The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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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.

October 16, 2019 12:57 PM

In 'Stolen,' five boys are caught in a reverse Underground Railroad toward slavery

Richard Bell's true tale details how even as the Underground Railroad ferried enslaved people north towards freedom, free black people vanished from northern cities to be sold into plantation slavery.

by Ilana Masad

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October 16, 2019 12:48 PM

The war on terrorism, through the eyes of 3 women at the CIA

After the 2001 al-Qaida attacks, the CIA ramped up counterterrorism operations. This included a surge in young, female recruits. Three have written new books about their secretive work.

by Greg Myre

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October 16, 2019 10:47 AM

Alice Hoffman on love, loss and family in ‘The World That We Knew’

MPR News host Kerri Miller spoke with author Alice Hoffman as part of her Talking Volumes series at the Fitzgerald Theater. They discussed love and loss, what makes a family, and how we are shaped by those we cherish.

by Kerri Miller and Jeffrey Bissoy

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October 16, 2019 8:34 AM

Bill Bryson's 'The Body' is missing his characteristic wit, ingenious way of analysis

The author of the magisterial work A Short History of Nearly Everything turns his sights inside, but without the magic touch of the past that made his very big books transcend the common textbook.

by Kamil Ahsan

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October 16, 2019 6:00 AM

Edna O'Brien bears witness to horror in 'Girl'

O'Brien's 19th novel is based on the real story of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by jihadist group Boko Haram in 2014. It's a painful and essential read that ends on a hopeful yet realistic note.

by Michael Schaub

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October 16, 2019 6:00 AM

In 'Olive, Again,' Elizabeth Strout revisits an old friend

Ten years after her Pulitzer Prize-winning Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout returns to the town of Crosby, Maine, where ornery Olive is learning about compassion, connection, and her own self.

by Heller McAlpin

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October 15, 2019 4:47 PM

'The Compatriots' suggests the days of domestic-only politics are behind us

Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan, revered experts on the Russian secret service, give the book a credibility most others on Russian clandestine operations lack — and they also change the optics.

by Leonid Ragozin

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October 15, 2019 4:45 PM

Ronan Farrow: 'Catch And Kill' tactics protected both Weinstein and Trump

He was followed and his house bugged as he reported on allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Farrow says it's part of a pattern in which powerful entities go to extremes to quash unfavorable stories.

by Terry Gross

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October 15, 2019 1:36 PM

Elton John on music, addiction and family: 'I'm proud of who I am now'

The artist says his father's early misgivings about his chosen career became a source of motivation: "He gave me the determination to make something of myself." John's new memoir is called Me.

by Terry Gross

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October 15, 2019 9:57 AM

How Julie Andrews made herself at 'Home' in Hollywood

In a new memoir, the actress writes about the films and creative collaborations — like Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music — that marked the height of her fame.

by Rachel Martin

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