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4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Facts, June 18, 2009
When Oprah Winfrey was born, nobody knew that she was going to change the world. Winfrey was just a baby when her un-wanting mother left Oprah at her grandparents' farm to be raised under their harsh rules. Growing up, Winfrey was very gifted. She could read books before enrolled in Kindergarten, and skipped so many grades, she lost count. Although her school life was pretty easy, it wasn't the same way back on the farm. When Winfrey was just in elementary school, she had to go in the woods and pick out a stick to be beaten with. Her grandparents of coarse meant well, but were very strict with their rules. They always taught Oprah to follow her dreams, and that's exactly what she did.
When Oprah was a preteen, she was sent to live with her mother in an inner-city apartment. Life was a lot different there, and Winfrey made some pretty bad decisions as a teenager. When Winfrey was just 14, she became pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl, this was just one of the many attention-grabbing facts that the book included. She was stealing money from her mother's purse, and sneaking out. Her mother really didn't spend time with Oprah or have a good relationship with her, so she sent her to live with her father. Winfrey's father was remarried to a motherly woman, who treated Winfrey like her own. Oprah's parents were very young, because her mother and father were just 16 when she was born. Her father had a much better relationship with Oprah than her mother did, so he father and her step-mother raised Oprah well. According to the book, Winfrey's father was supportive of anything she did. Pretty soon, Oprah got a job working for a radio, hosting her own morning show. Winfrey was only 17, and was considered "a fresh start to the morning." This part of the book really helped understand how her career started. As more and more people tuned in to her show, she received many job offers and not just on the radio, some were on television. Oprah took a job working as a news anchor and reporter in Baltimore. Unfortunately, she was overweight, and criticized for it. After a news report, she would go and eat at any local cafeteria. Very few people on television were overweight, but she had such phenomenal talent that they overlooked that. Soon after that, Winfrey took a job in Chicago co-hosting a talk show. She was loved all over, and took over the show later on. At this point, Oprah was making millions and was able to buy anything she wanted. Oprah is known all over, and today she is the most popular thing on television.
Oprah Winfrey by Sherry Beck Paprocki was a very enjoyable read. The book gave some interesting details on the life of Oprah Winfrey. The facts were amazing, the book itself was smooth and very educational. If people are looking for a biography with some attention-grabbing information, this is the book for you. From her childhood to her present life, this book has it all.
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