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Winfrey picks yet another self-help book
By M&C News Jan 31, 2008, 10:40 GMT
Surprise surprise. On Oprah Winfrey’s show, she picked a new book club selection called A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, which is none other than…self help.
Her last selection was Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, but many complained the cost of that book was “too expensive” but still seemed to enjoy it.
Many critics refer to the self-help books she promotes as “touchy feely weep fests” that provide shallow remedies to real problems and also cater to the Lowest Common Denominator.
Another example would be The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. While not bestowed with the infamous “O” it was certainly given Winfrey’s approval, as was Elizabeth Gilbert’s narcissistic portrayal of a selfish woman recovering from a divorce in Eat, Pray, Love.
The last controversy Winfrey endured was when she promoted Jerry Seinfeld’s wife’s cookbook Deceptively Delicious, which later was accused of being plagiarized from Missy Chase Lapine’s The Sneaky Chef.
And of course there is always the James Frey abomination and Maya Angelou’s Hallmark Card level poetry.
As one critic noted, "Winfrey should just stick to her cook books." Yet some might say she shouldn't even do that.
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