Person
Oprah Winfrey books: every book Oprah Winfrey wrote and recommended
Across 4 podcasts. Every show Oprah Winfrey appears on, in one place — not just one.
Books by Oprah Winfrey
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What I Know For Sure
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What Happened to You?
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The uncommon wisdom of Oprah Winfrey
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The Path Made Clear
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The best of Oprah's what I know for sure
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Oprah Winfrey speaks
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Food, health, and happiness
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Build the Life You Want
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Make the Connection
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Journey to Beloved
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Awakened Woman
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The wisdom of Sundays
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Oprah Winfrey’s most recommended books
- My Love Story by Tina Turner
- Trust by Iyanla Vanzant
- Hungry by Dr. Robin L. Smith
- Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss
- Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
- I, Tina by Tina Turner
- Out on a Limb by Colin Higgins
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
- The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav
- Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now by Maya Angelou
Oprah Gail Winfrey is an American media mogul, actress, executive producer, author, and television personality. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011. Globally, she is the richest Black woman and the wealthiest female celebrity. Dubbed the "Queen of All Media", she was the richest African-American of the 20th century and was once the world's only Black billionaire. By 2007, she was often ranked as the most influential woman in the world and in 2026 was named the greatest living self-made American. On her podcast Oprah's Super Soul, Winfrey recommended that the audience read Iyanla Vanzant's powerful book Trust. She also dedicated extensive discussion to Tina Turner's memoir My Love Story, referencing Turner's medical challenges, dialysis, and perspectives on mortality, alongside Turner's earlier memoir I, Tina. Additionally, Winfrey brought up Shirley MacLaine's memoir Out on a Limb, recalling that she read and loved it while filming The Color Purple.
Books recommended by Oprah Winfrey
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What Happened to You?
What Happened to You? is a conversational guide on trauma, resilience, and healing co-authored by Oprah Winfrey and child psychiatrist Dr.
Discussed“Oh, what a great question, Jay. I thought trauma, prior to my conversations with Bruce in in doing this book, I thought trauma had to be a big gigantic thing, experience. You had to go through a tsunami, literally a If not literally a tsunami, a tsunami-like crisis in your life.”
Where to get it
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My Love Story
Discussed“I mean, so many, I couldn't even believe it when I was reading my love story.”
Where to get it
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Trust
Trust by Iyanla Vanzant is a self-help and spiritual guide focusing on how individuals can heal from past pain and learn to trust again.
Discussed“in her book trust iyanla also shares the deeply personal work she had to do herself to recalibrate her own internal compass”
Where to get it
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Hungry
Discussed“And that conversation led to Dr. Robin's latest book, Hungry, a very personal look at the relationship choices, career setbacks, and childhood wounds that can leave any of us feeling empty and hungry for more.”
Where to get it
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Anatomy of the Spirit
Discussed“I remember doing a show where Carolyn Mays was on with her book, Anatomy of Spirit, and the audience was watching, but I could see they had gone they had gone somewhere else.”
Where to get it
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Daring Greatly
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown is a popular non-fiction work that explores how vulnerability, shame, and courage can transform human connection and mental well-being.
Discussed“Not only is it that, it is, you know, what Brene Brown says in her book, Daring Greatly, and you refer to Brene. And she says that vulnerability is really the greatest act of courage.”
Where to get it
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I, Tina
Discussed“If we were to trace a line from the bravery it took for you to write your story back in the '80s, I, Tina, to women today speaking out about Harvey Weinstein and other powerful and abusive men.”
Where to get it
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Out on a Limb
Discussed“I invited her to the show because I had read and loved her memoir out on a limb while filming The Color Purple.”
Where to get it
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The Color Purple
The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a classic epistolary novel following the life of Celie, an African American woman living in the American South who endures profound hardship and discovers her self-worth.
Discussed“because the Golden Rule says do unto others as you would have them do unto you in the color purple remember color purple That moment when miss Celie says everything you even try to do to me is already done to you”
Where to get it
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The Seat of the Soul
The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav is a spiritual and philosophical exploration that examines the evolution of human consciousness and the power of intention.
Discussed“Cuz around this time, 19 in the late 1980s, I was reading Gary Zukov's book, Seed of the Soul. And in that book, one of the best books of my life actually, and he has two chapters on intention.”
Where to get it
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Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now
Discussed“Maya used Maya actually wrote a book called I think it's a book of poetry called I wouldn't take nothing for my journey now.”
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Year of Yes
Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes is a candid and humorous memoir in which the acclaimed television creator chronicles her transformative personal journey of stepping out of her comfort zone by accepting every frightening opportunity and challenge that came her way over the course of a year.
Discussed“And then I heard that you'd written the book, Year of Yes.”
Where to get it
Questions about Oprah Winfrey’s book recommendations
What book does Oprah Winfrey recommend most?
My Love Story by Tina Turner. Oprah Winfrey discussed it in 1 episode.
How many books has Oprah Winfrey recommended on podcasts?
We have found 12 books Oprah Winfrey recommended or discussed, across 9 episodes of 4 podcasts. Ad reads and passing mentions are not counted.
What books are on Oprah Winfrey's reading list?
The books Oprah Winfrey has recommended most on podcasts are My Love Story by Tina Turner, Trust by Iyanla Vanzant, Hungry by Dr. Robin L. Smith, Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss and Daring Greatly by Brené Brown. The full book list below has all 12.
What books has Oprah Winfrey written?
The uncommon wisdom of Oprah Winfrey (1996), Make the Connection (1996), Oprah Winfrey speaks (1998), Journey to Beloved (1998), The best of Oprah's what I know for sure (2005), What I Know For Sure (2014), Food, health, and happiness (2017), Awakened Woman (2017), The wisdom of Sundays (2017) and The Path Made Clear (2019), among 13 in all.
What did Oprah Winfrey recommend on Oprah's Super Soul?
My Love Story, Trust and Hungry, among 7 books in all.
What is the latest book Oprah Winfrey recommended?
My Love Story, discussed on Oprah's Super Soul (2026-10-07).
People who recommend the same books
Appearances
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I invited her to the show because I had read and loved her memoir out on a limb while filming The Color Purple.”