"Hi. It's me, Whoopi, and they've asked me over at Audible to give you five books that I love. If you're looking for something to listen to at some point, these are the ones I suggested. Now, if they're not for you, they're not for you. What can I do except give you the best of what's in my small but moving brain? Thank you." —Whoopi Goldberg, author of Bits and Pieces
Watch Whoopi's recommendation video or save her picks to your Library Collections.
"I am a horror lover, and so my five begin with horror. Any Stephen King, any Stephen King book that you can get, it's always an adventure. You're never bored and you're never angry. You might be a little jittery at home, but you will never be mad that you chose a Stephen King to listen to."
"I loved Bob Fosse—he was an extraordinary performer, his biography is spectacular, and it's called Fosse. And when you have magnificent people who do magnificent things and then they turn out actually just to be human beings, it always makes you feel better because you think, "Oh, I can be as good as I can be and still be flawed." So that's why I love that book. So if you get an opportunity to listen to that, that's great.
"Going Clear, which is about Scientology, is probably the smartest book I've read about the subject ever, and it really sort of breaks it down to you and tells you all about what's going on in Scientology and why people feel the way that they do. I make no judgments—it's just a fascinating read. I recommend you listen to it because I like the way things flow, and all of these things I'm recommending have good readers."
"These Honored Dead is about Abraham Lincoln. It's a whole thing. I like stories that just sort of take me places. I like to be scared, I like to be stunned, I like to be fascinated, and this series of books is fascinating. I'm interested in Lincoln as a character in our world, not just as a president, and it's really well done."
"Victor LaValle is an exceptional writer, and he's really interesting in how he gives you horror. As I said, I love my horror books, but his are really unique and different. If you are someone who is interested in horror and you don't know this writer, do yourself a favor—he is so worth listening to."
Whoopi Goldberg is one of an elite group of EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) Award-winning artists and the bestselling author of the Sugar Plum Ballerina series, Book, and Is It Just Me? While performing in the Bay Area, she created the characters that became The Spook Show, which evolved into her hit Broadway show, Grammy Award–winning album, and the HBO special that helped launch her career. Spanning decades, Whoopi’s acting credits include roles in the well-known films The Color Purple, Ghosts of Mississippi, Sister Act, and Ghost. She produced the documentary Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley, and she appeared in and was one of the producers of the critically acclaimed 2022 feature film Till. She loves VW Bugs, working casinos, and comfortable clothing; is a passionate supporter of the audio arts and dedicated collector of audiobooks; and heads the Whoopfam Group, makers of Emma & Clyde, Whoopi & Maya, and other recreational and medicinal marijuana products.
