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Living Oprah: My One-Year Experiment to Walk the Walk of the Queen of Talk
What happens when a thirty-five-year-old average American woman spends one year following every piece of Oprah Winfrey's advice on how to "live your best life"? Robyn Okrant devoted 2008 to adhering to all of Oprah's suggestions and guidance delivered via her television show, her Web site, and her magazine. LIVING OPRAH is a month-by-month account of that year.
Some of the challenges included enrollment in Oprah's Best Life Challenge for physical fitness and weight control, living vegan, and participating in Oprah's Book Club. After 365 days of LIVING OPRAH, Okrant reflects on the rewards won and lessons learned as well as the tolls exacted by the experiment.
Some of the challenges included enrollment in Oprah's Best Life Challenge for physical fitness and weight control, living vegan, and participating in Oprah's Book Club. After 365 days of LIVING OPRAH, Okrant reflects on the rewards won and lessons learned as well as the tolls exacted by the experiment.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 4, 2008
19 people are currently reading
512 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
November 15, 2017
Living Oprah is Robyn Okrant's account of how she spent one year conscientiously following the advice Oprah dishes out to millions of women across America.
If Oprah said to read a book or watch a film, Robyn did it. If she advised de-cluttering, new make-up tips or relationship work, Robyn was on-board.
For the most part, I enjoyed this quirky book, but I also found it to be slightly repetitive- similar to what Robyn found following Oprah to be after a few months.
She starts out with high hopes: "Could Oprah's guidance truly lead a woman to her 'best life,' or would it fail miserable? Is it even possible to follow someone else's advice to discover one's authentic self?" pg 4.
We all discover the answer to be no. But, Robyn gives it a good run because: "It's vitally important for women to question the sources of influence and persuasion in our lives. We are inundated with get rich/get thin/get married suggestions every time we turn on the TV or walk by the magazine rack. And sadly, we tend to judge ourselves against seemingly impossible standards." pg 11.
I liked her thought process throughout the year. I also thought her reasoning for doing the experiment was excellent: "One of the reasons I was drawn to Oprah as a subject for this project was my continual search for new ways to manage my pain, keep my self-esteem from faltering, and ease the stress and fear associated with scoliosis." pg 36. In some ways, Robyn was sort of Oprah's target audience.
My favorite part of this book was when Robyn was trying to follow Oprah's advice to read Eckert Tolle's A New Earth and live by its precepts, while still engaging in the consumerism and self improvement programs Oprah touts on her program each week.
"It's also uncomfortable to enjoy a celebrity lovefest on Oprah after I've spent an hour competing my reading assignment for A New Earth. Oprah's Book Club selection focuses on separating ourselves from our ego and learning to connect with people on an authentic level rather than a superficial one. I don't see how a segment on the show glamorizing Mariah Carey's lingerie closet supports the work Oprah's asked us to do." pg 72.
Robyn comes to the conclusion that if Oprah's viewers followed all of Oprah's advice, they quickly wouldn't need her anymore to live their best lives. Part of Oprah's draw is that she has viewers convinced there's always something more to be improved upon, tweaked, de-cluttered or examined.
It is a never-ending process of evolution. That is why Oprah's built her empire and also why women don't stop watching.
And sometimes it's the promise of 'infotainment' that keeps viewers coming back: "Oprah frequently reminds her guests and audience that her tell-all shows are not pulp entertainment, they are for our education. I do take her warning to heart but think that if this is something we must constantly be reminded about, maybe a different format is in order." pg 57-58
I've never been a huge watcher of Oprah (or any tv for that matter), but I still enjoyed this book for it's honest examination of hero worship, popular culture and the self improvement industry. I think Oprah viewers may enjoy this book even more.
If Oprah said to read a book or watch a film, Robyn did it. If she advised de-cluttering, new make-up tips or relationship work, Robyn was on-board.
For the most part, I enjoyed this quirky book, but I also found it to be slightly repetitive- similar to what Robyn found following Oprah to be after a few months.
She starts out with high hopes: "Could Oprah's guidance truly lead a woman to her 'best life,' or would it fail miserable? Is it even possible to follow someone else's advice to discover one's authentic self?" pg 4.
We all discover the answer to be no. But, Robyn gives it a good run because: "It's vitally important for women to question the sources of influence and persuasion in our lives. We are inundated with get rich/get thin/get married suggestions every time we turn on the TV or walk by the magazine rack. And sadly, we tend to judge ourselves against seemingly impossible standards." pg 11.
I liked her thought process throughout the year. I also thought her reasoning for doing the experiment was excellent: "One of the reasons I was drawn to Oprah as a subject for this project was my continual search for new ways to manage my pain, keep my self-esteem from faltering, and ease the stress and fear associated with scoliosis." pg 36. In some ways, Robyn was sort of Oprah's target audience.
My favorite part of this book was when Robyn was trying to follow Oprah's advice to read Eckert Tolle's A New Earth and live by its precepts, while still engaging in the consumerism and self improvement programs Oprah touts on her program each week.
"It's also uncomfortable to enjoy a celebrity lovefest on Oprah after I've spent an hour competing my reading assignment for A New Earth. Oprah's Book Club selection focuses on separating ourselves from our ego and learning to connect with people on an authentic level rather than a superficial one. I don't see how a segment on the show glamorizing Mariah Carey's lingerie closet supports the work Oprah's asked us to do." pg 72.
Robyn comes to the conclusion that if Oprah's viewers followed all of Oprah's advice, they quickly wouldn't need her anymore to live their best lives. Part of Oprah's draw is that she has viewers convinced there's always something more to be improved upon, tweaked, de-cluttered or examined.
It is a never-ending process of evolution. That is why Oprah's built her empire and also why women don't stop watching.
And sometimes it's the promise of 'infotainment' that keeps viewers coming back: "Oprah frequently reminds her guests and audience that her tell-all shows are not pulp entertainment, they are for our education. I do take her warning to heart but think that if this is something we must constantly be reminded about, maybe a different format is in order." pg 57-58
I've never been a huge watcher of Oprah (or any tv for that matter), but I still enjoyed this book for it's honest examination of hero worship, popular culture and the self improvement industry. I think Oprah viewers may enjoy this book even more.
February 14, 2010
Okay here goes a really harsh review...
I did not understand the purpose of this one-year experiment. After finishing the book, I did not gain any insights into anything. At least Oprah wants viewers to have a better life etc. What was this book for us readers? What am I to get out of this reading experience?
The author just went through all the advice from Oprah without giving much thought to the purpose of each advice. She would kiss her husband for ten seconds because she was told to. Without even trying, I could have told her that it would be useless because she didn't seem to understand why she was doing it. She wasn't trying to improve her life or her marriage. She was just going through motions. It was sometimes unpleasant to read because she wasn't enjoying "Living Oprah," and neither was I as a reader. What a waste of a year. And what a waste of my time reading this book. Worst of it all, it wasn't even funny. It didn't flow nor make sense at a time.
My advice: don't read it. If you are still curious, read the last chapter and be done with it.
I did not understand the purpose of this one-year experiment. After finishing the book, I did not gain any insights into anything. At least Oprah wants viewers to have a better life etc. What was this book for us readers? What am I to get out of this reading experience?
The author just went through all the advice from Oprah without giving much thought to the purpose of each advice. She would kiss her husband for ten seconds because she was told to. Without even trying, I could have told her that it would be useless because she didn't seem to understand why she was doing it. She wasn't trying to improve her life or her marriage. She was just going through motions. It was sometimes unpleasant to read because she wasn't enjoying "Living Oprah," and neither was I as a reader. What a waste of a year. And what a waste of my time reading this book. Worst of it all, it wasn't even funny. It didn't flow nor make sense at a time.
My advice: don't read it. If you are still curious, read the last chapter and be done with it.
November 25, 2019
What if you decided to abdicate any responsibility for the choices in your life, for a year, and hand that control over to an influential celebrity? That’s what Okrant did and she blogged her way through the year, taking on any directive that Oprah gave, whether it be through the Oprah Winfrey Show; O, the Oprah Magazine; or Oprah.com.
