Over the years I’ve had a like/dislike relationship with Oprah Winfrey.

Fueling the dislike was Oprah’s daytime talk show. I found it chock full of an obnoxious amount of commercials. Oprah herself would continually interrupt her guests at inopportune moments for every lengthy commercial break. When the show was cancelled in 2011, I was saved from watching it every afternoon with family members. Phew!

My opinion of Oprah began a slow reform when Oprah launched the OWN network. Original TV Shows like Master Class and Where Are They Now? revealed a side of Oprah I’d never noticed before. These shows were less about Oprah and her ego and more about exploring other great figures, their stories, their successes and failures. Even more, I found myself reading O Magazine and enjoying the useful tips, inspiring articles (many by Martha Beck) and down-to-earth wisdom offered in her column “What I Know For Sure.”

When Oprah published an autiobiographical book of the same name in 2014, I thought I’d give it a try. The book is a compilation of insights into Oprah’s earlier years, her rise to fame, and how she stays grounded in a frenetic, demanding world. Oprah in small doses – I could handle this!

I found myself growing more and more in my respect for Oprah. Her dark beginnings shaped a woman determined to succeed in all aspects of life. Born into poverty, the daughter of a teenage single mother, Oprah was raped at age nine, later became pregnant at age 14 and lost the baby in infancy. Not one to be easily discouraged, Oprah’s resilience and work ethic quickly landed her a job in radio, and later a daytime talk-show. And the rest is history!

What I Know For Sure is a light read that offers little nuggets of wisdom in an easily palatable format. The perfect “right before bed” read, guaranteed to get you thinking about life, the choices we make, and the power of positive thinking. Borrow a copy of What I Know For Sure from your local Vaughan Library today!