--- description: "It's about race and class, the economy, culture, immigration and the danger of the us-versus-them mentality," Oprah said. title: Oprah Named Her New Book Club Pick Just in Time for Summer image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte723450470906d13/6988d34a196cf4b1f1040c54/gettyimages-631087604.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Books](/tag/books/) ## Books Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Oprah Named Her Latest Book Club Pick Just in Time for Summer by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 26, 2017 2:35 PM CUT  The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Oprah Winfrey during Tuesday's 01/03/16 show in New York. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Oprah Winfrey during Tuesday's 01/03/16 show in New York.CBS Photo Archive—CBS via Getty Images by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 26, 2017 2:35 PM CUT Oprah Winfrey has named [Imbolo Mbue’s](http://time.com/4389170/you-can-tell-our-story-in-summer-reads/ "undefined") 2016 novel [_Behold the Dreamers_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0525509712/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined") as the latest selection for her [book club](http://time.com/4435098/oprah-colson-whitehead-underground-railroad/ "undefined"), 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/ "undefined") 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/ "undefined") said in a [video statement](http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Behold-the-Dreamers-Oprahs-Book-Club-Announcement "undefined"). “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 "undefined") _—_ 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 "undefined") for readers who want to check out the first three chapters. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4832708/oprah-book-club-behold-dreamers-imbolo-mbue/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4832708/oprah-book-club-behold-dreamers-imbolo-mbue/"},"headline":"Oprah Named Her Latest Book Club Pick Just in Time for Summer","datePublished":"2017-06-26T14:35:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T16:19:00.809Z","description":"\"It's got everything that's grabbing the headlines in America right now\"","url":"https://time.com/4832708/oprah-book-club-behold-dreamers-imbolo-mbue/","keywords":["Books","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte723450470906d13/6988d34a196cf4b1f1040c54/gettyimages-631087604.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte723450470906d13/6988d34a196cf4b1f1040c54/gettyimages-631087604.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert","caption":"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert","creditText":"CBS Photo Archive—CBS via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4832708/oprah-book-club-behold-dreamers-imbolo-mbue/","name":"Oprah Named Her Latest Book Club Pick Just in Time for Summer"}}]}] ```