BUY THE BOOK! Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, published by Grove Atlantic and available now wherever books are sold, with the audio version also available here. Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks premieres with a New York Times bestseller which the newspaper named one of their 100 best books of the 21st century: Small Things Like These. Oprah sits down with award-winning author Claire Keegan at a Starbucks café to discuss this 109th book club pick. Joined by a live audience of readers - over coffee - Claire shares her writing process, takes questions, and explains some of the main themes in this modern masterpiece. The heroic tale takes us on a journey of discovering what matters most in life and why it’s important to make brave decisions. Oprah will zoom with a woman in Ireland who experienced firsthand what the characters in the story encounter. We’ll also meet two Irish High School students who encouraged their entire class to read the book. Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@Oprah SUPPORT THE SHOW Visit your local Starbucks café and enjoy a curated beverage pairing - Starbucks Christmas Blend - a dark roast with notes of spiced chocolate and spruce tips, perfect for the holidays. Also referenced in this episode, "Girl in the Tunnel: My Story of Love and Loss as a Survivor of the Magdalene Laundries" by Maureen Sullivan and New Decade Film's documentary, "Ireland's Dirty Laundry." Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: Instagram Facebook Listen to the full podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts #oprahsbookclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is the purpose of Oprah's Book Club podcast?
Hi, it's Oprah, and welcome to my podcast. I am delighted and excited to begin sharing conversations with experts, with thought leaders, with writers around the human experience and what really matters in this one precious life we have, as poet Mary Oliver famously has said.
We're starting off with a fascinating conversation with acclaimed Irish author Claire Keegan about her novella, Small Things Like These. Claire is a brilliant writer and also quite funny. She had so many insights to share. She had me and everybody in our audience at Starbucks really seeing things in a new light. And I hope you enjoy it. And I appreciate so much you joining the Oprah podcast.
Hi, everybody, and thank you so much for joining us. I think this is so cool. Clara Keegan has traveled all the way from Ireland. Let's welcome her here to Starbucks. Thank you.
I think sadness actually makes you think about what life is like for others. I think being upset is really important so you can think about what others go through.
We are ah-ha-ing all over the damn place. All over the Starbucks cafe. That is such a big ah-ha. Starbucks kind of day. This is Claire Keegan, everybody.
Stand by, please.
Okay. Great.
Anytime.
Hi, everybody, and thank you so much for joining us. I think this is so cool. We are bringing great books, great coffee, and great conversation together in the best place to do it, Starbucks! Thank you so much. Now, listen to this. Every month, I'm going to have a new book club pick, and Starbucks is going to pair a delicious cup of curated coffee.
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Chapter 2: Who is Claire Keegan and what is her book about?
And I think especially if you have children, that at Christmas time, that shield grows a bit thinner. Why? Because you're supposed to be a Christian. You're supposed to be thinking about how you're getting on. You're supposed to pause.
And look at your life?
I think so.
So I want to ask the audiences, had you all heard or knew about the Magdalene laundries before this? You all had? Oh, you very educated people. I have to tell you, I had never, who had not heard? Not heard, not heard. I had not heard, and who had heard? Y'all are, I'm impressed. I had never heard.
In the dedication of the book you write, the story is dedicated to the women and children who suffered time in Ireland's mother and baby homes and the Magdalene laundries. Our audience came with plenty of questions. Katie, where are you? Go ahead.
Hi, I had a family member who went through an experience like that. She was a teen mom, gave up her baby, and she just recently reunited with her son almost like 50 years later and had a really beautiful story and a beautiful reunion.
But I was also wondering if you, I know you talked about your, if you had a personal connection to the characters, but did you have any personal connection to the laundries or anyone that you knew of that had the similar experiences that these women had? No, I didn't.
I didn't have any relative or anybody I knew in the laundries. It was just all over the news for a long time in Ireland. And I think the question I was interested in was, why did people do nothing? when the police knew, the social workers knew, the parents knew, the Catholic Church knew, the priests knew, the nuns knew, and nobody did anything.
And I wasn't able to not ask the question while I was writing. Really, I think the book is a response to my asking the question.
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Chapter 3: What themes are explored in 'Small Things Like These'?
Well, what a brave thing for you. Were you afraid ever in writing the story of what might happen to you as a writer or what people would say or how the book would be received or not be published?
Not at all. I've never worried about that. I've always written what matters to me. And if you don't like it, well, just go find and read another book.
Well, we're glad you wrote this one. Thank you, Claire Keegan, for small things like these. Thank you. And thank you all for your thoughtful questions. Thank you. Thank you. To everyone watching and listening, if you haven't bought the book yet, it's the perfect, it's a wonderful stocking stuffer for the holiday season.
If it's right in a stocking, you can grab a bag of Christmas blend coffee, put a little cup in there too and put a ribbon on it and you got yourself a gift. Thank you. Thank you so much, all of our fantastic readers. Thank you, Starbucks, for supporting us. Thank you. We hope you'll become a part of the book club.
Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube and follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. We're excited for a fun year of books, coffee, and conversation. Thanks, everybody. Small things like these.
Thank you.
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