Tuesday, September 23, 1997
Local woman airs library complaint on Oprah
By BOB LAPHAM
Arts Editor
It was pretty quick, but if you were watching closely, you
saw Lisa Bragg of Abilene on "The Oprah Winfrey Show"
Monday.
At least her name.
Lisa was one of dozens of unofficial members of "The Oprah
Winfrey Book Club" who were selected to receive all eight
books Winfrey had urged her readers to "either buy or check
out at your library" during the past year.
Winfrey began pushing reading to her viewers on Sept. 17, 1996,
and promised to devote a portion of one program per month to singling
out a book either recently published or about to come out in print;
a work of fiction, poetry or inspiration Winfrey herself was recommending.
Some of the titles her club has "turned into literary
lions" were Deep End of the Ocean, Song of Solomon, Stories
of the River and The Book of Ruth. Monday afternoon, Winfrey admitted
the response "had been unbelievable."
Some viewers, however, wrote the show that they either could
not find the book or were could not afford to purchase it, and
would wind up "324th on the waiting list at the library."
That's where Bragg came in.
"We live on the base, and I've got two babies I have to
take care of," she said Monday afternoon, shortly before
seeing her name zip by when dozens like her were awarded all eight
book club titles by Winfrey, in her one-time "free the waiting
list" giveaway.
Bragg, wife of Senior Airman Christopher Bragg, said she was
constantly disappointed not to find an "Oprah Book Club"
book at the Abilene Public library.
No more so than Cynthia Pirtle, city librarian.
"It's been something of a battle," Pirtle said, first
to get an "Oprah book" and then to keep it in circulation.
Winfrey "wreaked havoc in the library world" with
her show's otherwise applauded move to promote reading, Pirtle
said.
At first, she said, "the Winfrey people refused to give
libraries and book stores titles in advance" of when Winfrey
would make a book an overnight best seller - as all have become
since Winfrey became a literary critic.
That now has changed, Pirtle said, thanks to pressure applied
the show by the American Library Association.
"We always order a book from our pre-pub (before publication)
list when we find out" it will be a Winfrey pick, Pirtle
said. But that doesn't mean it will be immediately available in
time for the nationally televised announcement. And for certain,
the book will become a hot check-out item.
So successful has the Winfrey "Book Club" become,
book stores such as Hastings and Walden- books here keep separate
sec- tions containing copies of the current and past titles.
"She's (Winfrey) doing a good job for us, that's for sure,"
said Beth Hartley of Waldenbooks.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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