From the get-go, she was conflicted. While acknowledging that we should “question the sources of influence and persuasion in our lives”, Okrant proceeds to do exactly the opposite, all in the name of finding out whether “Living Oprah is actually the road to happiness and fulfillment.” Chronologically arranged by month, January points out the discrepancy between the author’s priorities (staying healthy, getting an education, traveling to see family) and Oprah’s (have beautiful surroundings). February provides a moral dilemma: Oprah is backing Barack Obama for President. Okrant agonizes over what she would have done if she weren’t inclined to vote for him in any case. There is an interesting discussion in March about the fact that women’s magazines are based on the idea of self-help and “their audiences’ constant state of dissatisfaction with themselves” and yet – if the guidance from these magazines actually worked – we would all be happy and healthy.
Still - in June she watches an episode of the show that changes her life for the better. She has significant scoliosis with regular pain; an episode in which two people with incurable cancer talk about how they live each day fully moves her to think about how she could change her viewpoint around her disease.
By October, although externally more successful (she has a publisher for her book, thousands of readers on her website, is better dressed and thinner), she is overwhelmed and stressed out trying to keep up with all that Oprah ‘tells’ her to do. Because she is no longer making choices – that’s Oprah’s job – she feels her identity slipping away. By December, she is completely overwhelmed and dreaming of Oprah.
The book offered just enough insight to keep me reading, and a sometimes droll and always conversational tone. Maybe because it’s based on blog posts it felt mostly like list of things she did, with no overriding theme or cohesiveness. Every insight was a small morsel and we didn’t really delve into anything.
-Marjorie
From the get-go, she was conflicted. While acknowledging that we should “question the sources of influence and persuasion in our lives”, Okrant proceeds to do exactly the opposite, all in the name of finding out whether “Living Oprah is actually the road to happiness and fulfillment.” Chronologically arranged by month, January points out the discrepancy between the author’s priorities (staying healthy, getting an education, traveling to see family) and Oprah’s (have beautiful surroundings). February provides a moral dilemma: Oprah is backing Barack Obama for President. Okrant agonizes over what she would have done if she weren’t inclined to vote for him in any case. There is an interesting discussion in March about the fact that women’s magazines are based on the idea of self-help and “their audiences’ constant state of dissatisfaction with themselves” and yet – if the guidance from these magazines actually worked – we would all be happy and healthy.
Still - in June she watches an episode of the show that changes her life for the better. She has significant scoliosis with regular pain; an episode in which two people with incurable cancer talk about how they live each day fully moves her to think about how she could change her viewpoint around her disease.
By October, although externally more successful (she has a publisher for her book, thousands of readers on her website, is better dressed and thinner), she is overwhelmed and stressed out trying to keep up with all that Oprah ‘tells’ her to do. Because she is no longer making choices – that’s Oprah’s job – she feels her identity slipping away. By December, she is completely overwhelmed and dreaming of Oprah.
The book offered just enough insight to keep me reading, and a sometimes droll and always conversational tone. Maybe because it’s based on blog posts it felt mostly like list of things she did, with no overriding theme or cohesiveness. Every insight was a small morsel and we didn’t really delve into anything.
-Marjorie
November 25, 2019
What if you decided to abdicate any responsibility for the choices in your life, for a year, and hand that control over to an influential celebrity? That’s what Okrant did and she blogged her way through the year, taking on any directive that Oprah gave, whether it be through the Oprah Winfrey Show; O, the Oprah Magazine; or Oprah.com.
From the get-go, she was conflicted. While acknowledging that we should “question the sources of influence and persuasion in our lives”, Okrant proceeds to do exactly the opposite, all in the name of finding out whether “Living Oprah is actually the road to happiness and fulfillment.” Chronologically arranged by month, January points out the discrepancy between the author’s priorities (staying healthy, getting an education, traveling to see family) and Oprah’s (have beautiful surroundings). February provides a moral dilemma: Oprah is backing Barack Obama for President. Okrant agonizes over what she would have done if she weren’t inclined to vote for him in any case. There is an interesting discussion in March about the fact that women’s magazines are based on the idea of self-help and “their audiences’ constant state of dissatisfaction with themselves” and yet – if the guidance from these magazines actually worked – we would all be happy and healthy.
Still - in June she watches an episode of the show that changes her life for the better. She has significant scoliosis with regular pain; an episode in which two people with incurable cancer talk about how they live each day fully moves her to think about how she could change her viewpoint around her disease.
By October, although externally more successful (she has a publisher for her book, thousands of readers on her website, is better dressed and thinner), she is overwhelmed and stressed out trying to keep up with all that Oprah ‘tells’ her to do. Because she is no longer making choices – that’s Oprah’s job – she feels her identity slipping away. By December, she is completely overwhelmed and dreaming of Oprah.
The book offered just enough insight to keep me reading, and a sometimes droll and always conversational tone. Maybe because it’s based on blog posts it felt mostly like list of things she did, with no overriding theme or cohesiveness. Every insight was a small morsel and we didn’t really delve into anything.
From the get-go, she was conflicted. While acknowledging that we should “question the sources of influence and persuasion in our lives”, Okrant proceeds to do exactly the opposite, all in the name of finding out whether “Living Oprah is actually the road to happiness and fulfillment.” Chronologically arranged by month, January points out the discrepancy between the author’s priorities (staying healthy, getting an education, traveling to see family) and Oprah’s (have beautiful surroundings). February provides a moral dilemma: Oprah is backing Barack Obama for President. Okrant agonizes over what she would have done if she weren’t inclined to vote for him in any case. There is an interesting discussion in March about the fact that women’s magazines are based on the idea of self-help and “their audiences’ constant state of dissatisfaction with themselves” and yet – if the guidance from these magazines actually worked – we would all be happy and healthy.
Still - in June she watches an episode of the show that changes her life for the better. She has significant scoliosis with regular pain; an episode in which two people with incurable cancer talk about how they live each day fully moves her to think about how she could change her viewpoint around her disease.
By October, although externally more successful (she has a publisher for her book, thousands of readers on her website, is better dressed and thinner), she is overwhelmed and stressed out trying to keep up with all that Oprah ‘tells’ her to do. Because she is no longer making choices – that’s Oprah’s job – she feels her identity slipping away. By December, she is completely overwhelmed and dreaming of Oprah.
The book offered just enough insight to keep me reading, and a sometimes droll and always conversational tone. Maybe because it’s based on blog posts it felt mostly like list of things she did, with no overriding theme or cohesiveness. Every insight was a small morsel and we didn’t really delve into anything.
May 14, 2020
3.5 stars.
Backlog/Isoread 2020 - I am very late to reading this. I remember my mum mentioned she heard about this book and when I saw it I grabbed it, thinking it sounded fun. It’s now about 10 years old and has been on my shelf that entire time.
I love a self help book, or a wellness article, or something to validate my constant feeling of overwhelm in a life where women tend to be expected to strive for excellence in so many facets of life. This book does a great job at subtlety highlighting the enormously consumer based industry this kind of advice comes from, and the ultimately contradictory nature of that advice. Despite its simple writing, it has shown me how we pick and choose the advice we may want to follow in lieu of doing some tough emotional work. All from an Oprah blog! I am 10 years late on this but as our culture has changed so significantly and we’ve moved from Oprah doling out advice to any influencer with a great aesthetic and an instagram, it’s an eye opener to think twice about what we consume as gospel and the drive to better ourselves. The book reminded me to step back from our culture and consider whether we’re bettering ourselves or supporting a system which only serves to continue to drive those feelings of overwhelm and consumerism. The authors realisation that she ends the year stressed and insecure because she has used someone else’s measure of success and wellness ultimately provides for a reassuring and hopeful message that wellness can be found, just on your own terms. I’ll be trying to look at all ‘must haves’ and ‘must dos’ through the lens of this book.
Backlog/Isoread 2020 - I am very late to reading this. I remember my mum mentioned she heard about this book and when I saw it I grabbed it, thinking it sounded fun. It’s now about 10 years old and has been on my shelf that entire time.
