Oprah Winfrey has blessed the book world’s eternal underdog: the short story.
Publishing’s surest hitmaker announced that her latest book club pick is Uwem Akpan’s (YOO’-ehm AK’-panz) debut collection “Say You’re One Of Them.”
Winfrey’s choice practically guarantees hundreds of thousands of sales, numbers generally unthinkable for short stories beyond works by Ernest Hemingway, John Cheever and other giants of the art form.
Akpan is a native of Nigeria and an ordained Jesuit priest who in 2006 received a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Michigan.
His work is set in Nigeria, Rwanda and other African countries and often centers on children in distress.
In 2005, The New Yorker featured him in its debut fiction issue.
-Associated Press
I would LOVE to hear what everyone out there is thinking about Oprah’s pick. Feel free to leave a comment. Will you be reading this selection?
