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The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread from MPR News

The Thread® is your source for book recommendations and other literary news.

Ask a Bookseller

Ask a Bookseller is a weekly series where The Thread checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment. Listen to Ask a Bookseller to find your next favorite book.

Big Books and Bold Ideas

Big Books and Bold Ideas is a weekly series hosted by Kerri Miller every Friday at 11 a.m., featuring conversations about books and other literary ideas. Listen to Big Books and Bold Ideas here.

Sign Up for The Thread® Newsletter

Sign up for The Thread newsletter to get reading recommendations from Kerri Miller and other bookworms around the MPR newsroom. Find reviews for new releases, as well as hidden gems you may have missed.

Talking Volumes

Talking Volumes is back for its 25th season. Join us at the Fitzgerald Theater for four special events with renowned authors, celebrating our anniversary with a special $25 ticket price for MPR members and Star Tribune subscribers. Buy tickets here.

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong'o says prison formed him as a writer

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong'o says prison formed him as a writer

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is a perennial favorite for the Literature Nobel. He hasn't won yet — but he does have a new book out, a novel in verse that tells the origin story of Kenya's Gĩkũyũ people.
by Scott Simon

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For poet Maggie Smith, an ending was the beginning of her new book

For poet Maggie Smith, an ending was the beginning of her new book

Smith says she started writing “Keep Moving” as her marriage was ending. It began as a series of affirmations she wrote for herself on Twitter; she found that the posts were helping other people too.
by Mary Louise Kelly

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Talking Volumes: A conversation with Claudia Rankine

Talking Volumes: A conversation with Claudia Rankine

Kerri Miller hosts a conversation with poet, playwright, bestselling author, MacArthur Fellow, and Yale professor Claudia Rankine about her new collection “Just Us: An American Conversation.”
by Kerri Miller

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'Addie LaRue' is invisible — but memorable

'Addie LaRue' is invisible — but memorable

Addie LaRue was born in France 400 years ago — but nobody remembers that. She made a supernatural deal for immortality at the cost of permanent anonymity, so she tries to leave a mark however she can.
by Caitlyn Paxson

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'Let My People Vote' tells of one man's journey to getting 1.4 million back a voice

'Let My People Vote' tells of one man's journey to getting 1.4 million back a voice

Desmond Meade rose from addiction, homelessness, and prison to run a campaign to re-enfranchise more than one million Florida voters; it's a tale of hope, persistence, and the power of organizing.
by Martha Anne Toll

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NPR's Tom Gjelten on America's immigration story

NPR's Tom Gjelten on America's immigration story

NPR reporter Tom Gjelten speaks about America’s immigration history, as part of the Peace and Justice Series hosted by the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth.

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After chasing threats abroad, former CIA Chief John Brennan says the risk is at home

After chasing threats abroad, former CIA Chief John Brennan says the risk is at home

The former spy chief has dealt with almost all of the country's major security challenges over the past two decades. In his memoir, “Undaunted,” he directs his ire at President Donald Trump.
by Greg Myre

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