I love a self help book, or a wellness article, or something to validate my constant feeling of overwhelm in a life where women tend to be expected to strive for excellence in so many facets of life. This book does a great job at subtlety highlighting the enormously consumer based industry this kind of advice comes from, and the ultimately contradictory nature of that advice. Despite its simple writing, it has shown me how we pick and choose the advice we may want to follow in lieu of doing some tough emotional work. All from an Oprah blog! I am 10 years late on this but as our culture has changed so significantly and we’ve moved from Oprah doling out advice to any influencer with a great aesthetic and an instagram, it’s an eye opener to think twice about what we consume as gospel and the drive to better ourselves. The book reminded me to step back from our culture and consider whether we’re bettering ourselves or supporting a system which only serves to continue to drive those feelings of overwhelm and consumerism. The authors realisation that she ends the year stressed and insecure because she has used someone else’s measure of success and wellness ultimately provides for a reassuring and hopeful message that wellness can be found, just on your own terms. I’ll be trying to look at all ‘must haves’ and ‘must dos’ through the lens of this book.
January 25, 2010
This book was kind of a disappointment in a few ways. I was completely truned off by the auhor's writing style: it reads like a reality TV show-version of someone's diary; i reads like she's listing her daily activities month-to-month watching from a distance rather than actually experiencing them herself. Werid. I expected that the author would have learned SOMETHING, provide the reader with some insight that she developed in doing this project, but she doesn't allow herself to go there and it's a bit of a letdown. It is a quick read though - I finished it in under two weeks, but it probably could have taken even less time than that.
March 12, 2016
Another 'year of' book: this one about a woman who diligently follows Oprah Winfrey's advice (from her show, magazine, and website) for an entire year. Spoiler alert: while there were some benefits (getting more physically fit and eating better), it does end up wrecking her head and affecting her marriage. Overall, a cautionary tale about not losing yourself by living someone else's idea of your 'best life'.
January 17, 2010
I really wanted to like this book, but it just seemed forced and unexciting to me. She seemed to complain through the whole book, as if she forgot that it was her idea in the first place to come up with a gimmick that lead to a book deal....poor thing. This book just wasn't for me.
Want to read
December 2, 2009Who can resist?
September 8, 2015
I bought this book for $1 at the Dollar Tree. Score!
I don't remember hearing about Robyn Okrant's life experiment in 2008 when she was actually living Oprah. In fact, I don't recall having ever heard about Okrant's experiment or the book she wrote about it. So I came to this memoir with no preconceived notions. (That happens so seldom, but I love it when it does.)
So for any other latecomers to this book, the premise is that for an entire calendar year, whenever Oprah said her audience needed to do (via her television show, O magazine, or the official Oprah website), Okrant did. When Oprah said every woman needs a crisp white shirt, dark jeans, and leopard print shoes, Okrant bought those articles of clothing and wore them (as shown on the photo on the book jacket). Okrant turned to Oprah resources for makeup tips and recipes. Okrant decluttered and decorated her home according to the word of Oprah. When Oprah said, "Watch this movie" or "Read this book," Okrant did it.
Okrant kept meticulous records of the time and money she spent living Oprah. (Her monthly spread sheet information is included in the book.) All told, Okrant spent just shy of 1,203 hours and $4,782 living Oprah in 2008.
(When Okrant started her project, she was blogging about it. The book deal came later.)
Overall, liked this book very much (hence the four stars). I found the whole "walk[ing] the walk of the Queen of Talk" premise fascinating. I've never been a huge Oprah fan, although of course, I am aware of the phenomenon that is Oprah. If I ever sat down and watched an entire episode of her show, it was in the last century. I have read a few (thrift store purchased) issues of O magazine (but Oprah's favorite things are all out of my price range). I was really interested to find out what sorts of things Oprah might tell people (women, mostly) they should do.
The part of Okrant's writing here I liked the least was her super corny joking and the way she usually felt the need to point out she had just made a corny joke, which came across to me as a written version of her elbow jabbing me in the ribs, letting me know I should be laughing. Thankfully, as the book progressed, there was less of this sort of joking and less of Okrant's (written) elbow in my ribs. By the end of the book, I had laughed spontaneously and out loud at several truly funny cracks Okrant made (one of which was referring to Oprah as her own personal Chicken Little).
I first started liking Okrant (as a writer and a person) when she got real about her scoliosis. In my eyes, this personal sharing (in a highly personal book) made Okrant seem like not some whiny, busy, "broke" grad student I couldn't relate to, but a like a real person.
The parts of this book I liked the best were the times Okrant critiqued the dissonance between the messages Oprah gave her audience. Why does Oprah sign the Best Life Challenge contract, then let herself be shown on TV a few days later eating a decadent ice cream treat? Why does Oprah tell her audience it's what's inside that counts, then tells them they need to buy specific clothes and have those clothes tailored to fit perfectly? Yes, I loved the critiques and analysis, and Okrant was up for the task.
I am envious of Okrant for picking a topic that was certainly hot at the time, figuring out a project she could carry out related to the topic, writing herself a blog on the topic, then getting a book deal out of the experiment. Good for her! I wish I could pull of something like that.
I would like to read more books by Robyn Okrant. Another memoir (maybe about her life with scoliosis) would be fine, but I'd dig some nonfiction. More analysis, more critique, please Ms. Okrant.
I don't remember hearing about Robyn Okrant's life experiment in 2008 when she was actually living Oprah. In fact, I don't recall having ever heard about Okrant's experiment or the book she wrote about it. So I came to this memoir with no preconceived notions. (That happens so seldom, but I love it when it does.)
So for any other latecomers to this book, the premise is that for an entire calendar year, whenever Oprah said her audience needed to do (via her television show, O magazine, or the official Oprah website), Okrant did. When Oprah said every woman needs a crisp white shirt, dark jeans, and leopard print shoes, Okrant bought those articles of clothing and wore them (as shown on the photo on the book jacket). Okrant turned to Oprah resources for makeup tips and recipes. Okrant decluttered and decorated her home according to the word of Oprah. When Oprah said, "Watch this movie" or "Read this book," Okrant did it.
Okrant kept meticulous records of the time and money she spent living Oprah. (Her monthly spread sheet information is included in the book.) All told, Okrant spent just shy of 1,203 hours and $4,782 living Oprah in 2008.
(When Okrant started her project, she was blogging about it. The book deal came later.)
Overall, liked this book very much (hence the four stars). I found the whole "walk[ing] the walk of the Queen of Talk" premise fascinating. I've never been a huge Oprah fan, although of course, I am aware of the phenomenon that is Oprah. If I ever sat down and watched an entire episode of her show, it was in the last century. I have read a few (thrift store purchased) issues of O magazine (but Oprah's favorite things are all out of my price range). I was really interested to find out what sorts of things Oprah might tell people (women, mostly) they should do.
The part of Okrant's writing here I liked the least was her super corny joking and the way she usually felt the need to point out she had just made a corny joke, which came across to me as a written version of her elbow jabbing me in the ribs, letting me know I should be laughing. Thankfully, as the book progressed, there was less of this sort of joking and less of Okrant's (written) elbow in my ribs. By the end of the book, I had laughed spontaneously and out loud at several truly funny cracks Okrant made (one of which was referring to Oprah as her own personal Chicken Little).
I first started liking Okrant (as a writer and a person) when she got real about her scoliosis. In my eyes, this personal sharing (in a highly personal book) made Okrant seem like not some whiny, busy, "broke" grad student I couldn't relate to, but a like a real person.
The parts of this book I liked the best were the times Okrant critiqued the dissonance between the messages Oprah gave her audience. Why does Oprah sign the Best Life Challenge contract, then let herself be shown on TV a few days later eating a decadent ice cream treat? Why does Oprah tell her audience it's what's inside that counts, then tells them they need to buy specific clothes and have those clothes tailored to fit perfectly? Yes, I loved the critiques and analysis, and Okrant was up for the task.
I am envious of Okrant for picking a topic that was certainly hot at the time, figuring out a project she could carry out related to the topic, writing herself a blog on the topic, then getting a book deal out of the experiment. Good for her! I wish I could pull of something like that.
I would like to read more books by Robyn Okrant. Another memoir (maybe about her life with scoliosis) would be fine, but I'd dig some nonfiction. More analysis, more critique, please Ms. Okrant.
