‘Oprah: A Biography’ by Kitty Kelley

She’s a household name and one of the wealthiest and most influential women in the world. She’s grilled the rich and famous, the depraved and twisted, and she has entertained us for years. But what do we really know about Oprah Winfrey?

Famed biographer Kitty Kelley dives into history and background of the famous talk-show host, and reveals her finds and observations in her book, “Oprah: A Biography.”

At 524 pages, 48 of which are reference notes and citations, this book is no leisurely afternoon read, but Kelley, with her journalistic background and ability to find the most interesting pieces of information, has put together a fast-paced book that is too fascinating to put down at times.

Because Winfrey refused to have anything to do with the writing of this book (citing that because Kelley had written a controversial book on a member of her “family,” Jackie Kennedy Onassis), Kelley was left to examine the thousands upon thousands of articles as well as hundreds of interviews with family, friends, classmates and co-workers to compile one of the most comprehensive biographies on Winfrey to date.

From her childhood bouncing back and forth between parents from Milwaukee to Nashville, to her turbulent teenage years, to her first jobs in the television industry to her present day status as a cultural icon, Kelley paints Winfrey as a stubborn, strong-willed woman who knew what she wanted from life at a fairly early age, and surrounded herself with friends and colleagues who would help her get what she wanted, even if it meant stepping on or over them to get it.

All through the book are tidbits of little-known information, such as Winfrey’s supposed fling with entertainment journalist/musician John Tesh. There are also well-known facts, such as her close relationship with her best friend Gayle King, and her romantic relationship with the mysterious Stedman Graham.

Perhaps the most damning is the information gathered from Winfrey’s own family — her mother, father, half sister, and aunt — there isn’t much love-loss between them and their famous relative. But it was surprising to learn that Oprah had a tendency to exaggerate the truth when it was helpful to her — such as when she claimed she was abandoned by her mother at birth and raised by her grandmother in Mississippi when in fact her mother was there until Oprah was 4 years old, and left only to find a better job in the North so she could raise her children better.

Now, it helps to bear in mind that there are two sides to every story, and since Winfrey didn’t participate in the writing of this book, it relates events as Kelley perceives them from the information and interviews she had on hand. Perhaps this will motivate Winfrey to publish the infamous autobiography that she penned several years ago and withdrew from publication before the first page was printed.