>>> ALL RIGHT.
THIS IS A BIG ONE.
JENNA, I HEAR YOU HAVE A PRETTY
AMAZING END TO YOUR BOOK CLUB
THIS MONTH.
>> I REALLY DO.
THIS YEAR MARKS THE 50th
ANNIVERSARY OF MY FAVORITE BOOK,
THE BLUEST EYE BY TONI MORRISON.
AT THE CENTER OF THIS STORY IS A
12-YEAR-OLD WHO JUST WANTS TO
FEEL VALUED.
SO I HAD THE CHANCE TO TALK TO
OPRAH WINFREY, WHO ALSO CHOSE
THE BLUEST EYE FOR HER OWN BOOK
CLUB 30 YEARS AGO, ABOUT THE
NOVEL AND WHAT SHE’S LEARNED
FROM THIS TRYING YEAR.
GOOD AFTERNOON, OPRAH.
I’M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU.
>> WELL, I’M HAPPY TO SEE YOU,
TOO.
STILL IN LOCKDOWN QUARANTINE.
I ACTUALLY HAVE ADJUSTED TO IT.
I DON’T KNOW IF I’LL EVER LEAVE,
BECAUSE I FIGURED OUT HOW TO DO
INTERVIEWS FROM MY LIVING ROOM
AND, ACTUALLY, TO FEEL LIKE IT’S
OKAY.
>> WE STARTED THE YEAR ON A
MAJOR TOUR, SO IT’S KIND OF ONLY
FITTING THAT WE’RE ENDING THE
YEAR TOGETHER.
>> YEAH.
CAN YOU BELIEVE WE STARTED IN
FT. LAUDERDALE, AND THROUGHOUT
THIS ENTIRE LOCKDOWN PERIOD,
THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE TIME I
KEPT THINKING, WOW, YOU SURVIVED
NINE CITIES AND THOUSANDS AND
THOUSANDS OF SELFIES.
>> I KNOW.
>> AND HUG INGGING AND DANCING A
SINGING.
AND WHEN THE VIRUS WAS MOVING
THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
>> I KNOW.
>> SO YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE
AT HOME AND STAY SAFE.
>> IT WAS MY NEW YEAR’S
RESOLUTION TO BE WITH YOU AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, AND I
JUST THOUGHT 2020 IS GOING TO BE
THE BEST YEAR YET.
SO FAR, THAT HASN’T BEEN THE
CASE.
WE BOTH TURNED TO BOOKS,
INCLUDING "THE BLUEST EYE" FOR
COMFORT.
>> TO BE ABLE TO READ TONI
MORRISON DURING A PANDEMIC ON A
SUNNY DAY --
>> YES.
>> -- IN A HAMMOCK IS ONE OF THE
GREATEST JOYS IN LIFE.
>> WITH MORRISON’S WORDS
PROVIDING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY
AND UNDERSTANDING.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I
THINK SHE’S ABLE TO DO IN THIS
BOOK IS THE SAME THING I’VE
ALWAYS TRIED TO DO IN MY WORK
AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I
STARTED THE BOOK CLUB, CERTAINLY
ONE OF THE REASONS YOU HAVE,
TOO, IS TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT
THEY ARE NOT ALONE.
>> YES.
>> AND THAT IS WHAT THIS BOOK
DID.
IT LIBERATED SO MANY WOMEN TO
SEE, AHH, I HAD THOSE FEELINGS.
I’VE KNOWN WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE,
WHAT THAT EXPERIENCE IS LIKE.
>> YES.
>> YOU’RE NOT ALONE.
THAT SOMEBODY ELSE KNOWS WHAT
IT’S LIKE.
>> IN A YEAR WHEN PEOPLE ARE
FILLED WITH PAIN IN OUR COUNTRY,
YOU SAID THIS ABOUT MISS
MORRISON.
YOU SAID SHE ASKS US TO FOLLOW
OUR OWN PAIN, TO RECKON WITH IT,
AND TO TRANSCEND IT.
>> THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN YOU READ "THE BLUEST EYE."
YOU UNDERSTAND HOW PEOPLE GET
STUCK IN THE PAIN AND BURROWED
DOWN WITH IT.
