--- title: Oprah Names Behold the Dreamers as Next Book Club Pick description: "It's about race and class, the economy, culture, immigration and the danger of the us-versus-them mentality," Oprah said. canonical: https://time.com/4832708/oprah-book-club-behold-dreamers-imbolo-mbue/ author: Sarah Begley article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-26T14:35:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:20:11.775Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Oprah Named Her New Book Club Pick Just in Time for Summer og:description: "It's got everything that's grabbing the headlines in America right now" og:url: https://time.com/4832708/oprah-book-club-behold-dreamers-imbolo-mbue/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte723450470906d13/6988d34a196cf4b1f1040c54/gettyimages-631087604.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Oprah Named Her New Book Club Pick Just in Time for Summer twitter:description: "It's got everything that's grabbing the headlines in America right now" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte723450470906d13/6988d34a196cf4b1f1040c54/gettyimages-631087604.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Oprah Named Her Latest Book Club Pick Just in Time for Summer > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=37d2f524-406c-48ee-bca6-919920533e42&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Oprah Winfrey Tells Graduates to Follow Their 'Inner Truth' [Watch (HLS stream): Oprah Winfrey Tells Graduates to Follow Their 'Inner Truth'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/AnxGsguB.m3u8) (1:37)  _Published 2017-05-21. Oprah Winfrey advised graduates at Skidmore College to follow their "inner truth" and live a spiritual life during a commencement speech Saturday in upstate New York._ by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Jun 26, 2017 2:35 PM UTC Oprah Winfrey advised graduates at Skidmore College to follow their "inner truth" and live a spiritual life during a commencement speech Saturday in upstate New York. by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Jun 26, 2017 2:35 PM UTC Oprah Winfrey has named [Imbolo Mbue’s](http://time.com/4389170/you-can-tell-our-story-in-summer-reads/) 2016 novel [_Behold the Dreamers_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0525509712/?tag=timecom-20) as the latest selection for her [book club](http://time.com/4435098/oprah-colson-whitehead-underground-railroad/), a coveted distinction that typically serves as a major sales boon for authors. The novel, which comes out in paperback on Monday, tells the story of a Cameroonian immigrant who finds work as a chauffeur for a [Lehman Brothers](http://time.com/money/4150495/federal-reserve-interest-rate-timeline/item/lehman-brothers-collapses/) executive late in 2007\. When the company declares bankruptcy the next year, both men’s families are left reeling. [“It’s got everything that’s grabbing the headlines in America right now,”Oprah](http://time.com/4817931/oprah-wonder-woman-party/) said in a [video statement](http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Behold-the-Dreamers-Oprahs-Book-Club-Announcement). “It’s about race and class, the economy, culture, immigration and the danger of the us-versus-them mentality.” Mbue, who won a PEN/Faulkner award for the book, described the honor as “humbling” in a statement. ““Fifteen years ago, I walked into a public library and borrowed my first Oprah’s Book Club selection — Toni Morrison’s [_Song of Solomon_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/140003342X/?tag=timecom-20) _—_ and was so inspired by it that I began writing without thinking much of where my writing would lead me,” she said. Amazon is offering readers a [free preview of the book](https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B0138OAB80&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref%5F=cm%5Fsw%5Fr%5Fkb%5Fdp%5FiNAozbN91RH7P&reshareId=90CQQQSQWP1KZ1JN6N68&reshareChannel=system) for readers who want to check out the first three chapters. ## Transcript It's a big hard world out there but you're ready for it. And you're ready because there is nothing more powerful than you using your personality to serve the calling of your soul. [ APPLAUSE ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] I have been so blessed to live inside the dream of God. I figured out early on, you know I had these dreams for myself. I used to tell my father I'm going to live on a house on a hill. I'm going to have a million dollars. And I learned early in my career, that the dream I had for myself, couldn't compare to the dream that life had for me. So I figured out, how to lean in to life To lean into life and allow the flow that designed for me to follow. To allow that flow to be my guide in every decision I've ever made has come from Listening to the flow that represented the truth in me, that is also the truth in you. You all ready know the truth. 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