Last night I appeared on the Oprah Book Club webcast for Uwem Akpan’s SAY YOU’RE ONE OF THEM. This book of stories about life in a war-torn Africa, ironically enough, helped me understand deeper parts of myself. The emotional landscape of these stories are breathtaking and reading the book was like a journey. Having been an Oprah Book Club fan from the beginning (way back in 1996 with The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard), it was thrilling to be a part of this worldwide event. I was able to climb deep inside the book, understand the author’s intentions when creating certain characters and developing specific events and hear about other people’s reaction to the book. This was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I can’t wait to find out what the next Book Club selection will be!
