OPRAH WINFREY Recent Titles in Greenwood Biographies Christina Aguilera: A Biography Mary Anne Donovan Paul Newman: A Biography Marian Edelman Borden George W. Bush: A Biography Clarke Rountree Che Guevara: A Biography Richard L. Harris Sarah Palin: A Biography Carolyn K. Cooper David Petraeus: A Biography Bradley T. Gericke Paris Hilton: A Biography Sandra Gurvis Frederick Douglass: A Biography C. James Trotman Sojourner Truth: A Biography Larry G. Murphy Harriet Tubman: A Biography James A. McGowan and William C. Kashatus George Washington Carver: A Biography Gary R. Kremer Lance Armstrong: A Biography Paula Johanson Prince William: A Biography Joann F. Price OPRAH WINFREY A Biography Second Edition Helen S. Garson GREENWOOD BIOGRAPHIES Copyright 2011 by Helen S. Garson All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Garson, Helen S. Oprah Winfrey : a biography / Helen S. Garson. — 2nd ed. p. cm. — (Greenwood biographies) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-313-35832-6 (hard copy : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-313-35833-3 (ebook) 1. Winfrey, Oprah. 2. Television personalities—United States— Biography. 3. Actors—United States—Biography. I. Title. PN1992.4.W56G37 2011 791.4502'8092—dc22 [B] 2011002272 ISBN: 978-0-313-35832-6 EISBN: 978-0-313-35833-3 15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5 This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook. Visit www.abc-clio.com for details. Greenwood An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC ABC-CLIO, LLC 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911 This book is printed on acid-free paper Manufactured in the United States of America For My Beloved Husband, Neil, Once Again This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Series Foreword ix Introduction xi Acknowledgments xvii Timeline: Events in the Life of Oprah Winfrey xix Chapter 1 This Powerful Celebrity 1 Chapter 2 A Once Colored Girl 25 Chapter 3 Media Mogul 83 Chapter 4 America Reads 117 Chapter 5 Schools 143 Chapter 6 Living Life the Oprah Way 161 Chapter 7 Oprah’s Yellow Brick Road 191 Bibliography 195 Index 199 This page intentionally left blank SERIES FOREWORD I n response to high school and public library needs, Greenwood devel- oped this distinguished series of full-length biographies specifi cally for student use. Prepared by fi eld experts and professionals, these engaging biographies are tailored for high school students who need challeng- ing yet accessible biographies. Ideal for secondary school assignments, the length, format, and subject areas are designed to meet educators’ requirements and students’ interests. G reenwood offers an extensive selection of biographies spanning all curriculum-related subject areas, including social studies, the sciences, literature and the arts, history and politics, as well as popular culture, covering public fi gures and famous personalities from all time periods and backgrounds, both historic and contemporary, who have made an impact on U.S. and world culture. Greenwood biographies were cho- sen based on comprehensive feedback from librarians and educators. Consideration was given to both curriculum relevance and inherent interest. The result is an intriguing mix of the well known and the unex- pected, the saints and sinners from long-ago history and contemporary pop culture. Readers will fi nd a wide array of subject choices from fasci- nating crime fi gures like Al Capone to inspiring pioneers like Margaret