Oprah's new book club pick is Deacon King Kong, by James McBride

Oprah Winfrey is taking fans on a trip to '60s Brooklyn with her latest book club pick: Deacon King Kong, by James McBride. The author's previous book, The Good Lord Bird, came out in 2013 and won the National Book Award for its fictionalized depiction of abolitionist John Brown's efforts to free slaves in the antebellum South. That book is being adapted into a TV show starring Ethan Hawke, but Deacon King Kong is already making a name for itself thanks to this book club pick.

Set in a Brooklyn housing project in 1969, Deacon King Kong starts with a moonshine-loving church deacon named Sportcoat shooting a young drug dealer in broad daylight. The rest of the book is an investigation into why this happened, featuring a sprawling cast of characters with names like Hot Sausage, Sister Bum-Bum, and the Elephant. Needless to say, there's more to the story (and more connections between characters) than meets the eye.

Deacon King Kong is Winfrey's 85th book club selection and the fifth since she started partnering with Apple, which means Deacon King Kong is now available on Apple Books in ebook and audiobook formats.

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