Oprah's book club has a new pick: Why she loves 'The Emperor of Gladness' by Ocean Vuong
Oprah Winfrey is christening a new title into her coveted monthly book club, and this time it's the highly anticipated new release from poet and novelist Ocean Vuong.
'The Emperor of Gladness' (out now from Penguin Random House) is the Oprah book club pick for May. It's Vuong's second novel, having previously published 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous' as well as poetry collections 'Time is a Mother' and 'Night Sky with Exit Wounds.'
'Ocean draws from his own personal experiences of being born in Vietnam, raised in a working-class family in Connecticut, and working as a fast-food server as inspiration for this story, which features an unlikely cast of truly unforgettable characters,' Winfrey said in a statement. 'This award-winning author and acclaimed poet has written in stunning prose, a heartfelt and powerful examination of those living on the fringes of society and the unique challenges they face to survive and thrive.'
Oprah's Book Club May pick: What is 'The Emperor of Gladness' about?
'The Emperor of Gladness' joins a roster of 114 other titles that Winfrey has hand-selected since 1996. The story starts as 19-year-old Hai in East Gladness, Connecticut stands on a bridge, ready to jump. An elderly widow succumbing to dementia stops him, and Hai quickly becomes her caretaker. 'The Emperor of Gladness' is a tribute to unlikely bonds and the love, labor and loneliness found in the fabric of American life.
In addition to authoring several works, Vuong is a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and won an American Book Award in 2020 for 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.'
'It was the honor of my life to receive 'the call' from Oprah,' Vuong said in a statement. 'Beyond the immense pride this moment instills in me, Oprah's Book Club has made reading accessible and approachable to the working-class communities of my childhood. In places where higher education was all but a miraculous dream, the act of reading can be intimidating, exclusionary, not to mention unaffordable for people who spend their days working two to three jobs and twelve-hour shifts. And yet, sitting in my mother's nail salon, I watched women see Oprah featuring an author on her show, which played each day in the salon, and literally rise from their seats with poise and confidence, saying they're gonna walk to the Barnes and Noble across the street and buy a book, suddenly armed with access to the discourse, and thereby in possession of the cultural center.
'To think of my book being invited to join such a profound lineage is truly awe-inspiring. I only wish my mother were alive to see it. Among all the literary achievements in an author's life, this would be the one she truly recognizes.'
Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Buzz Feed
an hour ago
- Buzz Feed
23 Bizarre Facts That Sound Fake But Are Actually True
Until 2015 in the UK, the coloring in red skittles contained carmine, which derives from the crushed abdomen of female beetles. There's an 80% chance your toothbrush has fecal matter on it. Even if it's stored in a closed container. Even toothbrushes stored outside the bathroom may be contaminated with fecal matter. Winnie the Pooh was banned from a Polish playground because he doesn't wear pants. The casting team for the Harry Potter movies was strongly against non-British actors being a part of the film, which meant that Robin Williams was turned down for Hagrid. Liam Aiken was the only American actor who even got the chance to audition for Harry Potter. Aside from that one exception, the casting team insisted on hiring only British actors. Because of that rule, Robin Williams reached out to director Chris Columbus about playing Hagrid but was politely turned down. As casting director Janet Hirshenson later explained, once Columbus said no to Robin, there was no way he was going to make an exception for anyone else. Cows have accents, and it goes way beyond moo! UK dairy farmers observed that cows seemed to moo with slight variations depending on the region. Curious about this, researchers from the University of London conducted a study and confirmed it — cows really do have regional differences in their moos. Interestingly, birds are also known to develop distinct local dialects. Nutmeg isn't just used in food. It can also be hallucinogenic if consumed in large doses. McDonald's used to have stirring spoons for their coffee until people began using them to snort cocaine. Pirates wore eye patches not because they were missing an eye, but to keep one eye adjusted to darkness. This let them switch quickly between bright sunlight above deck and the dim conditions below deck, giving them an advantage in battle or while moving through the ship. You can actually go to Norway that is, or even Hell, Michigan. And don't worry, it doesn't really get hot. Pope John Paul II is an honorary Harlem Globetrotter. Believe it or not, the largest tire manufacturer in the world In 2011, Guinness World Records named Lego the biggest tire manufacturer in the world. That year, the company produced 381 million tiny tires — far more than Bridgestone's 190 million, Michelin's 184 million, or Goodyear's 181 million. Sure, Lego tires are much easier to make since they're miniature and don't require everything an actual motor vehicle tire needs, but the numbers are still surprising! Roses are among the oldest plants on Earth, with fossils dating back 35 million years. The oldest living rose, which grows on a wall at Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany, is over 1,000 years old — and amazingly, it even survived a World War II bombing. President Theodore Roosevelt had a pet hyena named Bill. There's a pretty high chance that the ground coffee you use likely contains cockroaches. On August 9, 1996, production on Titanic took an unexpected and alarming turn when almost 80 cast and crew members were sent to the hospital after eating clam chowder on set. At first, the incident was thought to be a case of food poisoning, but a Nova Scotia newspaper later reported that the chowder had been deliberately spiked with PCP. Among those affected were actor Bill Paxton and director James Cameron. It's wild to think about, but none of us have ever actually seen our own faces — only reflections and images. Every time we look in a mirror or scroll past a photo, we're only catching a filtered representation. The world sees us directly, but we only know ourselves through glass and pixels. Stop signs used to be yellow. Before the 1920s, stop signs didn't follow any uniform rules — they came in all different shapes and colors. In 1922, the American Association of State Highway Officials decided that stop signs should be yellow and octagon-shaped. At the time, they didn't choose red because red paint tended to fade quickly and appeared too dark at