February 27, 2011
I was excited to read this book. BUT, to enjoy this book you have to get over the ridiculous premise: the fact that she acts as though Oprah really wants everyone to do and buy every single thing she says. I realize Oprah has a lot of power but it's not like it's a cult. Anyone with a half a brain could realize that any woman's magazine or show has the same message of, "Buy this! Do this to make your marriage better!" Oprah is the giant of them all, but they all do it. Everyone SHOULD know at the end of the day to use common sense to pick and choose what is right for them. The magazines will try to sell you things you don't need because it is their JOB, just like it is a car salesman's job. You realize from Okrant's decent writing that she is not an idiot, therfore cannot possibly believe this how other Oprah viewers act, and then you feel irritated. Because you realize she can't be that geniune and it is huge gimmick in the whole "I did this for a year trend" and she is making money off the phenomenon of Oprah, instead of her own great idea. Which is smart, but still irritating. I tried hard to accept the idea but I still wanted to throw the book across the room seeing how many hundreds of dollars she spent each month as if this was a real issue that is affecting other women. She could've examined Oprah's influence without buying, because it's so much more than that. There are many, many others in the whole "year of" trend but at least some of those feel real (The Happiness Project).
But! Alas! She has won and still intrigued me, because at the end of the day, the sheer power of Oprah over American women is fascinating. That being said, I think she could've gone more on the Oprah side of it, as others have said. I certainly don't mind hearing details about her life, obviously she is the center of the experiment and we need that view. But I think she could've done a little research and presented some side stories...make it more of a research/memoir. There is so much information about Oprah and her audience she could incorporate. I don't mind memoirs one bit but I will agree that for this subject matter it was way too memoir-y.
I also think she acted too robot-y about the whole process, with the note-taking and the freaking out. She didn't seem to feel into a lot of the "assignments" which was the point of them, and Oprah's whole thing is about your soul and she could've gone deeper into that.
Also, how the heck did she have so much extra money being a yoga teacher?? Seemed like she barely worked. I was in shock at how much she was able to spend.
The book's action was very cliche in terms of other "year of..." trends. Anyone who is focusing on one thing for a year, be it cookbooks or Oprah, is going to have changes in their relationships, finances, etc. Not as if she planned this breaking point she reached, but the audience has come to expect the plot from books like these. More creativity pleas!
Whoa, that got long. All tht being said, the book was somehow still very entertaining to me, which I think speaks more to my interest in the Oprah-fication of America than Okrant's writing. Just like Oprah, Okrant is laughing all the way to the bank!! A fun quick read but very flawed.
But! Alas! She has won and still intrigued me, because at the end of the day, the sheer power of Oprah over American women is fascinating. That being said, I think she could've gone more on the Oprah side of it, as others have said. I certainly don't mind hearing details about her life, obviously she is the center of the experiment and we need that view. But I think she could've done a little research and presented some side stories...make it more of a research/memoir. There is so much information about Oprah and her audience she could incorporate. I don't mind memoirs one bit but I will agree that for this subject matter it was way too memoir-y.
I also think she acted too robot-y about the whole process, with the note-taking and the freaking out. She didn't seem to feel into a lot of the "assignments" which was the point of them, and Oprah's whole thing is about your soul and she could've gone deeper into that.
Also, how the heck did she have so much extra money being a yoga teacher?? Seemed like she barely worked. I was in shock at how much she was able to spend.
The book's action was very cliche in terms of other "year of..." trends. Anyone who is focusing on one thing for a year, be it cookbooks or Oprah, is going to have changes in their relationships, finances, etc. Not as if she planned this breaking point she reached, but the audience has come to expect the plot from books like these. More creativity pleas!
Whoa, that got long. All tht being said, the book was somehow still very entertaining to me, which I think speaks more to my interest in the Oprah-fication of America than Okrant's writing. Just like Oprah, Okrant is laughing all the way to the bank!! A fun quick read but very flawed.
January 16, 2010
I wasn't necessarily expecting to like Living Oprah as much as I did. I hadn't followed the blow and picked up the book because I'd heard about it and it sounded intriguing. Okrant sets out to follow every rule that Oprah specifically says is a "must," and charts exactly how much time and money she spends each month on everything from exercising, reading O magazine, buying new items for her home, seeing movies and reading. Simply seeing the sheer number of things Oprah wants her viewers to try is staggering.
She picks Oprah in part because she's watched the show for so many years and because she feels that Oprah is the most influential woman in media (even moreso than Martha Stewart, who she also mentions). Like any blog to book project, Okrant spends a bit of time telling the story of her blog, how the comments affected her, and how she made the decision to go from anonymous to named (with a little nudge from NPR).
She seems to have a love/hate relationship not with Oprah per se, but with her project. She sets out to do it in part because she thinks it will help her life, and she does wind up getting more exercise, eating better, and decluttering. Yet her premise is that perhaps Oprah is either out of touch with the average woman, or simply asking people to do too many things. Each of these Okrant fully explores, though by the end I somewhat questioned her insistence on following Oprah to the letter about everything. I don't think that most people read magazines or follow even beloved public figures with the same fanatical degree of zeal and devotion Okrant did, meaning that while women do follow Oprah ardently, they also, I believe, think for themselves. Okrant raises many interesting questions, and the parts of the book dealing with her marriage, and how Oprah's advice affected it, are some of the most intriguing. This is a fast, captivating read and a look at not so much Oprah the woman, as Oprah the media influencer. Okrant questions, say, Oprah eating ice cream on her show right after urging her viewers to take the Best Life challenge, and at one point, Okrant gets a free Kindle from Oprah and has to decide how to handle this unexpected gift.
There is a limit to a book like this, and I wish Okrant had delved a little more into her own life and background, like how she met Jim and how she wound up teaching yoga or how long she's been a TV devotee (did she watch all through childhood?). True, those were outside the scope of Living Oprah, but might have helped us get a little better sense of who she is. Also, the repetition each month of the items Okrant adheres to gets a bit repetitive, as does some of the awkward language of some of the quotes she uses, but these are small quibbles in an otherwise interesting read.
She picks Oprah in part because she's watched the show for so many years and because she feels that Oprah is the most influential woman in media (even moreso than Martha Stewart, who she also mentions). Like any blog to book project, Okrant spends a bit of time telling the story of her blog, how the comments affected her, and how she made the decision to go from anonymous to named (with a little nudge from NPR).
She seems to have a love/hate relationship not with Oprah per se, but with her project. She sets out to do it in part because she thinks it will help her life, and she does wind up getting more exercise, eating better, and decluttering. Yet her premise is that perhaps Oprah is either out of touch with the average woman, or simply asking people to do too many things. Each of these Okrant fully explores, though by the end I somewhat questioned her insistence on following Oprah to the letter about everything. I don't think that most people read magazines or follow even beloved public figures with the same fanatical degree of zeal and devotion Okrant did, meaning that while women do follow Oprah ardently, they also, I believe, think for themselves. Okrant raises many interesting questions, and the parts of the book dealing with her marriage, and how Oprah's advice affected it, are some of the most intriguing. This is a fast, captivating read and a look at not so much Oprah the woman, as Oprah the media influencer. Okrant questions, say, Oprah eating ice cream on her show right after urging her viewers to take the Best Life challenge, and at one point, Okrant gets a free Kindle from Oprah and has to decide how to handle this unexpected gift.
There is a limit to a book like this, and I wish Okrant had delved a little more into her own life and background, like how she met Jim and how she wound up teaching yoga or how long she's been a TV devotee (did she watch all through childhood?). True, those were outside the scope of Living Oprah, but might have helped us get a little better sense of who she is. Also, the repetition each month of the items Okrant adheres to gets a bit repetitive, as does some of the awkward language of some of the quotes she uses, but these are small quibbles in an otherwise interesting read.
December 30, 2011
A few weeks ago a friend mailed a copy of Living Oprah to me. One day I must ask her why she thought I needed to read it.
It took a while for me to get around to reading it. The whole premise of the book actually put me off.
Why oh why would anyone want to live by every piece of advice issued on the Oprah show for a year?
