Matriarch: Oprah's Book Club: A Memoir

Written by Tina Knowles

Narrated by Tina Knowles, Beyoncé, Solange and 2 more

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A glorious chronicle of a life like none other—enlightening, entertaining, surprising, empowering—and a testament to the world-changing power of Black motherhood

“A beautiful and brave story of strong women, fierce mothering, and the power of continued evolution.”—Michelle Obama

“A fascinating memoir of Tina Knowles’s journey to become the global figure she is today.”—Oprah Winfrey

“Told in rich color with flourishes so detailed . . . they conjure a fully realized world the reader can inhabit.”—The Washington Post

Here is a page-turning chronicle of family love and heartbreak, loss and perseverance, and the kind of creativity, audacity, and will it takes for a girl from Galveston to change the world. Matriarch is one brilliant woman’s intimate and revealing story, and a multigenerational family saga that carries within it the story of America—and the wisdom that women pass on to each other, mothers to daughters, across generations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 22, 2025
• ISBN: 9798217020799

Reviews for Matriarch

[abraswella · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! I always thought of Ms. Tina as Beyoncé’s mom, but this biography showed that she is a badass in her own right!

[Tiya Johnson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful story! Made me love the Knowles family even more!

[Shareen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow!! Incredible story of one of the world’s most renowned moms. A gift to anyone who reads it.

[nicole.oatman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m not going to shut up about this book for awhile. One of my favorite memoirs. If you are a mother or a Beyonce fan, it’s a must. If you are both, what are you doing reading reviews? Just start listening to it and you won’t regret it. Loved hearing these stories in Ms. Tina’s voice.

[ms.marianagmz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

WOW!!!!!!! I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so captivated by an audiobook but the storytelling in this memoir is absolutely beautiful. Such emotion, vivid imagery and vulnerability (without giving haters too much to rattle on about).

I’m inspired by Ms. Tina, and I’m so happy she chose to share her story!!!!!!

[breannamstewartreads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this book. I both read and listened to it in Ms. Tina’s own voice, and her recounting of her own life, through the highs and the lows, was a profound reading experience. I was tearing up just by listening to the forward. More than anyone, Angie really highlighted just how much Ms. Tina meant to her as a bonus mom and I appreciated that. In the audiobook, I loved hearing certain inflections to her words, especially when she spoke candidly about her mother, Agnes, and her favorite nephew, Johnny. You can tell just how much those two meant to her and how they both shaped the life of Badass Tenie B.

In her forward, Beyonce jokingly mentioned how Ms. Tina can get too crunk sometimes, but you absolutely need this in a mom sometimes. I love how Ms. Tina championed for both her daughters and wasn’t too passive in not defending them like her mom had done with her previously. Whether it was a bigoted school teacher or a room full of record executives, Celestine did not play about her girls and I love that for them.

This was a very good, interpersonal read and I have nothing but praise for it. 5 ⭐️

[magsteddy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Uplifting and inspiring. I learnt a lot about you, your family, where you came from and where you are going.

[Kendall Watkins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m an avid reader, and I think this is one of my top 10 books of all time — certainly one of the best memoirs. Who knew! The audio is a must. Hearing the emotion and tone enriches the story in a way that cannot be captured in print.

Matriarch is engaging, funny, inspiring, challenging, heartbreaking, and encouraging. There are lots of valuable life lessons to be had. It’s a gift to all mothers (and mother-like figures) and a celebration of motherhood beautifully told through Ms. Tina’s life story. Even if one is not a mother, it is for anyone who has a family - biological or chosen.

Do yourself a favor and listen!

[Mumtahanah · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a great book! I dong consider myself a “fan” of her daughters, though I respect them as people, and have enjoyed some of their work. So my review is not biased… I suggest reading this book because it is chock full o’ mature woman wisdom, offered through inspirational stories that will undoubtedly be exactly what you need to hear. I’ll surely be listening to it again.