Oprah demolishes the ghetto
Everyone’s been buzzing for a little while now about Oprah’s teen book club. It’s an awesome thing, and I’m so, so very glad she has chosen to recognize teen writers. It’s like saying, “YA Ghetto? What YA Ghetto? Do you mean the fabulous world of YA, which is totally worthy of your attention?”
Not to mention that the woman has good taste. Her picks include …
• Slam by Nick Hornby
• Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
• Ringside, 1925: Views from the Scopes Trial by Jen Bryant
• You Know Where to Find Me by Rachel Cohn
• The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante
• Paper Towns by John Green
• Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
• The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
• Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy; illustrated by Tom Percival
• Red Glass by Laura Resau
• Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt
• The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
• The Arrival by Shaun Tan
• Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught
• Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
• Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
Now, I haven’t read every single one of these books, but I intend to read as many as I can as soon as I can. Some of those I have read, like The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, are locks for my top picks of 2008. There’s only one book on the list I’d pass over for sure, and there are quite a few I still need to read, but I think it’s fair to say Oprah’s picks are generally pretty kickass.
It bodes well for YA that Oprah is recommending teen authors. And I have to say, I hope that one day some of these teen picks will make it into her regular book club, because they deserve to. I feel especially strongly about E. Lockhart’s book, which is subversive and thoughtful and clever and should be read by as many people as possible, young or old.
Anyway, go to Oprah’s site to read descriptions of the books she’s recommended. And keep your fingers crossed, like I’m doing, that she’ll continue to update this list as authors publish great works.
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Anything that gets more people to read YA is wonderful. I haven’t read any of those books, but a lot of them are already on my to-read list.
August 23rd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Many awesome choices on that list, only some of which I have read. I hope Oprah keeps the club going; no doubt she’ll provide some much-needed exposure for YA authors.
August 23rd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Hooray! Very cool though—there’s definitly a lot of people who listen to Oprah who wouldn’t otherwise hear about these books.
My love for the Dispreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is intense. That book was AWESOME.
August 24th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
It’s great that YA books are getting recognized by someone with as much influence as Oprah. Woot!
I’ve read a few of those. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks was pretty fantastic. Can’t wait to read Paper Towns.
Which one would you pass over?
August 24th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I’ve only read 7 of her picks. Hmm.
And it’s great YA authors are getting some recognition. Yay!
August 24th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I read the title of this post and went “What? That’s terrible! Oprah would never do that.” *smacks head*
LoveloveLOVE Shannon Hale and John Green. All these picks look excellent. Which one would you pass on?
August 25th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Ah. As for the one that wouldn’t make my list, I’m keeping mum. The only thing I can say is that it’s rather preachy.