I have to admit to skipping over the monthly accounting most of the time. I just got bored with those pages.
Socially it is possibly a good experiment – not one I would EVER like to have a go at. My wallet couldn’t take it for a start.
Before I go any further I would like to say this.
Her husband is a saint !!!!!!!!
Have I watched Oprah?
Damn right I have.
Did I realise the woman had a lot of influence?
Yep.
But I never realised just how insidious her influence is. It extends into so many areas of peoples’ lives.
Oprah can either tell us herself, or find an authority to bring on to her show for any situation in our lives.
We can learn how to live healthier, richer (both pocket-wise and spiritually), happier lives as long as we tune in on the right day.
When Oprah endorses something, sales go through the roof, or they get elected President of the USA.
The book certainly reinforces what I already knew, or thought I knew.
I wish I could say I closed the last page understanding what the experiment and book was all about. But all I was left with was thinking ‘what a strange way to live for a year – letting someone else make all your decisions.
Then I remembered being married for a while. Oops.
Still – if her book sells well, at least she won’t be so out of pocket.
It took a while for me to get around to reading it. The whole premise of the book actually put me off.
Why oh why would anyone want to live by every piece of advice issued on the Oprah show for a year?
I have to admit to skipping over the monthly accounting most of the time. I just got bored with those pages.
Socially it is possibly a good experiment – not one I would EVER like to have a go at. My wallet couldn’t take it for a start.
Before I go any further I would like to say this.
Her husband is a saint !!!!!!!!
Have I watched Oprah?
Damn right I have.
Did I realise the woman had a lot of influence?
Yep.
But I never realised just how insidious her influence is. It extends into so many areas of peoples’ lives.
Oprah can either tell us herself, or find an authority to bring on to her show for any situation in our lives.
We can learn how to live healthier, richer (both pocket-wise and spiritually), happier lives as long as we tune in on the right day.
When Oprah endorses something, sales go through the roof, or they get elected President of the USA.
The book certainly reinforces what I already knew, or thought I knew.
I wish I could say I closed the last page understanding what the experiment and book was all about. But all I was left with was thinking ‘what a strange way to live for a year – letting someone else make all your decisions.
Then I remembered being married for a while. Oops.
Still – if her book sells well, at least she won’t be so out of pocket.
February 27, 2010
I felt a little disappointed with Living Oprah. Primarily because I was in the mood to read a really funny book and I thought this looked like it would be good for some laughs. Although, I'm not quite sure where that idea came from. Just as assumption I guess. I picured myself belly laughing at how hysterical it would be for someone to try to follow EVERY single piece of advice that Oprah dished out for an entire year. Granted I got a couple of giggles out of the book....just no belly laughs.
My secondary disappointment in the book was due to what I perceived as a simple lack of stories about her actual assignments. In the book Ms. Okrant talks a lot about her opinions of Oprah, her opinions of her show, her opinions of her magazine, her opinions of her own project, her opinion on OTHERS opinions of her doing this project but she just whizzes by the actual projects themselves. Maybe the problem is that Ms. Okrant is an intellectual, educated, very happily married, pretty enlightened person herself. She already exercises, eats right, does yoga (she's a yoga teacher) and she already really likes herself. Other than keeping her very busy maybe the challenges were just not really that difficult for her.??
Now I'd like to take a chick who does NONE of those things and feels like her self esteem needs some boosting and try this experiment all over again. I think that's the book I wanted to read. Now I'm off to find a really funny book.
My secondary disappointment in the book was due to what I perceived as a simple lack of stories about her actual assignments. In the book Ms. Okrant talks a lot about her opinions of Oprah, her opinions of her show, her opinions of her magazine, her opinions of her own project, her opinion on OTHERS opinions of her doing this project but she just whizzes by the actual projects themselves. Maybe the problem is that Ms. Okrant is an intellectual, educated, very happily married, pretty enlightened person herself. She already exercises, eats right, does yoga (she's a yoga teacher) and she already really likes herself. Other than keeping her very busy maybe the challenges were just not really that difficult for her.??
Now I'd like to take a chick who does NONE of those things and feels like her self esteem needs some boosting and try this experiment all over again. I think that's the book I wanted to read. Now I'm off to find a really funny book.
June 1, 2010
When Robyn Okrant decides to "Live Oprah--" follow everything the queen of the talk show circuit dictates for one year -- she's not sure how her life will change. The book follows her through a full 12 months of living Oprah -- following her advice, eating her recommended recipes, buying what she says we all "must have," and even attempting to feel as Oprah dictates we should feel.
Okrant's discovery is that the more she steps away from her own thoughts and feelings about what her "best life" really is, the more stressed she becomes. She decides that while she may have upgraded her wardrobe and her diet, her peace of mind is definitely at risk when turning over all life decisions to a third party.
I love experimental "travelogues" like this, and Okrant is a quirky and fun narrator. I did wish, though, that we heard more about the results of the individual experiences (like adopting a kitten, painting the bedroom, decluttering, etc.) and their impact on Okrant's life, rather than just hearing about the high-level effects of the experiment on Okrant. That's interesting, too, but I wanted to know what she thought of A Course in Miracles, certain books on the list, etc.
All the same, an intriguing look at modern culture and our willingness to sacrifice our own decision-making abilities to others who have "the answer--" or claim to.
Okrant's discovery is that the more she steps away from her own thoughts and feelings about what her "best life" really is, the more stressed she becomes. She decides that while she may have upgraded her wardrobe and her diet, her peace of mind is definitely at risk when turning over all life decisions to a third party.
I love experimental "travelogues" like this, and Okrant is a quirky and fun narrator. I did wish, though, that we heard more about the results of the individual experiences (like adopting a kitten, painting the bedroom, decluttering, etc.) and their impact on Okrant's life, rather than just hearing about the high-level effects of the experiment on Okrant. That's interesting, too, but I wanted to know what she thought of A Course in Miracles, certain books on the list, etc.
All the same, an intriguing look at modern culture and our willingness to sacrifice our own decision-making abilities to others who have "the answer--" or claim to.
February 20, 2015
Living in Chicago, Robyn Okrant is accustomed to hearing a lot about the city’s biggest celebrity, Oprah Winfrey. Many love her, many hate her, she notices. Why? And how has she retained such influence over working and middle classes, especially as she has experienced such a massive amount of material success? And another thing—Oprah Winfrey is always advocating behaviors and knowledge that will help us “live our best lives”. What does this Best Life look like, and will it truly be our Best Life?
Pondering these questions leads Robyn to embark on an experiment— follow all of Oprah’s advice without resistance for an entire year, and share her results with the world. Whether it’s sex or diet or fashion or voting, Robyn vows to do whatever Oprah says—not because she’s not a slavish fangrrl, as one might expect (while she doesn’t resist, she DOES question, a lot), but because she wants to gauge just what sort of influence Oprah has, and how helpful it is.
Entertaining, often funny, interesting, and occasionally thought-provoking, in that it makes us question how often and how readily we are willing to cede decision-making authority to the “experts.”
If you enjoyed this, try Julie and Julia by Julie Powell.
Pondering these questions leads Robyn to embark on an experiment— follow all of Oprah’s advice without resistance for an entire year, and share her results with the world. Whether it’s sex or diet or fashion or voting, Robyn vows to do whatever Oprah says—not because she’s not a slavish fangrrl, as one might expect (while she doesn’t resist, she DOES question, a lot), but because she wants to gauge just what sort of influence Oprah has, and how helpful it is.
Entertaining, often funny, interesting, and occasionally thought-provoking, in that it makes us question how often and how readily we are willing to cede decision-making authority to the “experts.”
If you enjoyed this, try Julie and Julia by Julie Powell.
June 28, 2015
I'd give this 3.5 stars if it were possible.
While I loved the concept and found it fascinating, I didn't like the voice and the repetition as much. It was still an interesting look at an extreme project--the author followed all advice on Oprah's show, website, and magazine for an entire year.
At times I found it a bit ridiculous for her to go into debt by buying everything Oprah recommends, including a fire pit that had to be stashed on her porch since she had no room for it. But I get that was the point of the project--to see if Oprah's advice is relevant to "real" women.
