Oprah The Gospel of an Icon [Hardcover]

Today onOprah, intoned the TV announcer, and all over America viewers tuned in to learn, empathize, and celebrate. In this book, Kathryn Lofton investigates the Oprah phenomenon and finds in Winfreys empireHarpo Productions,O Magazine, and her new television networkan uncanny reflection of religion in modern society. Lofton shows that when Oprah liked, needed, or believed something, she offered her audience nothing less than spiritual revolution, reinforced by practices that fuse consumer behavior, celebrity ambition, and religious idiom. In short, Oprah Winfrey is a media messiah for a secular age. Loftons unique approach also situates the Oprah enterprise culturally, illuminating how Winfrey reflects and continues historical patterns of American religions.

Kathryn Loftonis the Sarai Ribicoff Associate Professor of American Studies and Religious Studies at Yale University.

Better than celebrity biographer Kitty Kelley, Kathryn Lofton exposes Oprah's secretthe religious resonance of her persona in popular culture. Brilliantly orchestrated, full of ah-ha and light-bulb moments,Oprah: The Gospel of an Icontakes us into the mediated spirituality, collective rituals, and everyday epiphanies of being Oprah and being in Oprah's world. If you are looking for sensationalism and scandal, read this book and find a sensational, substantial, and insightful analysis of religion and American popular culture. David Chidester, author ofAuthentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular Culture

Lofton manages a rare feat. This book shakes and awakens our minds, compelling us to interpret and make sense of a multifaceted woman who has become a consumer and cultural phenomenon unprecedented in American and world history.--Eva Illouz, author ofOprah Winfrey and the Glamour of Misery: An Essay on Popular Culture

Lofton'sOprah: The Gospel of an Icondefies categorization, offering a brilƒj