NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� new pick highlights an author she has long admired, Jesmyn Ward.
On Tuesday, Winfrey announced she had selected Ward's 鈥淟et Us Descend,鈥� which comes out this week. 鈥淟et Us Descend鈥� is a slave narrative set in the 19th century and follows a teenage girl's journey across the American South. Ward, 46, is among the most acclaimed writers of her generation. Her previous works include the novels 鈥淪alvage the Bones鈥� and 鈥淪ing, Unburied, Sing,鈥� both winners of the National Book Award.
In 2022, she became the youngest winner of the
鈥淚 have read all of Jesmyn Ward鈥檚 books and have been a fan of her writing for years,鈥� Winfrey said in a statement. 鈥溾�楲et Us Descend鈥� is a vital work for our culture and I鈥檓 so excited to have her newest offering as part of our Book Club.鈥�
Ward has also written such nonfiction as 鈥淢en We Reaped鈥� and 鈥淣avigate Your Stars.鈥� In a statement Tuesday, she expressed her lifelong admiration for Winfrey and how she was 鈥渄eeply moved by Ms. Winfrey鈥檚 ability to challenge herself creatively and her unabashed championing of literature and the written word.鈥�
"I tried to emulate all of this in my own life, and over the last 20 years, I worked my way through rejection and revision to now, when I find myself in a momentous point in my career," her statement reads. "I am so honored to contribute to the discussion at the heart of her club, which over the years, has considered what it means to be American, to be human, to be alive, to hope and yearn, with each outing. What a joy to add my own voice to her chorus!鈥�
Hillel Italie, The Associated Press
