When we asked Oprah to pick the 10 books she's read in the past decade that have mattered to her most, she was momentarily stumped. For someone who describes herself as --inspired, challenged, and sustained by books, it was almost impossible for Oprah to stay within our limit of 10. Still, she offered up the following, but she emphasized that it was only a sampler of delightful titles that have also managed to teach her -- and all of us -- a few things. 1. Discover the Power Within You By Eric Butterworth 256 pages; Harper One Advice from the internationally known spiritual teacher. 2. A New Earth By Eckhart Tolle 316 pages; Plume There's a reason Oprah picked this for her Book Club in 2008 -- and that she gave audience members Post-it pens along with their copies.So much wisdom, so little time! A real-life guide to living your best life. 3. The Poisonwood Bible By Barbara Kingsolver 576 pages; Harper Perennial This novel is about a family involved in the political trouble of postcolonial Africa.  It established Kingsolver as one of our wisest observers of history, politics, and human nature. 4. Night By Elie Wiesel 120 pages; Hill and Wang A memoir  of a childhood suffered in concentration camps during the Holocaust. It's horrific butuplifting. --I gain courage from his courage,|| Oprah says. 5. A Fine Balance By Rohinton Mistry 624 pages; Vintage A Dickensian novel about India during the Emergency. Like the aftermath of September 11, it teaches us about cultures we haven't understood. "It takes us out of our own little shell and exposes us to a whole other world out there." Oprah say. 6. East of Eden By John Steinbeck 608 pages; Penguin This classic is about good and evil as played out in a late-19th-century California ranch family. If you didn't read it in high school, read it now. If you did, reread it! 7. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle By David Wroblewski 576 pages; Harper Collins A kind of Hamlet on the prairie, this is the wrenching  story of a mute boy and his dog. Oprah compares it to East of Eden and To Kill a Mickingbird. 8. The Pillars of the Earth By Ken Follett 973 pages; Penguin About the challenges of building cathedrals in 12th-century England. This novel couldn't be more different in setting, time, and plot from the author's breakthrough success, Eye of the Needle. Oprah declares it simply "great". 9. The Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison 224 pages; Penguin How to choose among the great Morrison's novel? Start with this one about a girl who thinks she has to have blue eyes to be beautiful. Oprah considered it one of the best in a crowded Morrison field. 10. The Known World By Edward P. Jones 400 pages, Harper Collins When this book was published in 2003, it shocked everybody with its description of slave-owning blacks before the Civil War. A daring, unusual examination of race. In which book the story was set before the Civil War?
In The Bluest Eye. In East of Eden. In A New Earth. In The Known World.