Blog # 15

For my blog about overcoming odds I read a biography about Oprah Winfrey. She overcame many odds in her lifetime. She was born to unwed, poor, teenage parents in Koskiusko Mississippi. She was raised by her grandmother for the first six years of her life, where her grandma taught her to love reading. From age 6 to 13 Oprah was sent back to live with her mother Vernita Lee. She was raped by a cousin when she was just 9 years old and molested two other times by men close to her family. She kept this a secret and dealt with the pain by rebelling and running away from home. After this she was sent to live with her father in Nashville. She got pregnant at age 14 and gave birth to a stillborn baby. At this point in her life, she decided it was time to make some changes. Her father was very strict and forced a very disciplined lifestyle on her at a young age... he even required her to read and write a book report on a new book weekly. When she was nineteen, she landed her first job as a reporter for a radio station, then went to Tennessee State University to pursue this career. In 1976 Oprah hosted a TV show, "People are Talking", where she gained fame. She later won an academy award for her role in Stephen Spielbergs 'The Color Purple' and now has her own show, The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah's story is inspirational because she overcame so many odds and completely turned her life around for the better and she is an amazing woman.

Walker, Victoria. "Oprah Winfrey Biography." Essortment. 4 June 2002. 22 March 2009.