In this episode of Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks, Oprah and Megha Majumdar discuss her magnificent new book, A Guardian and a Thief, a 2025 National Book Awards finalist and Oprah’s 119th Book Club selection. This exquisitely written novel packs an epic story into just 224 pages. From page one to the jaw-dropping conclusion, readers are immersed in a harrowing journey as two families, on a collision course in Kolkata, India, face the consequences and moral implications of their life-and-death choices. Megha’s evocative, beautifully crafted exploration of our changing world sparked a lively and thoughtful conversation among readers at a Starbucks coffeehouse in New York City. Starbucks' delectable drink pairing for this book is an Iced Banana Cream Protein Matcha.
BUY THE BOOK!
A Guardian and a Thief, published by Penguin Random House and written by Megha Majumdar, is available wherever books are sold.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/798984/a-guardian-and-a-thief-by-megha-majumdar/
00:00:00 - Welcome Megha Majumdar, author of “A Guardian and a Thief”
00:01:56 - Oprah describes “A Guardian and a Thief”
00:03:28 - Oprah’s daughter-girl Thando shares her take
00:05:15 - The plot
00:09:08 - Writing about famine
00:13:20 - A writer’s relationship to failing
00:16:20 - Each character sees America differently
00:22:30 - Is everyone both a guardian and a thief?
00:25:50 - How would you act under great pressure?
00:32:00 - What motivates us to do the right thing
00:39:30 - Confronting contradictions in her book
00:40:45 - Megha’s story of America
00:42:23 - Did Megha always know the ending?
00:47:28 - When writing became her career
Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@Oprah?sub_confirmation=1
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