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Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller
Kerri Miller and Marcheta Fornoff

Randy Ribay on the inspiration behind ‘Patron Saints of Nothing’

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Randy Ribay’s latest novel is different from many other young adult books on the shelves.

“Patron Saints of Nothing” deals with death, violence, drugs and the complicated geopolitics of an American teenager whose extended family lives in the Philippines.

Ribay, who is also a high school English teacher, doesn’t shy away from tough topics.

Wednesday on MPR News he joined host Kerri Miller to talk about the importance of crafting nuanced stories for young readers.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Kerri Miller podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS