• Welcome to BookAndReader!

    We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!

    Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.

A critique of Oprah's book club

I don't know what that has to do with anything. The thread is specifically about her book club, and whether it's acceptable for the great unwashed to read Dickens the "wrong" way.
 
beer good said:
I don't know what that has to do with anything. The thread is specifically about her book club, and whether it's acceptable for the great unwashed to read Dickens the "wrong" way.
Click to expand...

I would suppose your remarks about "the wrong way" are directed toward the people whose views were mentioned in the posted article, for example the reviewer at the Atlantic, unless you have something more specific in mind. It seems to me that this thread is overall quite complimentary, if not outright adulatory toward Oprah, and nobody that I remember has even hinted that her readers are connected with any unwashed masses, except you just now.

My own comments have been directed at trying to inject some factuality into the discussion. I hope that is appropriate.
 
Peder said:
It seems to me that this thread is overall quite complimentary, if not outright adulatory toward Oprah
Click to expand...
I don't know about "adulatory" - care to quote any examples of that? - but when you posted directly below me, using the same sentence structure as me, I sort of got the impression that you were implying that I was looking for "any reason to praise Oprah." If I was wrong I apoligize, it's honestly hard to tell what you're saying sometimes.

It seems to me that people are coming to this discussion from a few different viewpoints; whether we're discussing Oprah getting people to read, or Oprah getting people to read. Personally I have no problem saying that getting people to read good books is a good thing, whatever else I may think of Oprah (not that I think of her all that much). Sure it could be done better, but isn't it a positive thing that it's being done at all?

and nobody that I remember has even hinted that her readers are connected with any unwashed masses, except you just now.
Click to expand...
True, I exaggerated a little for the sake of argument. That said, there have been comments about how Dickens is too hard for modern audiences, about how regular readers need "guidance" in order to "grow" and understand "canon", how her "followers" (what is she, Jesus?) can't handle the ending of Tale of two Cities, how she goes the "superficial, simple" route, claiming with no sorts of proof that only people who already read will read Oprah's selections... for all I know all of those arguments might have some merit, but again: you have to start somewhere. What's wrong with simply reading for the sake of enjoyment?

My own comments have been directed at trying to inject some factuality into the discussion. I hope that is appropriate.
Click to expand...
Facts are always appropriate, feel free to add them anytime. Vague implications about "questions lurking subliminally behind this discussion" etc are nobody's friend. :flowers:
 
Thank you BeerGood for your thoughtful post. Others before you have also suggested that sometimes it is hard to figure out what I am saying. If I am unclear, anyone is free to ask, or comment, or criticize.

My post immediately after yours was meant to be sardonic humor, but I guess "sardonic" doesn't carry well across the web. It was my comment on the immense popularity that Oprah has that is also evidenced in this thread. I can't think of any book, author, personality or celebrity that has been discussed on BAR with the overwhelming and nearly unanimously favorable support that Oprah has found in this thread. She is clearly a force of nature, if I may exaggerate (only slightly).

on the basis of the numbers in SFG's post, she obviously gets more people to buy and read the books she recommends than would otherwise buy and read those same books. That is specifically what I think those numbers mean. At the risk of rousing the dragon, I don't think that is the same as saying other more general things that she is credited with, like:
She gets more people to read.
She gets people to read more.
She causes more reading to be done.
She creates new readers.
She increases interest in reading.
She is good for reading generally.
She is good for book sales generally.
Maybe some or all of those statements are true, or maybe not; I just haven't seen the evidence, and certainly not in this thread. But I don't follow her doings elsewhere.

I too believe that reading is a good thing, and I am all for enjoying it. It is my principal reason for reading.

And just as an after thought, I think Oprah should defintitely be praised for what she has actually accomplished, and not praised for what she hasn't accomplished, if anyone can imagine such things.

So I hope we can all have a Happy Holiday Season and do a lot of reading. Cheers!
 
I just realised some comments made in this thread has to do with Oprah herself and not her reading selection.

I don't think she needs to be praised.lol

Has anyone read her list? How come there is a big deal on this particular book? Should we not encourage anyone who even tries it?

and big splashes are made from several people,or could be made from several people...has nothing to do with the subject.:D
 
I own quite a few of her selections.

Here's my 2 cents: there is not enough book related discussions on TV. Anything that encourages reading should be applauded. Nuff said.

Short but I only promised 2 cents worth ;)
 
Libra said:
I just realised some comments made in this thread has to do with Oprah herself and not her reading selection.
Click to expand...

Oprah is such a force of nature, it's practically impossible to separate her from the choices she makes, including her book/reading choices.

Did you ever get to read the comments on the link you provided earlier in the thread? I found them interesting, and most varied, it's entirely possible she could be doing a great service to the business of discussion of books, whatever anyone thinks of what or how many more [or not] books she causes to be bought.

A list of her Book Club Choices shows that she truly attempts to find uplifting and complex human stories.
For that alone she should be applauded.
 
It is pretty hard to argue that she doen't influence book reading, so I had thought that an increased presence for Oprah on TV would produce a greater impact by her on the reading of books, through her book club of course. Sounds like on-topic to me ("critique of Oprah's book club").
Oh, well.
 
Libra said:
I just realised some comments made in this thread has to do with Oprah herself and not her reading selection.
Click to expand...

Like I said; to some it's about Oprah recommending books, and to some it's about Oprah recommending books. I find it interesting that it's mostly those who accuse others of "praising" Oprah who seem to want to make this thread about, well, Oprah. All part of today's celebrity culture, I suppose; you can't criticize it without succumbing to it.
 
beer good said:
Like I said; to some it's about Oprah recommending books, and to some it's about Oprah recommending books. I find it interesting that it's mostly those who accuse others of "praising" Oprah who seem to want to make this thread about, well, Oprah. All part of today's celebrity culture, I suppose; you can't criticize it without succumbing to it.
Click to expand...


Good point. Some will read Oprah's picks despite Oprah, not because of her. Personally, I look at it as one more suggestion to consider. Frankly, I prefer to get by on my own or with the help of my family and friends. I also subscribe to Bookmarks magazine and pick up the Book Page at the library whenever I can. I'm curious to see what celebrities read, but not to the point I feel the need to slavishly follow their lead.
 
What does it mean when I refuse to buy the book because it has the Oprah sticker on it?
 
sparkchaser said:
What does it mean when I refuse to buy the book because it has the Oprah sticker on it?
Click to expand...

You care more about what others think than you thought?!?:lol:

Actually, I understand your reluctance. The only way I buy books with Oprah stickers is if I'm paying garage sale prices. I can put up with the Oprah sticker if someone else has already paid retail for it.:flowers:
 
interesting article

I've read the article, and I am not sure what to think of it. So many thoughts and emotions runs through me as I think about it, I am not sure what to say. But one thing I know, before I make any firm decision about is it good or bad or Oprah is doing, I try to understand the perspectives of both sides. Can Oprah understand the context of literature as you do, and can anyone do what Oprah has done, this where it comes down to it. As you can see I really don't want to take a side on it, but I am grateful of learning something from this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top