oprah show from time to time, as my schedule conflicted with it, but I was always a fan of Oprah. I really enjoyed this book as it captured Oprah's journey from humble beginnings to larger than life status while still remaining humble. I loved all the photos of the shows over the years and the stories. I knew Oprah had done a lot for equality issues but I did not know how much she fought for the underdog, how much she helped and how much she got her audience involved in helping too. A great tribute to a legacy.
December 26, 2013
Large, heavy, coffee table-style book with an exquisitely beautiful cover. As kind as the friends/celebrities' words of adoration were, they weren't home-runs. Some of the typos leave you hanging, as if a page is missing. The concept I loved; the product I didn't.
November 30, 2011
Beautiful book. Amazing woman. Makes me wish I had seen the show.
December 28, 2011
Book for the ultimate Oprah fan.......
August 21, 2018
The only time I ever watched the show was back in 2003 when I happened upon the episode where she gave every audience member a car and was jumping up and down in a pink dress.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews