Oprah’s Book Club Announces Its 125th Reading Selection

Oprah’s Book Club has announced that Hungered by Amanda Rizkalla is its 125th reading selection. Rizkalla’s debut novel following an unhoused family navigating economic insecurity is told from the perspective of 12-year-old Sofia living with her mother and younger brother in their car.

Oprah praised the book in a press release:

A riveting new novel from first-time author Amanda Rizkalla compassionately tackles the difficult subject of families who live outside the margins, living unhoused, and makes us see not only their struggles, but their hopes, dreams, and the perseverance it takes to face another day.

In the Oprah’s Book Club podcast interview with Rizkallah, the author talks about her experience dealing with housing insecurity as a teen. The recent Steinbeck Fellow and Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellow initially tried to make sense of her experience through a short story assignment before it developed into a novel.

Hungered sounds like the best version of assigned reading in high school; the kind of book that makes a powerful, lasting impression, and that gives you insight into an enduring challenge we face as a country. According to stats reported on by the Anne E. Casey Foundation, “4.2 mil­lion youth, young adult, and teens expe­ri­ence some form of home­less­ness each year.”

Oprah announced the latest pick for her book club, which recently celebrated it’s 30th anniversary, on CBS Mornings where she appeared in-studio with Rizkalla.