Robyn Okrant

Such a fabulous idea; do everything Oprah says for one year and see if after that time you are living your "Best Life". Robyn Okrant is funny and insightful in her quest to understand our culture's love affair with Oprah. What makes this book so good is that the author approaches the subject of Oprah without judgement. She isn't an Oprah fanatic, nor an Oprah-hater. The tone of the book is conversational and fun, Okrant's self-depreciating sense of humor and her eye for irony make her aa show more excellent writer, one the reader can instantly relate to. If you like AJ Jacobs you'll love Okrant. She is the kind of person you'd like to share knitting patterns with over a latte. show less

A woman decides to spend a year following all the advice Oprah gives on her show, in her magazine, and on her website. The purpose of the experiment is to dive into the world of media messages aimed at improving women's lives. Will this advice actually help her to "live her best life" or will it just add more stress, judgments, and unrealistic goals?

I found this book to be a chilling examination of the danger of pop culture. I do not understand why people have such a fascination with show more celebrity. The author seems to have a lot of respect and admiration for Oprah, even as she finds her advice expensive, contradictory, and downright harmful. Sure Oprah gives a lot of money to charity, but she fills the lives of millions with discontent. At the very best, Oprah is a vapid chatterer, distracting empty-headed women from the sucking vacuum that is their lives while hocking merchandise for her many sponsors. Which whatever, I'm not judging that. There are plenty of media personalities doing this and making a fine living off of it. Just like the rest of America, I consume tons of trash entertainment television. Whatever gets you through. What annoys me is when people take Oprah seriously. To do so is to miss the point. She is an entertainer. Nothing more. Take her advice seriously at your peril. show less

What I found most interesting was Ms. Okrant's experiences in actually following all the advice she gleaned from a year of Oprah. There is much musing on philosophical subjects - for example, how to reconcile conspicuous consumption with living more simply or can Oprah relate to the "everyday" woman? This is interesting, but the idea of letting someone else make so many and so far reaching decisions for a person was such an intriguing experiment. We all do some of this subconsciously - but show more Ms. Okrant does it on purpose and reflects on it. show less

If reality tv is all the rage in the television world, then attempting one-year challenges is all the rage in book world. Robyn Okrant set out to try to follow Oprah’s precepts, those presented on her show and in her magazine and online, for a year. I heard about this last summer and have been waiting for the book ever since. I was not disappointed. Okrant is respectful of Oprah, and, though she finds many of Oprah’s pronouncements overly enthusiastic, she also discovers many wise show more tidbits of advice.(Happiness side note: Okrant’s happiness level dropped abysmally as the year progressed, primarily from increased levels of stress in attempting to follow all of the Oprah manifestos.) show less