Amanda Rizkalla: “Hungered” | Oprah’s Book Club

BUY THE BOOK! Hungered by Amanda Rizkalla: ⁠https://amzn.to/4hIE21v

The 125th Oprah’s Book Club selection is the stunning debut novel Hungered by author Amanda Rizkalla. Written from the perspective of 12-year-old Sofia, Hungered gives a unique look inside the world of a family who is unhoused. Amanda shares how her personal experience of losing their housing and living in a car with her family as a child inspired her to write this poignant and beautiful story. Oprah and Amanda have a thoughtful discussion about how - despite the daily struggle to survive - the fictional Sofia and her family are still able to experience joy, humor and compassion. We hear from several readers including a young woman who says that Amanda’s novel resonated with her because she also experienced being unhoused as a child.

00:00:00 - Welcome Amanda Rizkalla, author of “Hungered”

00:02:10 - Amanda shares why she wrote the book

00:05:00 - The plot of Hungered

00:06:40 - Understanding being unhoused

00:12:40 - Growing up mixed race

00:18:15 - Amanda on choosing the mother’s career

00:22:20 - Theme of not belonging

00:26:15 - Amanda’s writing process

00:28:40 - The ending of the book

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