i'm not a spiritual person, but Oprah might be what grounds me. the best way to read this book is to listen to the audiobook. if you have ever enjoyed her talk show, this book will be a safe listen. it's full of inspiration.. Oprah showcases multiple stories and pieces of advice from a lot of popular figures who explore the topic of discovering your life's direction and purpose. she reminds us that we teach one another just by living with honesty. to share your truth. and allow yourself to listen and learn in return. however, i do think this book would've been more effective if she prefaced what all the individuals were talking about or included longer excerpts from their interviews ( )

Oprah Winfrey’s The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose presented guidelines for those individuals that are seeking a reason for living in their lives. In the introduction the author spelled out this objective. Each chapter that followed e.g., seeds, roots, whispers, clouds, map, road, climb, give, reward, home, and the epilogue was preceded by an essay that emphasized Winfrey’s own challenges.
This book also provided an abbreviated form of the author’s many interviews. This was accomplished in many cases by short sketches and quotations from her many distinguished guests. These individuals expressed their ideas on the topic of each chapter in question. With this quest Winfrey was successful in accomplishing her objectives. ( )

While it was an enjoyable read I found it a bit disjointed and felt that the chapters did not gel well together. It’s was a little abstract for my taste, I would have preferred more instruction than quotes. ( )

I wanted to read an Oprah book, but this just isn't my taste. I already knew much of what was in the book, but I must say the audiobook version was kind of nice, as it contained the actual interviews of all of the people cited in it... ( )

I don't know how many middle-aged men will readily admit to reading one of Oprah's book (that's their issue, not mine), but man, am I grateful I selected this audiobook at this juncture in my life.

I've always admired Oprah and find her inspiring, but what drew me to the book was the cast of fellow readers, including such luminaries as President Jimmy Carter, VP Joe Biden, Pema Chodron, Thich Nhat Hanh, Eckhart Tolle, Jay-Z, Congressman John Lewis, Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, Sue Monk Kidd, Elizabeth Gilbert, TD Jakes, Cheryl Strayed, Rob Bell, Jack Canfield, Cicely Tyson, Sidney Poitier, Ellen Degeneres, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Lin Manuel Miranda, Jordan Peele, Brene Brown, Bryan Stephenson, Father Richard Rohr, and a couple dozen more.

These segments are largely from interviews Oprah has done with these leaders of the mind, heart, or state over the years. She breaks the book up into ten chapters that serve as guideposts on the journey to self-discovery. (The Seeds, The Map, The Road, The Climb, The Reward, etc), laid out in a manner that would serve my teenage kids, who are figuring out who they are and hope to be, as well as a 51-year-old like myself, who in many ways is doing the same thing, for a third, fourth, or even fifth time - I've lost count.

This is easy-to-digest advice from people who have lived through challenges and obstacles that give them the street cred necessary to speak on topics such as adversity, resilience, philanthropy, self-awareness, self-discovery, loss, and hope.

I highly recommend the audiobook, as you get the benefit of hearing these remarkable artists, authors, and leaders speak from the heart, rather than merely reading their quotes on the page. Oprah is, of course, Oprah - guiding you along the journey with a narrative that is reassuring and authentic.

Maybe your life journey is going smoothly right now. Maybe you just can't see yourself reading Oprah. Maybe you don't subscribe to listening to "famous people" tell you how they've navigated their path. I encourage you to move past any resistance and give the audiobook a shot. There are so many diverse viewpoints, so many perspectives, some are bound to resonate. These are leaders of the heart and mind, for the most part, and those who have earned celebrity status outside of those roles all have reasons for being included in these pages.

Thanks, Oprah and friends, for making the path a little clearer. ( )