Question

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（回憶錄） of a childhood suffered in concentration camps during the Holocaust． It‘s horrific but

uplifting． ―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（令人痛苦的） 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．

1.The passage is mainly about _______．

A． ten books that have made greatest difference to Oprah

B． an inspiring , challenging and sustainable woman

C． Oprah‘s picks from what has taught her a few things

D． the unwillingness of Oprah to share books within a limit of 10．

2. Why did Oprah add A Fine Balance to her list?

A． She gained courage from it．

B． It tells about wisdom of human nature．

C． It‘s a guide to living a best life．

D． Culture of a different world is exposed．

3. What makes Oprah declare The Pillars of the Earth great?

A． The advice on discovering the power．

B． The story of a mute boy and his dog．

C． The challenges of building cathedrals．

D． The good and evil in a California family．

4. In which book the story was set before the Civil War?

A． In The Bluest Eye B． In East of Eden

C． In A New Earth D． In The Known World

Answer 1