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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.

After a stroke blinded one eye, Frank Bruni focused on the future

After a stroke blinded one eye, Frank Bruni focused on the future

The New York Times columnist says the stroke forced him to make a decision: He could focus on what had been lost or on what remained. He chose the latter. Bruni's new memoir is “The Beauty of Dusk.”
by Terry Gross

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From the archives: Novelist Yaa Gyasi explores addiction, immigration and family ties

From the archives: Novelist Yaa Gyasi explores addiction, immigration and family ties

As we await Friday’s show, which dives into a book about life at the southern U.S. border, enjoy a discussion Kerri Miller had in 2020 with author Yaa Gyasi which also touches on themes of identity and culture.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Book bans and the threat of censorship rev up political activism in the suburbs

Book bans and the threat of censorship rev up political activism in the suburbs

A conservative campaign to ban certain books from schools is prompting other parents to push back. The issue is often framed as the latest "culture war" battle, but some see democracy itself at stake.
by Odette Yousef

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Ask a Bookseller: 'American War,' set in the future, reflects aspects of today

Ask a Bookseller: 'American War,' set in the future, reflects aspects of today

Sometimes setting a novel in a different time or place gives an author permission to reflect our contemporary world in a new way. That’s the case for journalist-turned-author Omar El-Akkad’s first novel “American War.”
by Emily Bright

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Ask a Bookseller: 'One for the Blackbird and One for the Crow'

Ask a Bookseller: 'One for the Blackbird and One for the Crow'

We're continuing our Women's History Month theme on "Ask a Bookseller." This week, Jessica Bohnsack of Sheridan Stationery Books and Gallery in Sheridan, Wyo., was happy to recommend a historical fiction novel set in her state: "One for the Blackbird and One for the Crow" by Olivia Hawker.
by Emily Bright

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