Oprah Winfrey announced Wednesday that she has chosen a debut novel for her book club, "The Twelve Tribes of Hattie," by Ayana Mathis.
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, which traces one family's journey through the turbulent decades following the Great Migration in 1920's, is the second pick for Oprah's Book Club 2.0. After ending her show in 2011, Oprah does her book club virtually via her website and through social media.
Winfrey's OWN network will be airing an interview with the author, Ayana Mathis, on Feb. 3, the network said in a statement. Oprah Winfrey said that Mathis' debut book reminded her of fiction works written by Toni Morrison.
The new digital book club launched this summer with Cheryl Strayed's Wild, connecting readers around the world who participated on Facebook, Twitter, VYou and Oprah.com. Ayana's debut novel is the 67th selection Oprah has shared with readers since the launch of the original Oprah's Book Club in 1996.
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie was published this week by Alfred A. Knopf and tells of a teenager's journey from Mississippi to Philadelphia in the 1920s and the large family she ends up raising.
While reading it, Oprah says, "I knew I was having the privilege of witnessing a great writer's career begin."
In the interview that appears in the January issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, Ayana explains that she was so surprised the day she received Oprah's call -- she was on vacation in Paris -- that she thought someone was playing a joke on her. "I can't believe my book actually got into your hands... and that you like it," she told Oprah.
