BUY THE BOOK! The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-emperor-of-gladness/id6736382187 https://open.spotify.com/episode/50VqT29k6PQqGQzUnenogD In this episode of Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks, Oprah sits down with acclaimed author Ocean Vuong to discuss his much-anticipated new novel, The Emperor of Gladness. Chosen as the 114th Oprah’s Book Club selection, The Emperor of Gladness reveals the many ways love, labor and loneliness show up in American life. The novel begins on a summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, where nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge ready to jump. An elderly widow suffering from dementia intervenes and the unlikely pair form a life-altering bond. In this episode, Ocean discusses this deeply personal narrative and his gift of illuminating the fullness of humanity in the most ordinary of places. Oprah and Ocean are joined by a live audience in a Starbucks Café in Chicago, enjoying the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, layered with flavors of brown sugar, cinnamon and Starbucks® Blonde Espresso Roast. Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: Instagram Facebook TikTok Listen to the full podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts #oprahsbookclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
Everybody, hello. Let me introduce you to this genius man, Ocean Vuong. Say hello. Everybody here has read the book. Oh, thank you. OK, ready, class? I love this book so much. Hi, everybody. A warm welcome to you. Thanks for joining us for Oprah's Book Club, presented by Starbucks. It's so good to be here in my old, sweet home Chicago at a cozy Starbucks cafe.
I think it's a great place to meet a friend and connect over a good book and a delicious cup of curated coffee. The pairing for this book club pick is an ice brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso. They say it's the ultimate pick-me-up. So my 114th book club selection, we're here to talk about it today.
And I just have to say, I have to stop myself from tearing up when I think about this book because it is epic. It is poignant. It is hauntingly beautiful. And I read it back in October, and I still sometimes wake up thinking about the characters. The book is called The Emperor of Gladness by celebrated author Ocean Vuong. Welcome, Ocean Vuong!
I want to talk to you about being this accomplished author with so many awards, hard to mention them all. At just 36, you have a wild list of accomplishments. New York Times bestselling author. A professor of modern poetry at NYU, a multiple award-winning poet, essayist, novelist, screenwriter. You also won a MacArthur Genius Grant. And English isn't even your first language.
Where does this come from, this wellspring of creativity?
I have to say I was raised by women who were illiterate. And I think about this often. Where does it come from? I think even though they were illiterate, they were the first poets because they saw that when they came to this country with nothing, they realized that with language, they can make anything happen.
So I just want to say you and your family immigrated from Vietnam to the United States when you were just two years old. And I know your mother worked in a nail salon for 25 years to support the family. And she watched the Oprah show every day at four o'clock. That TV would be on. That's what you told me when I called you.
Sometimes it's just us three. Me, you and her. On slow days, I would answer the phone at the nail salon and, you know, she would be there working. And what's so interesting was that when you called me. This is Oprah. How are you? What? This is Oprah. How are you? I recognized the voice right away. I just didn't believe that you were talking to me for any real reason.
But when I heard your voice, I said, this is the voice I heard all my life at four o'clock when I answered the phone. And, you know, I wanted to tell you this, that your voice was a kind of Mediation for all of these women in the nail salon, both the workers and the people who went there to get their nails done.
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