'O' MG!!! Oprah just deemed LOVE, one of six books, that “illuminates the path forward”

Oprah Daily: The Books That Got Us Through 2025

We've short-listed the most galvanizing, comforting, gorgeous reads of the past year.

he year 2025 was a tough one for so many reasons, but it was a great year for books. In our darkest moments, they gave us passages of such astounding beauty that we couldn’t help but feel hopeful for our species (and maybe the whole planet?!). Some books offered escape hatches when reality became unbearable, while others were rocket fuel, motivating us to keep pushing for a better tomorrow. From the inspirational to the achingly resonant, the immersive to the downright gorgeous, these are the books that met the moment—and carried us through to the next one.

Books That Illuminated a Path Forward

These galvanizing reads fueled our fire and reminded us there’s a light at the end of even the darkest tunnels.

LOVE: The Heroic Stories of Marriage Equality 

By Frankie Frankeny with John Casey

You may have missed it in the constant swirl of negative headlines, but 2025 did give us something to celebrate: the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling for nationwide marriage equality! This book honors that milestone by spotlighting 100 epic love stories that fueled the movement, from quietly heroic 1950s sweethearts to iconic celebrity activists. At once heartwarming and motivating, this visual archive is a reminder that love—and courage—really can change the world. —C.B.

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 The JustMarried Project and our book LOVE are about so much more than the right to marry. They represent the journey of all of us who—across decades—

came out,

 in order to live openly on the outside,with pride on the inside,and with the joy that comes from simply being able to love freely.

This recognition says that our history—and our stories of turning fear into fierce—belong on the world’s biggest stages at this very moment.

LOVE is available here and benefits JustMarried's free book program, From Fear to Fierce, placing copies of LOVE—at no cost —across the country via our partners Family Equality, SAGE, Free Mom Hugs, Lambda Legal, and CenterLink, home to over 350 LGBTQ+ community centers nationwide.