I'm Oprah Winfrey. Welcome to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. I believe that one of

the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is time, taking time to be more fully present.

Your journey to become more inspired and connected to the deeper world around us starts right

now.

Hard to believe, but it's true that the 12 Tribes of Hattie is Yana Mathes' first novel.

Its setting is Philadelphia over the course of five decades. This powerful book tells a story

of Hattie, a strong, complicated woman whose difficult life takes its toll on her and her

children. When I read it, the character is just lep from the pages. And I knew almost instantly

that this would be our next book club selection.

Yana Mathes grew up in Philadelphia, the daughter of a single mother, who instilled in her a fierce

love of reading. By the time she was nine, Yana began writing stories of her own. She says,

words have been dear companions to her all her life. Eventually, her talent led her to the

prestigious Iowa Writers Workshop. It's an institution whose graduates include a multitude

of Port Laureates, Pulitzer Prize, and National Book Award winners. It was there in that story

place that she conceived and wrote the 12 Tribes of Hattie.

Well, thank you all for joining me. I am so happy to have our book club author, Yana

Mathes, here with us on Super Soul Sunday. So happy about this book. I think that I feel

strongly that you're one of the next big voices. You are indeed. And I can't believe that

this is your first book.

Yeah, that's sometimes I can't quite either.

And I started slowing myself down in the latter chapters. When I got to Bell, I started

slowing myself down because I knew it was going to come to an end and I didn't want it

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