Atlanta Author Picked For Oprah's Book Club

ATLANTA, GA — A love story that addresses issues of racial injustice — written by an Atlanta author — has been named the newest selection for Oprah's Book Club.

Oprah Winfrey announced Tuesday that "An American Marriage," by Tayari Jones, has been selected for the club, a coveted honor in the publishing world that puts books in front of millions of new potential readers.

In it, newlyweds Celestial and Roy — a professional African-American couple who live in Atlanta — have their lives turned upside-down when Roy is arrested and incarcerated for a crime he didn't commit.

"I think you'll come away with a greater empathy and understanding," Winfrey said in a video announcing the selection. "But, even if you don't, it's just a great read ... . It's one of those books I could not put down and, as soon as I did, I called up the author."

Released this month, "An American Marriage" is the fourth novel by Jones, who holds degrees from Spelman College, Univerity of Iowa and Arizona State University. An associate professor in the master's program at Rutgers-Newark University, Jones has received the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award in Fine Arts from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, a United States Artist Fellowship, an NEA Fellowship and the Radcliffe Institute Bunting Fellowship.

On Twitter, Jones thanks Winfrey for the honor.

"Thank you, @Oprah, for extending your hand to me and my new novel, An American Marriage," she wrote. "I am honored to join your book club and connect hearts and minds by raising our voices and telling our stories. Love, Tayari."

Later in the morning, after she and Winfrey appeared on "CBS This Morning" for the announcement, Jones joked she was "having calm-down mimosas with my publicist."

Published by Algonquin Books, "An American Marriage" is available here.

Photo courtesy Algonquin Books