Famous American talk show host Oprah Winfrey and tech giant Apple have recently announced a new cooperation of theirs which is aimed at building “a vibrant, global book club that has the power to both transport and transform people — turning every book into an opportunity for self-discovery, and bringing the world together through reading”, according to a statement posted on the company’s website.
As per this partnership, Oprah’s new Book Club series, which will feature her interviewing the authors of her book club picks, will become available on the Apple TV+ streaming service, with the first episode expected to premiere on 1 November and a new episode coming out every two months.
The book club’s selections are also being promoted on the Apple Books app, where the first title, “The Water Dancer” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, is already available for pre-order.
"I am who I am today because of the experience of learning to read at an early age. Reading opened up a whole world for me beyond the red dirt road and my grandmother’s porch in Mississippi," Oprah said. "I want to do that for everybody. And the opportunity to do this with Apple, to speak to people all over the world about the pleasures, the excitement, the tension, the drama that a good book can bring you … I don’t know what’s better than that."
Apple CEO Tim Cook also remarked that "few people in the world can bring us together like Oprah, whose compassion and grace celebrating the power of books are unmatched," adding that his company is honoured to have this opportunity to "provide a new platform for Oprah’s Book Club and support the American Library Association in opening hearts and minds to the joy of reading".
News of this development was met with cheers and approval by many social media users, with some voicing concerns about an "illiteracy crisis" allegedly threatening the United States.