Oprah's Book Club October pick is debut novel 'Hungered' by Amanda Rizkalla
Oprah Winfrey has chosen 'Hungered' by debut author Amanda Rizkalla as her 125th Book Club pick — the first since she began her 30th anniversary celebrations — calling it a 'riveting' coming-of-age story about a family living unhoused.
Oprah Winfrey has chosen “Hungered” by Amanda Rizkalla as her Book Club pick for October, selecting a debut author for her 125th selection.
The novel, out now from Henry Holt and Co., follows a young girl living in a car with her mother and younger brother. “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,” Winfrey said in a statement.
The coming-of-age story is told from the perspective of economic insecurity and displacement. The young narrator, Sofia, is a 12-year-old whose days are “characterized by passing freeways and strip malls while her mom looks for a safe place to park for the night,” awaiting the promised days of her own bedroom, going back to school and seeing her friends.
Rizkalla, 28, is a Steinbeck Fellow and Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellow who received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Hungered” is her first novel. “I am honored beyond words that my debut novel Hungered has been selected for Oprah’s Book Club,” Rizkalla said in a statement, adding it was “an honor to be the 125th selection and to join the 30-year collection of books she has championed.”
The pick is the first since Winfrey kicked off her 30th book club anniversary celebrations.
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