Is anyone reading OPRAH, by Kitty Kelley? (quotes, human, characters)

[Jess5]

I'm on the waiting list for it, but can anyone throw some tidbits out?

[njkate]

Not yet my bff bought it so I'm waiting for her to finish..she said it's very gossipy

[nightcrawler]

My friend is reading it and I will find out after he is finished.
he said so far that he doesn't believe everything already.

I personally find Oprah an annoying interviewer, she never lets anyone finish talking and has to repeat what ever the guest says last, like I did not hear it the first time.

[nightcrawler]

He stopped reading it because he felt it was just bashing her, and he did not really believe everything this Kitty thing was writing about. No one has endorsed the book either, that should tell you something.

I think it is probably a bunch of lies as well, but I couldn't give a rats ares about Oprah or the book.

[plaidmom]

First of all, a disclaimer: I am not an "Oprah" fan. In fact when I wanted to watch a certain program, I actually had to look up the channel and the time so I could catch the show. I've never bought of copy of the "O" magazine although I have flipped through copies at doctors' offices and the like. I did enjoy "The Color Purple".

************

I'm only on Chapter 8 (The Early "Oprah" years and the start of her rise to superstardom) but so far it seems pretty balanced.

Kelly admits that Oprah wouldn't give her an interview...but she didn't need one. So much of Oprah Winfrey is already out there. She uses many of her subject's own quotes from her own interviews and TV show.

Kelly also interviewed many of Oprah's relatives. Some of these folks do indeed seem to have an axe to grind. I get the sense that many of them are offended by Oprah's portrayal of her childhood as one of extreme poverty and deprivation. They seem to see themselves as "poor, but working class".

In interviews with most of Winfrey's early-career co-workers (The Baltimore Years) , the subject is painted in a much better light. She is tough and driven and smart. Most of them seem to respect that.

Kelly presents the "characters" and then lets the reader form his or her own opinion. For instance, a former lover claims that Winfrey was an addict who converted him to drugs. After reading his comments though, I kind of came to the opposite conclusion. Oprah has admitted she's "used" but I don't think she's ever had to enter rehab or had any run-ins with the law (things that tend to pop up in an addict's CV).

Mostly, I am getting the picture of a flawed human being. Imagine that! It may indeed offend the sensibilities of the Oprah-worshipers. She's also a good actress and she very carefully controls her public image.

I picked up the book because I think she is such a huge force in current pop-culture and I was curious.

So far, a very good read. If you like contemporary biographies and you can pick this up at your local public library, do so.

[DewDropInn]

I read it. Interesting but not Earth shattering. One of the most interesting parts, to me, was where Kelley discussed Oprah's VAST wealth and yet still had the whole "Angel Network" charity thing where everyday people were sending their hard-earned money for the charities of Oprah's choice.

Don't get me wrong. I am a HUGE believer in charity and bless everyone who donated. But Kelley points out that Oprah doesn't give all that much of her own $$$ to charity. Yes, she has the school in South Africa, but Kelley discusses the percentages Oprah gives.

That said, I enjoyed the book. I watch Oprah, but take everything she says with a grain of salt. Definitely not a part of the Cult of Oprah. She is way too New Age-y for me. I've sent the book to a friend who doesn't watch Oprah at all and am anxious to see what she says.

[Ketabcha]

Let me first say that I am not particularly a fan of Oprah's but I do watch her show from time to time based on the topic of the day.

I read it and, like all of Kelley's books, it has a lot of gossip in it. That is to be expected. That is what Kelley does but she also does a phenomenal amount of research.

I don't consider it to be an "Oprah bashing" book. It came across to me as fair in its balance. No one gets to the top without stepping on some toes and I'm sure that Oprah stepped on plenty of them. But, the book also points out all the really good things she has done.

Think about it: you're a very poor black girl from the South. You have aspired to wealth and fame. How do you get there? You work like crazy and you keep your eyes on the prize, while making mistakes along the way. Add in a little luck here and there and you make it. That is a true American success story. Plus, Oprah is very gifted as an interviewer and she really connects with her audience. Luck is involved but she also has people skills. She truly has set some folks free from whatever chains were holding them down, be it weight, hatred, fear or trauma. That is very impressive as far as I am concerned. The reader learns a lot about her and about those close to her in the book. Again, take it with a grain of salt.

She is just like the rest of us in that she makes mistakes, has her feelings hurt and reacts to things like the rest of us do. In my opinion, it's a good book and should be taken with a grain of salt like other such books are.

[Jess5]

I think it's great. It has a lot of interesting tidbits in it. I hardly ever watch Oprah anymore, and haven't for years. I got tired of her pimping herself all the time, as in "Now you can say you've met Oprah Winfrey, not everyone can say that., you know." I do think she has done a lot of good things, and I've always appreciated her efforts to do so.

I thinks she gets snarky often. When she opened the school for blacks only, and was questioned about it, she said "It's my money, and I can do whatever I want with it." Which is true, but if someone were to open a school for white girls only, they'd be sued up and down. Another thing that really bothered me about her, was letting everyone think she bought the cars that she gave away that time, when she didnt. Also, I don't care for the fact that she has so many "celebrities" on her show. I'm just not into "celebrities" just because they are celebrities.

With that being said, I think Oprah has done much more good than not. Of course she knows she needs all those tax breaks too. I think Kitty Kelley is great and did a wonderful job. I don't think it was Oprah bashing at all.