Tayari Jones: “Kin” | Oprah’s Book Club
2/24/202651 min
We are celebrating the 30th anniversary of Oprah’s Book Club and Oprah’s first pick of 2026 which is her 121st Book Club selection. The novel KIN by international bestselling author Tayari Jones explores the life-long friendship of two motherless daughters in the segregated South. The story explores how their decisions lead them to live vastly different lives causing them to grow apart. From page one to the stunning conclusion Tayari’s emotionally rich and witty novel inspires a soul-searching, introspective conversation about chosen family. Oprah and Tayari Jones talk with an audience of readers in New York City. BUY THE BOOK! https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/635411/kin-by-tayari-jones/ 00:00:00 - Celebrating 30 years of Oprah Book Club 00:03:20 - Oprah introduces ‘Kin’ by Tayari Jones 00:04:13 - Welcome Tayari Jones 00:06:42 - Thando on ‘Kin’ 00:08:30 - Letters as storytelling 00:10:30 - The professor that inspired Tayari 00:12:35 - Tayari on the 8 years between books 00:17:38 - The plot of ‘Kin’ 00:20:40 - Being a girl without a mom 00:22:00 - Belonging and sacrifice 00:23:57 - Tayari’s understanding of her mother 00:28:30 - What can save friendship? 00:30:15 - Honor your friendships 00:37:20 - The feeling of completing a novel 00:42:20 - Tayari on ‘Kin’ 00:43:48 - How Tayari sees the world SUPPORT THE SHOW https://www.tayarijones.com/books/an-american-marriage/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsOprah Winfrey· Host0:00
We're surprising an author, Tayari, [gasps] whose book club I picked once before for American Marriage. She doesn't know I'm coming in.
Speaker 10:13
Tayari, you have a guest.
Tayari Jones· Guest0:18
[gasps] Hello.
Oprah Winfrey· Host0:20
Hello.
Tayari Jones· Guest0:21
[laughs] How are you?
Oprah Winfrey· Host0:23
How are you?
Tayari Jones· Guest0:24
It's great to see you.
Oprah Winfrey· Host0:25
Great to see you. I've come to bring good news to you.
Tayari Jones· Guest0:28
Okay.
Oprah Winfrey· Host0:29
I'm choosing Kin as a book club.
Tayari Jones· Guest0:30
Oh, my!
Oprah Winfrey· Host0:32
Oh, my.
Tayari Jones· Guest0:32
We're a twofer.
Oprah Winfrey· Host0:34
[laughing] Twofer. You're a twofer. [laughing] This is the thing about it, I just felt like I had taken a trip back home, and I knew these women at like, as well as I know myself and my own kin.
Tayari Jones· Guest0:45
Our literature has to reflect not only who we are, but who we were.
Oprah Winfrey· Host0:49
Yeah.
Tayari Jones· Guest0:49
And so, um, it means a lot to me.
Oprah Winfrey· Host0:51
Oh, thank you. It means so much to me that you wrote it. [laughing] Wow! Thank you. Thank you.
Tayari Jones· Guest0:57
Yeah.
Oprah Winfrey· Host0:57
Thank you.
Tayari Jones· Guest0:58
Here we go.
Oprah Winfrey· Host0:58
Here we go. [laughing] Hi, everybody. I am so delighted to be here with you on the Oprah Podcast. We're in New York City! [audience cheering and applauding] With an audience of my kind of people, book lovers in New York City. Give yourselves a round of applause for that. [audience applauding] This year, we're celebrating... This year, we are celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the Oprah Book