She also goes from a blog that only her mother reads to being interviewed by the New York Times and scoring a book deal, but these moments are glossed over. I would have loved to learn how she managed to grow her following the way she did, and what it was like when these big achievements first came about. We hear over and over again about how stressed she was, but the fact that she acquires an agent and a publisher is barely mentioned, and only as an aside.
I didn't feel like any great epiphanies were achieved by the project's end, but it was still an entertaining book and I don't regret reading it. I am glad, however, that I got it at a used-book sale.
While I loved the concept and found it fascinating, I didn't like the voice and the repetition as much. It was still an interesting look at an extreme project--the author followed all advice on Oprah's show, website, and magazine for an entire year.
At times I found it a bit ridiculous for her to go into debt by buying everything Oprah recommends, including a fire pit that had to be stashed on her porch since she had no room for it. But I get that was the point of the project--to see if Oprah's advice is relevant to "real" women.
She also goes from a blog that only her mother reads to being interviewed by the New York Times and scoring a book deal, but these moments are glossed over. I would have loved to learn how she managed to grow her following the way she did, and what it was like when these big achievements first came about. We hear over and over again about how stressed she was, but the fact that she acquires an agent and a publisher is barely mentioned, and only as an aside.
I didn't feel like any great epiphanies were achieved by the project's end, but it was still an entertaining book and I don't regret reading it. I am glad, however, that I got it at a used-book sale.
December 18, 2011
So I heard an interview with Robyn Okrant on CBC Radio and later saw this at Chapters for 2$ and got it. And then a while later I read it because the shape of the book is pretty unappealing.
Anyways, it was pretty meh. I was hoping for something more like The Year of Living Biblically, which I loved, but there wasn't much depth to this experiment. She details doing all the things Oprah tells her seemingly at random, but she only occasionally gives some thought to why she's doing the things. Most of the thoughts she does have seem to be complaining about how Oprah is too awesome to relate to reality or something. I don't know, it was just so very shallow.
Then about halfway through I stumbled on this gem:
"Unlike Alice, I'm not saying "curiouser and curiouser!" as I drop. I just keep thinking "surrealer and surrealer.""
For the entire rest of the book my mind kept wandering back to that bit and yelling THOSE ARE THE SAME THING. Totally ruined any enjoyment I might have gotten out of it.
Anyways, it was pretty meh. I was hoping for something more like The Year of Living Biblically, which I loved, but there wasn't much depth to this experiment. She details doing all the things Oprah tells her seemingly at random, but she only occasionally gives some thought to why she's doing the things. Most of the thoughts she does have seem to be complaining about how Oprah is too awesome to relate to reality or something. I don't know, it was just so very shallow.
Then about halfway through I stumbled on this gem:
"Unlike Alice, I'm not saying "curiouser and curiouser!" as I drop. I just keep thinking "surrealer and surrealer.""
For the entire rest of the book my mind kept wandering back to that bit and yelling THOSE ARE THE SAME THING. Totally ruined any enjoyment I might have gotten out of it.
July 19, 2012
Living Oprah is the story of a woman who follows all the advice Oprah gives via her show or magazine in 2008. I have never been a rabid Oprah fan, but I would catch her show sometimes that year before class because I was going to law school at night, so I actually remembered some of these episodes (like the one on home cleanliness where Oprah says she has her sheets changed every other day). Although this book had the opportunity to explore how contradictory and useless daytime television advice can be, this book mostly exposed how silly the author is. She lost me when she described her relief at Oprah's support of Barack Obama, since the author wouldn't have to vote for a candidate she didn't like. And she really lost me when Oprah found out about this project, and sent the author an Amazon Kindle as a gift, and the author sent it back and purchased a Kindle herself, because Oprah had advised people to buy Kindles - that's just rude. The most favorable character in the book is the husband Jim - he sounds so level-headed and reasonable, I'd be willing to read his book.
July 13, 2010
I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I feel as though this "task" of "Living Oprah" could have been far better executed by someone else, namely me. :) I loved the idea behind the book but felt it was annihilated (maybe too strong of a word) by the author. She grumbled and moaned her way through the project. Seriously very annoying to the reader. I kept wanting to shout "Did you not sign up for this project?" And her ultimate conclusion after having finished the project was so very predictable. Like, I could have written it w/o having finished even 12 seconds of the project. The only up-side to reading it for me was reading the Oprah recommendations for Living Your Best Life. Even her humor wasn't all that funny. It was actually quite dated. Poo.
January 17, 2010
If reality tv is all the rage in the television world, then attempting one-year challenges is all the rage in book world. Robyn Okrant set out to try to follow Oprah’s precepts, those presented on her show and in her magazine and online, for a year.
I heard about this last summer and have been waiting for the book ever since. I was not disappointed. Okrant is respectful of Oprah, and, though she finds many of Oprah’s pronouncements overly enthusiastic, she also discovers many wise tidbits of advice.
(Happiness side note: Okrant’s happiness level dropped abysmally as the year progressed, primarily from increased levels of stress in attempting to follow all of the Oprah manifestos.)
I heard about this last summer and have been waiting for the book ever since. I was not disappointed. Okrant is respectful of Oprah, and, though she finds many of Oprah’s pronouncements overly enthusiastic, she also discovers many wise tidbits of advice.
(Happiness side note: Okrant’s happiness level dropped abysmally as the year progressed, primarily from increased levels of stress in attempting to follow all of the Oprah manifestos.)
March 7, 2016
I have always wondered about the power which Oprah wields and this book tapped in to all my questions - although I am not sure I know the answer and i found myself questioning the author's motives for tackling the project in the first place, although she assures her readers it was an experiment, not originally to sell a book.
This book would be a great choice for a reading group as it raised a lot of issues. I found myself talking about it to anyone who would listen, and I think my husband got a bit tired of hearing my opinions of what the author was saying. I actually took some of the advice which the author had got from living Oprah. This is a book which I will think about for a long time.
This book would be a great choice for a reading group as it raised a lot of issues. I found myself talking about it to anyone who would listen, and I think my husband got a bit tired of hearing my opinions of what the author was saying. I actually took some of the advice which the author had got from living Oprah. This is a book which I will think about for a long time.
July 23, 2012
Interesting and a little crazy. It just reaffirms what I think about people like Oprah, Martha Stewart, Fly Lady! They offer so much info, ideas, everything because they are reaching out to EVERYBody. We can't take it all as gospel. But we can just discover nuggets that peak our interest or inspire us and try those out. My viewpoint on this also helps me not feel overwhelmed that I am not keeping up with ALL the "ideas" out there. That would just be too hard. Hence, why Pinterest scares me a bit!
January 23, 2010
If you know me, you know I'm an Oprah fan. This book about a woman who spent one year following Oprah's "live your best life" advice sounded like a fun read. Instead, I spent about 15 minutes skimming it and had enough. A book like this needs to be funny and introspective. I didn't get either. What stood out was a tedious accounting of hours spent doing x, y, and z. Admittedly, I didn't give it much of a chance.
May 10, 2015
For anyone interested in "all things Oprah," this is a book for you. I loved the fact that this author was not a huge Oprah fan at the start of her project, but after watching the show for one year straight and following all of Oprah's advice she began to see Oprah in a different light. I appreciated the Oprah references and stories, as I am familiar with most all of her shows and topics. A quick, fun read!
January 14, 2010
Entertaining, fun, fast-paced read. I'd like to have coffee with Robyn - probably more than I'd like to have coffee with Oprah herself!
January 27, 2021
Mm. Read because I was in the mood for The Great Fitness Experiment, but it's not available as an ebook, so...this seemed like a viable alternative. Unfortunately, my scepticism gauge went off the charts when Okrant recounted an anecdote about hearing that Oprah liked to have her sheets changed every other day, and I never quite shook the feeling that this project—and this Oprah-approved life—was not for me.
