The Thread

A new twist on book talk

Ask a Bookseller: Every week, The Thread checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment. Listen here.

The Thread newsletter: 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. Sent every Friday.

Big Books and Bold Ideas: Conversations on books and ideas with Kerri Miller, Fridays at 11 a.m. Listen here.

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November 3, 2023 11:00 AM

A hard look at gun violence in 'The Bodies Keep Coming'

A trauma surgeon looks at how gun violence and racism and health care intersect — and offers solutions for how we can fix a system that harms so many.

by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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November 2, 2023 5:15 PM

Minnesota professor takes sabbatical, finds joy in waiting tables

When a professor takes a sabbatical, they typically don’t end up waiting tables at a local brewery. For Matthew Batt, a University of St. Thomas associate professor of English, that became his reality. He detailed the journey in his book the “Last Supper Club: A Waiters Requiem.”

by Tom Crann and Lukas Levin

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October 25, 2023 10:34 AM

Scholastic backtracks, saying it will stop separating diverse books for fairs in 2024

Scholastic faced backlash for putting books dealing with race, gender and sexuality in their own optional category for middle school book fairs. It's now apologizing and working to reverse course.

by Rachel Treisman

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October 17, 2023 6:36 PM

Patty Wetterling shares her story in new memoir 'Dear Jacob'

For the past 34 years, Patty Wetterling has been the face of the tragedy, the search and the hope through it all. Now, she is sharing her story in a new book.

by Cathy Wurzer and Gretchen Brown

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October 13, 2023 10:49 AM

'Curlfriends: New In Town' reminds us that there can be positives of middle school

The first volume in author-artist Sharee Miller's debut YA graphic novel series reminds us of the many possibilities and excitements interwoven within the challenging years of early teenagerhood.

by Tahneer Oksman

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February 4, 2023 4:00 AM

Ask a Bookseller: a graphic novel about a life-changing journey

This week’s recommendation comes from Qwultultun Robert Goldsmith of Strong Nations, an indigenous-owned bookstore and publisher on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

by Emily Bright

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March 1, 2022 10:00 AM

From the archives: Author Dina Nayeri on breaking down refugee stereotypes

Dina Nayeri fled the Iran revolution with her family when she was 8. We’re revisiting Nayeri’s 2019 book, "The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You,” and the conversation host Kerri Miller had with her about it in February 2020.

by Kerri Miller and Jeffrey Bissoy

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February 1, 2022 4:37 PM

Heartbroken? There's a scientific reason why breaking up feels so rotten

Science writer Florence Williams experienced what felt like a brain injury when her husband left her after more than 25 years. Her new book is “Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey.”

by Terry Gross

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November 2, 2021 3:57 PM

Hometowns

Were you shaped by your hometown? Big or small, where we start matters to where we end up. Host Angela Davis talks with two novelists about what it means to be from somewhere and about Ken Burns’ new campaign for a national day to honor hometowns.

by Angela Davis and Maja Beckstrom