night. It wasn't until the 1950s, after more durable red paint was developed, that the now-familiar red stop sign became the standard. There's actually a gender-neutral word for "niece" or "nephew" — It's "nibling." If you're brother or sister is becoming a parent but they don't know the sex yet, you could easily say, "I have a nibling on the way!" "Paul Winchell, who voiced Tigger in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, invented an artificial heart." Technically, strawberries and raspberries aren't berries, but bananas and avocados are. Strawberries aren't considered true berries because they don't develop from a single ovary — instead, each tiny seed on the outside comes from its own ovary. Bananas, on the other hand, grow from a single ovary and meet the botanical definition of a berry, which is why they count as one. Before people became obsessed with painting fake freckles on their faces, people wore fake moles made of things like silk, velvet, and even mouse skin as a fashion statement. While stars like Marilyn Monroe, Eva Mendes, and Cindy Crawford popularized beauty marks, people wore facial patches for a variety of reasons. Some covered scars or blemishes, others made political statements, and some even used them to express their personality or relationship status. These patches came in all sorts of shapes — circles, hearts, stars, and moons. The trend saw a short revival in the 1940s before disappearing again. The dot over the lowercase letters 'i' and 'j' actually has a name. It's called a tittle. It appears to be a blend of the words "tiny" and "little"...now how adorable is that?! Lastly, Rapper Pusha T and Justin Timberlake wrote the "I'm Lovin' It" jingle for McDonald's. Unfortunately, they were only paid a one-time fee, and they don't own any publishing rights. Pusha T mentioned in a podcast that he received a $500,000 upfront payment for a jingle — a hefty sum, but he doesn't hold any publishing rights to it. Since the jingle has been used for years, he likely could have made much more if he had. On the other hand, he also created the jingle for Arby's 'We Have the Meats' slogan, and he owns 40% of the publishing rights for that one. Do you have a cool fact to share? Let me know in the comments!
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Billionaire behind Paramount mega-deal obtaining Israeli residency
Korff's connection to Israel spans several years, marked by his substantial charitable donations to various Israeli causes, including the IDF, medical institutions, and local community projects. Brandon Korff, a Jewish-American billionaire renowned for orchestrating one of the media industry's landmark deals, the $35 billion sale of Paramount, is in the process of securing Israeli residency. A senior government official confirmed that Korff recently filed his application for Israeli residency, framing his decision as a gesture of solidarity in the face of global boycotts and rising hostility. In 2025, Korff significantly increased his time spent in Israel, becoming a more visible figure within the country. 'This is a meaningful and encouraging step for Israel,' the official remarked. 'At a time when Israel's global standing is under scrutiny, such a powerful media figure is a welcome presence.' Korff's connection to Israel spans several years, marked by his substantial charitable donations to various Israeli causes, including the IDF, medical institutions, and local community projects. His philanthropic support has noticeably grown in tandem with his longer stays in the country. Additionally, his brother served as a lone soldier in an elite IDF unit. Invigorating Paramount's legacy Korff is the grandson of the late Sumner Redstone, the influential media mogul behind Paramount, which, under his leadership, grew into a global powerhouse. In addition to owning major networks like CBS and MTV, Paramount held the rights to some of the most iconic entertainment properties, including Star Trek and Mission: Impossible. The company's recent sale at a valuation of $35 billion marked a historic shift. Korff's move to obtain Israeli residency is viewed by political officials as a step that could help build stronger connections between Israel and one of the most prominent families in global media, and as a clear vote of confidence in the country at a particularly sensitive time. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Kid Rock Goes ‘Nutz' Over California Gov. Gavin Newsom's Fake Endorsement Poster
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been on an all-caps roll lately trolling the Trump White House. In a series of cap-locked Truth Social-like screeds, Newsom's press office account has expertly approximated the shouting out the window tone of many of Donald Trump's social missives while taking aim at the President, his administration members and Fox News supporters in satirical screeds on X. But over the weekend Newsom appeared to cross a line when he brought vocal Trump pal Kid Rock into the fray. In a clearly Photoshopped poster mimicking the iconic Uncle Sam Wants You WWI Army recruitment posters, Newsom's team threw up an image of Rock in a red, white and blue top hat and matching suit in front of the American flag with the message 'Kid Rock Wants You to Support Gavin Newsom.' More from Billboard Jack White Rips Donald Trump's 'Vulgar, Gold-Leafed and Gaudy' White House Makeover, Comparing it To 'Wrestler's Dressing Room' Judas Priest's Rob Halford Said He Was 'Curled Up in a Ball' Weeping in Reaction to Ozzy Osbourne's Death Australian Country Star Troy Cassar-Daley Saluted With Excellence In The Community Award Extending the clearly fake endorsement, Newsom's personal account added 'Thanks, @KidRock!!,' in seeming appreciation of the unexpected endorsement from the rocker-turned-country-singer who labeled Trump an 'American Badass' in an interview in January. As you might expect, Rock, 54, didn't love it. In a response post, the 'Don't Tell Me How to Live' singer wrote, 'The only support Gavin Newscum will ever get out of me is from DEEZ NUTZ,' repurposing one of Trump's pet nicknames for the California politician. Newsom went all-in this week on his challenge to Trump's call for off-cycle redistricting in Texas to hold on to Republican's slim House next year by asking Californians to vote on redistricting in the Golden State. The Rock AI post appeared to be a call-back to a Trump post from last year in which the former reality TV star shared a clearly cooked-up images of Taylor Swift falsely claiming that the singer had endorsed him. Trump has since repeatedly said he 'hates' Swift, recently lashing out at the world's biggest pop star by claiming that he 'can't stand her (HATE!)' and that she is 'NO LONGER HOT.' Newsom didn't miss that opportunity to troll either, with the Governor's press office writing on Tuesday (Aug. 19), 'I HATE KID ROCK !!!' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