I THINK TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW THE
PAIN AND ACTUALLY DEAL WITH THE
PAIN AND THEN EVENTUALLY
TRANSCEND THE PAIN, THAT IS WHAT
HER STORYTELLING HAS BEEN ABOUT.
>> FOR THOSE WHO ARE HURTING,
THOSE THAT FEEL NOT HEARD, THOSE
THAT FEEL SAD, WHAT WILL YOU
SAY?
HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR BEAUTIFUL
SPIRIT UP?
>> WELL, I WILL TELL YOU THAT
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS BEEN
A GREAT COMFORT TO ME DURING
THIS TIME OF ISOLATION IS BEING
ABLE TO READ THE WORDS OF OTHER
PEOPLE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DO,
LITERALLY, EVERY MORNING IS I
READ SOME DAILY SPIRITUAL
PASSAGE THAT IS UPLIFTING TO ME,
AND I RECENTLY STARTED TURNING
TO POETRY.
I JUST READ A COUPLE OF STANZAS
OF ANY PARTICULAR POEM, OPENED
TO ANY PAGE.
I FIND IT CALMS AND SOOTHES ME
IN A WAY.
POETRY FEELS LIKE PRAYER TO ME.
AND SO I HAVE ALLOWED THIS TIME
FOR MYSELF, AND I THINK FOR
OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE FEELING THE
STRAIN OF THE ISOLATION TO GO
INWARD AND DETERMINED TO COME
OUT BETTER THAN WE DID WHEN WE
WENT IN.
WHAT IS THE VISION YOU HOLD FOR
YOURSELF WHEN THIS IS DONE?
HAPPINESS IS HAVING SOMETHING TO
LOOK FORWARD TO.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE DEFINITIONS
OF HAPPINESS.
SO WHAT IS THE VISION YOU HOLD
FOR YOURSELF?
IT’S ALL ABOUT HOW YOU SEE IT.
>> RIGHT?
>> HOW YOU CHOOSE TO SEE IT.
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO USE ALL THE
STUFF THAT HAPPENED TO YOU THIS
YEAR, AND TURN THAT PAIN, THAT
SUFFERING, THAT SACRIFICE INTO
POWER?
HOW DO YOU TURN THE PAIN INTO
POWER?
THAT’S THE GOAL.
>> TONI MORRISON WOULD HAVE
TURNED 90 NEXT YEAR.
IT’S BEEN A YEAR AND A HALF
SINCE SHE HAS PASSED AWAY.
DO YOU MISS HER?
>> WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE HER,
BECAUSE WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE HER
WORDS.
I HONESTLY APPRECIATE THE FACT
THAT THIS -- KNOWING THAT I WAS
GOING TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION
WITH YOU, JENNA, ALLOWED ME TO
REVISIT "THE BLUEST EYE" IN A
WAY I PROBABLY WOULDN’T IF I
JUST SAT DOWN.
SO KEEP SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT
BOOKS.
AND, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY WAS
ASKING ME THE OTHER DAY, YOU
KNOW, DID I FEEL, YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE SHE WAS -- YOU WERE
CHOOSING THE BOOK, DID I FEEL
SOME SENSE OF COMPETITION OR
SOMETHING.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME, HONEY CHILD,
I SAID.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I WANT AS MANY PEOPLE TO BE
EXPOSED TO ALL THE BOOKS AS
POSSIBLE.
SO, AS I SAID, IF YOU HADN’T
CHOSEN IT AND I KNEW THAT THE
50th ANNIVERSARY WAS COMING UP,
I WOULD HAVE DONE IT AGAIN,
BECAUSE I LOVE IT THAT MUCH.
>> TO GET TO SPEAK TO OPRAH
ABOUT WHAT IS BOTH OF OUR
FAVORITE BOOKS WAS PRETTY
INCREDIBLE.
>> THAT IS A MOMENT.
BY THE WAY, THAT BOOK BACK ON
NEW YORK TIME’S BEST SELLER’S
LIST.
>> YES, AND I GOT TO SPEAK WITH
TONI’S SON, EXACTLY WHO YOU
THINK HE WOULD BE, A GENTLEMAN
AND SO LOVELY.
THIS IS ALL PART OF A
CELEBRATION OF TONI MORRISON,
THE FIRST-EVER READ WITH JENNA
SPECIAL STREAMING ON "TODAY,"