Mara Brock Akil’s New Novel About Betrayal, Shame & Redemption with Oprah

June 30

48 mins

View Transcript

Episode Description

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@Oprah?sub_confirmation=1

Mara Brock Akil is one of the most influential storytellers of our time. Best known for iconic television series like Girlfriends, Being Mary Jane and the newest Netflix hit Forever, she continues to capture relatable stories that celebrate women's lives. Now, she's bringing her storytelling to the page with her debut novel, The Revelation of Dionne Daphne. The story follows Dionne Daphne, a successful beauty editor whose carefully curated life begins to unravel after a devastating revelation from her former boyfriend forces her to confront painful truths buried deep in her past. In this conversation with Oprah, Mara dives into the themes woven throughout the novel like overcoming shame, confronting childhood wounds and how returning to the places that broke us can sometimes create a new path forward. She also opens up about why this story was deeply personal and why it's the one she needed to tell now. Plus we hear from readers, including Oprah's daughter-girl Thando, who couldn't put the book down and others who found themselves in the story.

BUY THE BOOK!

The Revelation of Dionne Daphne

https://www.amazon.com/dp/059359777X?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

00:00:00 - Welcome Mara Brock Akil, author of The Revelation of Dionne Daphne

00:04:30 - From TV writing to novel

00:05:48 - Mara on who this book is for

00:06:30 - Characters and plot

00:11:20 - Healing through writing

00:12:20 - Confronting abuse

00:18:00 - Mara on coping with her own abuse

00:20:50 - Thando’s reaction

00:24:50 - What we misunderstand about trust