It's like this: Okrant decided to follow Oprah's every whim for a year: anything that Oprah recommended on her talk show or in the column she wrote in O, Okrant would do or buy or read. The exact rules that Okrant set for herself seem fairly arbitrary (and often, to be honest, fall more towards 'letter of the law' than 'spirit of the law'), but then, so do Oprah's recommendations (they seem to seesaw between 'downsize! clean out your closets! declutter!' and 'here are ten things you absolutely must buy!'). At the end I guess I just wanted to know two things:
First, what did she actually learn? What were her takeaways? By the end it sort of sounds like...some of the things Oprah suggested worked for her (e.g., she loved her new living room chair), other things were really meh (Oprah called a fire pit a must-have, so Okrant bought one that was only ever used as a cat bed), and other things...I don't know. It sounds like one of the big ways Okrant changed was becoming more self-conscious about her appearance, from clothing to size to makeup, and I can't bring myself to think that's a good thing. She packed away a lot of her clothing for the year because it wasn't Oprah-approved, but I'd like to know what wardrobe changes—what changes in general—stuck and what she gladly gave up.
Second, was it worth it financially? Okrant was a grad student at the time she was doing this project, and though she and her husband didn't have endless money to spare, there were months when the things she bought for the sake of the project totaled my current rent(!). I mean, yes, she got a book contract out of it, etc. etc. But that aside...did she end up thinking the things she bought were worth it? Or would she have preferred to take the $4,781.44 spent on buying and doing Oprah-approved things and, you know, take a vacation, or put it in savings, or...? (I could—no exaggeration—walk the entire Appalachian Trail with that amount of money.) I can't fault this for being too blog-to-book because it is a blog-to-book project, but I wish it had gone deeper than it had.
It's like this: Okrant decided to follow Oprah's every whim for a year: anything that Oprah recommended on her talk show or in the column she wrote in O, Okrant would do or buy or read. The exact rules that Okrant set for herself seem fairly arbitrary (and often, to be honest, fall more towards 'letter of the law' than 'spirit of the law'), but then, so do Oprah's recommendations (they seem to seesaw between 'downsize! clean out your closets! declutter!' and 'here are ten things you absolutely must buy!'). At the end I guess I just wanted to know two things:
First, what did she actually learn? What were her takeaways? By the end it sort of sounds like...some of the things Oprah suggested worked for her (e.g., she loved her new living room chair), other things were really meh (Oprah called a fire pit a must-have, so Okrant bought one that was only ever used as a cat bed), and other things...I don't know. It sounds like one of the big ways Okrant changed was becoming more self-conscious about her appearance, from clothing to size to makeup, and I can't bring myself to think that's a good thing. She packed away a lot of her clothing for the year because it wasn't Oprah-approved, but I'd like to know what wardrobe changes—what changes in general—stuck and what she gladly gave up.
Second, was it worth it financially? Okrant was a grad student at the time she was doing this project, and though she and her husband didn't have endless money to spare, there were months when the things she bought for the sake of the project totaled my current rent(!). I mean, yes, she got a book contract out of it, etc. etc. But that aside...did she end up thinking the things she bought were worth it? Or would she have preferred to take the $4,781.44 spent on buying and doing Oprah-approved things and, you know, take a vacation, or put it in savings, or...? (I could—no exaggeration—walk the entire Appalachian Trail with that amount of money.) I can't fault this for being too blog-to-book because it is a blog-to-book project, but I wish it had gone deeper than it had.
July 6, 2021
I was intrigued when I heard about this, the idea that someone would do whatever Oprah said for a year - it sounded like an interesting social experiment, and it was.
If Oprah said eat this, watch that, read this, buy that, donate this, sign this contract and keep it, then Okrant did. Some examples are: do 20 minutes of exercise four days per week, buy a fire pit, have an interesting chair in every room of your house, buy a Kindle when you can afford one, cut out the coupons from the paper and use them to buy food for a charity, de-clutter your house according to a certain book, you must have these ten items in your wardrobe.... and on and on and on.
The advice and missives were taken from Oprah’s show (which Okrant watched daily during the week for a year), O (Oprah’s monthly magazine) and Oprah.com (which Okrant used for recipes, gift suggestions and basically any issue that arose during the year and needed an answer).
I was stunned as I read, as I saw it as an exercise in will-power while also being an exercise in abandoning the self. Okrant gave over all her decision making power to Oprah - to me that is just scary – even if only for a year!
The book remained interesting as Okrant is articulate and thoughtful, she thinks about the conflicts that arise and why (a major one initially was her loss of individuality and having to live in a way that didn’t mesh with her own priorities), as well as about Oprah’s role in society and why Oprah’s viewers are so willing to follow Oprah’s ideas on how to improve their lives and what makes for a “best life”.
The author also examines the role of television and other media and why women buy into the false cycle of judging themselves by images we know are airbrushed, etc. The conclusion felt a little lame as it was a point of view that she had expressed prior to undertaking the project, but the activities and discussions during were thought provoking.
If Oprah said eat this, watch that, read this, buy that, donate this, sign this contract and keep it, then Okrant did. Some examples are: do 20 minutes of exercise four days per week, buy a fire pit, have an interesting chair in every room of your house, buy a Kindle when you can afford one, cut out the coupons from the paper and use them to buy food for a charity, de-clutter your house according to a certain book, you must have these ten items in your wardrobe.... and on and on and on.
The advice and missives were taken from Oprah’s show (which Okrant watched daily during the week for a year), O (Oprah’s monthly magazine) and Oprah.com (which Okrant used for recipes, gift suggestions and basically any issue that arose during the year and needed an answer).
I was stunned as I read, as I saw it as an exercise in will-power while also being an exercise in abandoning the self. Okrant gave over all her decision making power to Oprah - to me that is just scary – even if only for a year!
The book remained interesting as Okrant is articulate and thoughtful, she thinks about the conflicts that arise and why (a major one initially was her loss of individuality and having to live in a way that didn’t mesh with her own priorities), as well as about Oprah’s role in society and why Oprah’s viewers are so willing to follow Oprah’s ideas on how to improve their lives and what makes for a “best life”.
The author also examines the role of television and other media and why women buy into the false cycle of judging themselves by images we know are airbrushed, etc. The conclusion felt a little lame as it was a point of view that she had expressed prior to undertaking the project, but the activities and discussions during were thought provoking.
October 31, 2013
I’m an Oprah kid. Kind of. I didn’t understand much – if any – of her show when it first started its dizzying ascension in the late 80s, early 90s, but I watched most of them. Actually, no; I watched my family watch the show and then have heated debates about whatever the lady with the sometimes alarmingly big hair had to say. It fascinated me how she was able to engender such heated discussion in my very own, usually much quieter living room. And so, as I grew older and my powers of understanding expanded, I started listening to both the lady with the thankfully decreasing hair size and the discussions in my living room. Interestingly enough, it’s the latter that taught me more than the former, but without the former, the latter wouldn’t have existed.
This is one of the biggest lessons Robyn Okrant learned during her year of Living Oprah: it isn’t Oprah’s advice alone that teaches her audience the most, but rather her ability to engender discussion. The path tread by the author during this experiment has brought forth countless other reflections that evolved as she struggled along to live her life by the various dictates given to her by Oprah.
Even if you just want to pick up a book to read without going into pages and pages of philosophical discussion like some people do (guilty!), Living Oprah is a great choice to tote around on a plane or a beach. Robyn Okrant’s writing style is easy to read, informative and dosed with the just the right amount of humour. It’s also a great discussion piece for a book club, or a way to help your Oprah-obsessed friend through a 12 step Opraholics Anonymous program.
While there are many lessons, reflections and learnings to be taken out of this book, the most important thing I took from it is the importance of active learning. The quality of what Oprah gives to her audience has as much to do with what she gives us as what we do with it. While the amount and the quality of the information pouring from Oprah’s various outlets (her show, her website and her magazine) is astounding, alone it can’t empower the audience.
After all, education is not about filling up an empty head with goodies, since a human is “a mine rich in gems of inestimable value”. When seen as such, it’s only logical that “education can, alone, cause (a human) to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit there from.” As recent education reform after education reform in Canada has shown, learning is about bringing out inherent talents in children rather than filling them up with information. If we have gotten this far in our understanding of educating children, why are we having troubles as adults who continue learning through their entire lives through outlets such as Oprah?
