The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy arrives just in time for the holidays…not that I will be able to wait that long.   Harpo and Abrams have slated the release of The Oprah Show’s the tribute book on November 15th.  Sure to be a masterful chronicle of the last 25 years at The Oprah Winfrey Show, the book is “full of iconic photographs, personal memories, highlights from beloved shows and  a foreword by Maya Angelou.”  However the love doesn’t stop with Maya.  Other well-known and respected individuals have also contributed a little something.

The contributors include:

• Maya Angelou, who writes the foreword
• Bono and Nicholas Kristof writing on giving and social action
• Ellen DeGeneres, Stanley Crouch, and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., writing on equality
• Julia Roberts and Diane von Furstenberg writing on culture and style
• Toni Morrison and Elie Wiesel writing on books
• Maria Shriver and Gloria Steinem writing on women’s issues
• Dr. Phil McGraw, Mark Nepo, and Marianne Williamson writing on spirit and personal growth
• Bob Greene and Dr. Mehmet Oz writing on health and wellness
• John Travolta and Phil Donahue contributing tributes to Ms. Winfrey

Like so many people, I literally grew up with Oprah.  So this almost feels like our personal, high-end scrapbook of the times we spent together.   As I moved through my awkward youth and at times troubling young adulthood, The Oprah Show seemed to be there to help me understand where I was going wrong – pointing me in the direction of hope. Defining moments of my life can be almost be bookended with Oprah shows and mantras.  Honestly, I can’t wait to make a warm cup of tea and sink into the couch with this walk down memory lane. As Oprah would say, “All sweet, no bitter.”