I’m not an Oprah fan, in the sense that I haven’t watched her show in years, but she’s one of those celebrities you can’t help hearing about unless you live in a backyard bomb shelter that only has ham radio. Even then, I bet someone would mention her. Since I like reading biographies and the publicity around Oprah: A Biography by Kitty Kelley intrigued me, I bought the book.
The book is a hefty 445 pages (not counting the front and back matter) and covers Oprah’s life up to Obama’s election win. Kelley’s style made for a good read. My eyes didn’t glaze over once, which is quite amazing for such a long biography.
The media implied that Kelley would be hard on Oprah, and it’s not acceptable to criticize Oprah in some circles. Given the rather shrill advance press, I opened the book expecting all sorts of unsubstantiated gossip and mud-slinging, but Kelley’s book is well researched. She cites 50 pages of sources, including Oprah’s relatives; in fact, the book contains several photos of Kelley with Oprah’s father and aunt.
Most of her assertions are based on articles and TV appearances that anyone can obtain and view, so she’s not making stuff up. Rather than doing a hatchet job on Oprah, Kelley’s book came across as, “Here’s what Oprah has said and done. Draw your own conclusions.”
After reading the book, the worst conclusion I can draw about Oprah is that her fame and money has apparently led to a loss of perspective and a bit of a messiah complex. Otherwise she sounds like a human being filled with contradictions. Nothing remarkable there. She can be generous and selfish, kind and bitchy. If you’re in her good books, she’ll shower you with gifts, but one perceived snub and she’ll ruthlessly cut you out of her life.
Sadly, she seems incapable of trusting more than a few people, so she obsessively controls her image and demands that everyone sign overly-restrictive confidentiality agreements. But in this day and age, who can blame her? People are willing to say anything about anyone for their five minutes of fame, even when whatever they’re dishing reflects badly on them.
If you’re curious about how Oprah behaves when the cameras are turned off, you’ll find Kelley’s book an interesting read.