Perhaps part of the problem is that while Oprah and Co. have put a lot of effort in developing content, they haven’t spent as much time tackling the issue of its delivery. During her year of Living Oprah, Robyn Okrant acted as an empty vessel that needed to be filled with Oprah juice. While she herself admits that she did learn some important things (including a new appreciate for leopard-print flats), this learning came at a price. Oprah’s program, which is meant to empower women, made her feel more insecure in her mid-30s than she did as a teen.
Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think?
But we can’t blame Oprah for a phenomenon that is societal. After all, all fashion magazines tend to tell women that they are not thin enough, that their hair isn’t shiny enough, that their skin isn’t clear enough — in short, that we are not woman enough. In a sea of demotivating messages that make so many women loathe themselves, O magazine is quite unique in its approach. By the same token, Oprah’s show has been a unique source of a variety of information that has definitely helped women in North America.
But it seems that perhaps Oprah has just become too big, too much of a brand name, to be able to empower women by her example alone as she used to. Robyn Okrant reflects on this topic, pointing out that while for her, cleaning up her physical space to enable her to clear out her mental space means two days of cleaning and tidying, for Oprah, it means only one thing: hiring a house cleaner.
But neither Robyn nor myself seek to demonize Oprah, who has helped so many women in my life and has inspired me countless times. However, however good Oprah’s intentions, her methods need to detach themselves from that of a society nitpicking at a woman’s self-worth. It’s an incredibly difficult job to do, which is why the emphasis should shift from information-giving (which Oprah is really good at) to accompanying her millions of viewers to learn to digest that information and choose what would suit them at which point in their lives.
After all, I’m sure that even the Queen of Daytime Show would agree that it’s not about living life as Oprah sees it. It’s about living life as you see it, which is what Oprah has done.
But, as always, change can’t come from the top; it has to come from the bottom. While as an audience, we don’t have much choice as to what wisdom and message Oprah chooses to dispense or as to the way with which it is dispensed, we do have a choice in the way we treat this information. If we are to stop being mindless recipients of information, we have to undergo the kind of reflection that Robyn Okrant went through. Granted, we don’t all have to do this drastic an experiment (something which I’m sure all our partners are going to be relieved to hear), but maybe if we enter into a pattern of consulting Oprah’s material, reflecting on its pertinence in the framework of our life and then act upon the fruits of our reflection, perhaps we would be taking the first step towards the very empowerment Oprah wants for each one of the women watching her show.
After all, however great she is, it’s rather ridiculous to think of Oprah as an infallible source of information and guidance. Why not add another layer of empowerment by actually reflecting on the guidance she offers? Wouldn’t that not only give us information about cooking and fashion etc but also be an invaluable lesson in empowerment – and isn’t that, at the end of the day, what Oprah is all about?
(First published here on Blogcritics and http://saharsreviews.wordpress.com)
This is one of the biggest lessons Robyn Okrant learned during her year of Living Oprah: it isn’t Oprah’s advice alone that teaches her audience the most, but rather her ability to engender discussion. The path tread by the author during this experiment has brought forth countless other reflections that evolved as she struggled along to live her life by the various dictates given to her by Oprah.
Even if you just want to pick up a book to read without going into pages and pages of philosophical discussion like some people do (guilty!), Living Oprah is a great choice to tote around on a plane or a beach. Robyn Okrant’s writing style is easy to read, informative and dosed with the just the right amount of humour. It’s also a great discussion piece for a book club, or a way to help your Oprah-obsessed friend through a 12 step Opraholics Anonymous program.
While there are many lessons, reflections and learnings to be taken out of this book, the most important thing I took from it is the importance of active learning. The quality of what Oprah gives to her audience has as much to do with what she gives us as what we do with it. While the amount and the quality of the information pouring from Oprah’s various outlets (her show, her website and her magazine) is astounding, alone it can’t empower the audience.
After all, education is not about filling up an empty head with goodies, since a human is “a mine rich in gems of inestimable value”. When seen as such, it’s only logical that “education can, alone, cause (a human) to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit there from.” As recent education reform after education reform in Canada has shown, learning is about bringing out inherent talents in children rather than filling them up with information. If we have gotten this far in our understanding of educating children, why are we having troubles as adults who continue learning through their entire lives through outlets such as Oprah?
Perhaps part of the problem is that while Oprah and Co. have put a lot of effort in developing content, they haven’t spent as much time tackling the issue of its delivery. During her year of Living Oprah, Robyn Okrant acted as an empty vessel that needed to be filled with Oprah juice. While she herself admits that she did learn some important things (including a new appreciate for leopard-print flats), this learning came at a price. Oprah’s program, which is meant to empower women, made her feel more insecure in her mid-30s than she did as a teen.
Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think?
But we can’t blame Oprah for a phenomenon that is societal. After all, all fashion magazines tend to tell women that they are not thin enough, that their hair isn’t shiny enough, that their skin isn’t clear enough — in short, that we are not woman enough. In a sea of demotivating messages that make so many women loathe themselves, O magazine is quite unique in its approach. By the same token, Oprah’s show has been a unique source of a variety of information that has definitely helped women in North America.
But it seems that perhaps Oprah has just become too big, too much of a brand name, to be able to empower women by her example alone as she used to. Robyn Okrant reflects on this topic, pointing out that while for her, cleaning up her physical space to enable her to clear out her mental space means two days of cleaning and tidying, for Oprah, it means only one thing: hiring a house cleaner.
But neither Robyn nor myself seek to demonize Oprah, who has helped so many women in my life and has inspired me countless times. However, however good Oprah’s intentions, her methods need to detach themselves from that of a society nitpicking at a woman’s self-worth. It’s an incredibly difficult job to do, which is why the emphasis should shift from information-giving (which Oprah is really good at) to accompanying her millions of viewers to learn to digest that information and choose what would suit them at which point in their lives.
After all, I’m sure that even the Queen of Daytime Show would agree that it’s not about living life as Oprah sees it. It’s about living life as you see it, which is what Oprah has done.
But, as always, change can’t come from the top; it has to come from the bottom. While as an audience, we don’t have much choice as to what wisdom and message Oprah chooses to dispense or as to the way with which it is dispensed, we do have a choice in the way we treat this information. If we are to stop being mindless recipients of information, we have to undergo the kind of reflection that Robyn Okrant went through. Granted, we don’t all have to do this drastic an experiment (something which I’m sure all our partners are going to be relieved to hear), but maybe if we enter into a pattern of consulting Oprah’s material, reflecting on its pertinence in the framework of our life and then act upon the fruits of our reflection, perhaps we would be taking the first step towards the very empowerment Oprah wants for each one of the women watching her show.
After all, however great she is, it’s rather ridiculous to think of Oprah as an infallible source of information and guidance. Why not add another layer of empowerment by actually reflecting on the guidance she offers? Wouldn’t that not only give us information about cooking and fashion etc but also be an invaluable lesson in empowerment – and isn’t that, at the end of the day, what Oprah is all about?
(First published here on Blogcritics and http://saharsreviews.wordpress.com)
August 14, 2018
3.5 stars. As an Oprah fan, I really enjoyed this book and thought it was entertaining. The author decides to spend a year doing everything Oprah says to do- whether that means buying, reading, thinking, cooking, doing, etc. she does it. I thought it was really interesting to watch her progression. At first she has really high hopes and is excited to watch Oprah every day, but as the year goes on it takes over her life and following someone else’s every command is exhausting. She also touches on how people idolize Oprah, despite not even knowing her. Oprah’s shows contradict themselves and she has made her fortune convincing us there is something we need to change about ourselves to live our best life. This woman’s dedication to Oprah dominates every single area of her life, including her sex life with her husband. When the year is up, she thinks she’ll be relieved because she’s so burnt out but she surprisingly feels a little aimless and depressed. I totally see how that could happen and thought it was just so intriguing to read about. The book got a little repetitive but so do Oprah’s instructions so I don’t think that’s a flaw of the authors, just the nature of the project.
Overall I’d recommend this book- especially if you’re a fan of Oprah circa 2008!
Overall I’d recommend this book- especially if you’re a fan of Oprah circa 2008!
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