Nowadays, it’s not often that you find someone who hasn’t heard of Oprah Winfrey. A celebrated cultural icon, Oprah represents the struggle from the bottom to the very top—her rags-to-riches story a source of countless intrigue and inspiration for her viewers. But the undeniable niche that Oprah has carved into the world of daytime talk often falls under the siege of writers who are quick to critique the effects of her socio-economic power.
The Oprah Phenomenon, edited by Jennifer Harris and Elwood Watson, is a collection of essays that highlight the aspects of Oprah’s career that have lead to her immense popularity, as well as the controversial moments that have, at times, compromised her personal integrity.
The Queen
“To speak of Oprah Winfrey is to speak in superlatives. She’s the richest this, the most powerful that; the first this, with the greatest influence on that. What Caesar was to geography, it would seem, Winfrey is to the turn-of-the-twenty-first-century culture,” writes Robert Thompson in the book’s foreword.
In each of their pieces, the contributors of the book make it clear that through the success of the Oprah Winfrey Show, her book club, O magazine and most recently, her satellite radio program, Oprah has achieved a quasi-royalty status. But by also exploring the different facets of Oprah’s personality in relation to her role as a business mogul, the essays in The Oprah Phenomenon dart past the hype, aiming straight for a more balanced portrayal of the influence she has on society.
An aspect of this novel that is greatly appealing is the quality of the essays included—the diverse sampling of scholars drawing on academic experience as well as vast bibliographical resources to ensure credibility. Their reflections on Oprah, though sometimes personal and other times more professional, are for the most part balanced representations of this media queen.
Race, Religion and Riches
Common themes that can be found in many of the essays include the relation between Oprah’s race and the racial perceptions held by her viewers, the spiritual and emotional connections forged during her interviews as well as her corporate image and the way it upholds the existing capitalist structures in America.
By having many of the contributors address these same topics, the issues are covered from all points of view. Though the critiques are well-rounded they can also border on repetitive, at times making it difficult to get the facts straight.
Still, with most literature on this subject focusing on Oprah’s public persona, this book is instead a great encapsulation of the way in which different social groups (e.g., feminists, pop culture specialists, historians and race experts) interpret her entire career.
Linda Kay’s essay, My Mom and Oprah Winfrey: Her Appeal to White Women, touches on an important part of Oprah’s legacy—the individual emotional response that she can elicit from her predominately female audience. She brilliantly captures the essence of the "Oprah phenomenon" as follows:
“Winfrey’s story reverberates because it comprises large doses of both struggle and transformation. Winfrey’s story captures the boundless possibilities that life holds, despite the hurdles, an idea that resonates for us, our daughters, our sisters, and our mothers—for every woman.”
About the Authors
Jennifer Harris is assistant professor of English at Mount Allison University, New Brunswick, Canada. Her articles and essays have appeared in several journals, including African American Review and The Journal of American Culture, and books, including Turbo Chicks: Talking Young Feminisms.
Elwood Watson, associate professor of history at East Tennessee State University, is the editor of several books, including "There She Is, Miss America": The Politics of Sex, Beauty, and Race in America's Most Famous Pageant and Searching the Soul of Ally McBeal: Critical Essays.
Authors: Various
Editors: Jennifer Harris, Elwood Watson
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky.
Number of pages: 303
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