Oprah Winfrey has selected Tina Knowles’ memoir, Matriarch, as the latest pick for her book club.
In the book, co-written with Kevin Carr O’Leary, the mother of musicians Beyoncé and Solange Knowles tells the story of her life, beginning as a child growing up on Galveston Island, Texas, and continuing through her career as a fashion designer and entrepreneur. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus praised the memoir as “a great story of a singular American life.”
Winfrey announced the book’s selection in an Instagram video, saying that the book “details how Tina overcomes so many obstacles growing up in a segregated Galveston, Texas, to pursue her dreams far beyond anything society expected of a young woman. You’re going to want to clear your schedule, I tell you, when you start this book, as you will be totally riveted by the twists and the turns of this deeply personal and compelling story.”
Winfrey and Knowles appeared on CBS Mornings to discuss the book, which was published Tuesday by One World/Random House. Asked how she was feeling on the memoir’s publication day, Knowles said, “It’s a wonderful day. Look what I’m starting off doing; you don’t get better than this. But I still have a little anxiety, because you’re putting it out in the world to be really scrutinized and turned over and regurgitated.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
