Conversation Starters: Oprah Daily's 6 Picks for the Books That Will Get You Talking

"What are we supposed to think these days about Lolita, the politically incorrect novel that just won’t shrivel up and leave the culture no matter how wrong it seems? What about Picasso and Hemingway and Woody Allen and any number of artists and writers whose behavior was as reprehensible as their work was genius? As personal as it is unflinching, Dederer’s exploration of the confusing boundaries between life and art refuses all the easy answers." —Marion Winik, journalist and author.

"As inspiring—and incredible—as the true story of William and Ellen Craft’s 1848 escape from slavery is, it seems unbelievable we’re just hearing about it now. With light-skinned Ellen disguised as a young male planter and William as her devoted slave, traveling by rail, steamship, and carriage, the pair made it to freedom in Philadelphia with a tale to remember." —Marion Winik

"Following Michael Brown’s fatal shooting in 2014, the Department of Justice launched an investigation into the Ferguson Police Department and reported systemic, flagrant, and targeted violence against the city’s Black community. Peeling back the clinical language of the official government document, poet Sealey creates “lifted poems” that capture the collective rage of the nation... and imagine a new vision of liberation."—Charley Burlock, Oprah Daily's contributing associate books editor.

"Why are there so many poor people in America, and what can we do about it? This man has answers. The passion, eloquence, and lively storytelling that made Evicted a Pulitzer Prize–winning bestseller are back in force as Desmond continues to speak on behalf of America’s most hard-pressed." —Marion Winik

"Rob and John had been together 10 years when gay marriage became legal in Minnesota in 2013. This funny and astute graphic memoir tells their story, from the Groomzilla deliberations about venue, wine, and suit selection through the present day." —Marion Winik

"Get ready to fume as you spend a year in the life of three public school teachers, brought to messy, moving, often brutally funny life by a reporter famous for bestselling true stories from behind the scenes." —Marion Winik