Oprah Book Club List 2020
Oprah Winfrey started her first book club in 1996 as the OG celebrity book club. In the past 30 years, she has chosen over one hundred books, which makes it difficult to keep track of the books by year. This year, Oprah only chose four books for the entire year. This is the Oprah Book Club List 2020, with short descriptions of all the books and reviews of the books I have read.
I have been reading books from the Oprah Book Club for over 20 years. Her books are literary in nature and always great for discussion. When the book club first started, Oprah consistently chose 7-10 books a year. By 2002, her choices began to dwindle, with only one to four book picks a year for the next twenty years! Yes, twenty years. If you want to see all the books on from the Oprah Book Club list, I have that for you!
While Oprah’s book Club version 2.0 technically started in 2012, after her show ended, the choices did not become more consistent until 2020. It may seem easier to keep track of the books when she chooses fewer, but it makes it more confusing for me.
I think it is important to have consistency in a book club. Whether you are choosing books monthly or quarterly, book club members should know when to expect the next book. Without consistency, there is not as much anticipation of the next book, and I think that is a shame.
*Post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you. Some books have been gifted. All opinions are our own.
Oprah Book Club List 2020
American Dirt
Author: Jeanine Cummins
Year: 2020
Genre: Fiction
More info: January 2020 Oprah’s Book Club Pick
Age Range: 16+
Plot
The story starts with Lydia and her 8-year-old son Luca as they hide from the cartel, who are massacring their entire extended family. The opening is heart-pounding — the jolt it gives to your heart never lets up.
Lydia and Luca then have to make the perilous journey North as migrants. What they go through as they try to outrun the cartel is devastating, thought-provoking, and scary. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I never knew that a scene about putting a band-aid on a blister could be so suspenseful. I don’t want to tell any details because this story is about the unfolding of real-time events and the backstory that led to the massacre.
Trigger Warnings
Murder, Rape
Why Kirsten loves it
My heart did not stop pounding the entire time I read this book. I know that there is a lot of controversy surrounding this book. However, I read this book for what it was- a work of fiction rather than non-fiction.
Find this book in: Books About Immigration / Best Oprah’s Book Club Books/ Oprah Book Club List 2020
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family
Author: Robert Kolker
Year: 2020
Genre: Nonfiction
More info: June 2020 Oprah’s Book Club Pick
#1 New York Times Bestseller
Age Range: 15+
Plot
Stop everything and add Hidden Valley Road to your TBR now!! All I can say is wow! This favorite is one of the best books on Mental Illness and an absolutely fascinating non-fiction book.
This is the amazing story of Don and Mimi Galvin, whose family paved the way for schizophrenia research over the past 50 years. Of their 12 children- 10 sons and 2 daughters, 6 of the boys have schizophrenia.
The struggles of this family to survive through the age of lobotomies and institutionalization provide a look into the history of this disorder. It’s unbelievable to think how far we’ve come, and yet, we are not even close to understanding this disease.
Trigger Warnings
Suicide, Mental illness, Sexual Assault
Why Kirsten loves it
I think it’s unbelievable to think how far we’ve come, and yet, we are not even close to understanding this disease. I could not put this book down.
Why Jackie loves it
I found this book to be absolutely fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time. It is still shocking to me how much we do not understand about the human mind and how much stigma there is with mental illness.
Find this book in: Books on Mental Illness / 20 Best Books of 2020 / Best Books for Book Clubs to Read / Best Oprah’s Book Club Books / Best Nonfiction Books / Oprah Book Club List 2020
Deacon King Kong
Author: James McBride
Year: 2020
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: June 2020 Oprah Book Club Pick
Plot
In 1969, Sportcoat, a local deacon, walked into a well-known housing project and shot the project’s head drug dealer at point-blank range. The story examines not just the reason behind the shooting, but the impact it has one everyone it touches – from neighbors who witnessed it, to the police and other members of the community.
Caste
Author: Isabel Wilkerson
Year: 2020
Genre: Nonfiction
More info: November 2020 Oprah Book Club Pick
Plot
In her bestselling book, Isabel Wilkerson takes a look at Caste systems across the globe – from the US to India to Nazi Germany, using real people as examples of the undercurrents that make up the world and its caste system.
Expert Tip
Oprah’s book club is the most literary of all the book clubs and can seem intimidating. Here are some tips if you want to read an Oprah book club pick.
- Allow yourself time to read the books without feeling pressured to rush through them. This way, you can really enjoy the plots and characters
- Kirsten and I have not read all of the books on the Oprah Book Club list 2020. If you want to read a book you will love, check out my reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best book from the Oprah Book Club List 2020?
Kirsten and I agree that Hidden Valley Road is a fantastic book that everyone should read. This book was the June 2020 pick for Oprah’s Book Club.
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Epilogue
Did you read all four of the books from the Oprah Book Club list 2020? Which was your favorite?
