Oprah is back with her next book club pick and it’s a big one.
The media mogul announced that her next pick—her 81st ever selection—would be Ta-Nehisi Coates’ new novel, The Water Dancer.
“I have not felt this way about a book since Beloved,” says Oprah, told O Magazine. “I knew early on the book was going to cut me up. I ended up with my soul pierced.”
The book, which is the first work of fiction from the acclaimed writer of Between The World And Me, follows the story of Hiram Walker, a young man born as a slave on a plantation in Virginia, who has been gifted a mysterious, magical power that eventually saves his life when he nearly drowns in a river. His survival inspires him to break free and run away from his bonds as he sets out on a dangerous and dramatic journey.
The Water Dancer will be the first book club pick under Oprah’s new Apple TV+ show Oprah’s Book Club. She will sit with Coates for the premiere episode set to debut November 1.
Oprah’s Book Club originally got its start as a recurring segment on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996.