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The Thread® - Books and Literary 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 an annual event series featuring notable authors in conversation about their new books. Presented by MPR News and The Minnesota Star Tribune. 

Echoes of today's unrest run through 'The Cold Millions'

Echoes of today's unrest run through 'The Cold Millions'

Jess Walter's new novel an adventure tale based on actual events in the early days of the last century's labor movement — which was much wilder and bloodier than most people remember.
by Ari Shapiro

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Biography traces political mistakes and personal scars that shaped Joe Biden

Biography traces political mistakes and personal scars that shaped Joe Biden

The New Yorker's Evan Osnos writes about the candidate's enduring quest to become president. He says Joe Biden has a different mindset today than he once had: "He's a man who is at peace."
by Terry Gross

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Diane di Prima, beat poet and activist, dead at 86

Diane di Prima, beat poet and activist, dead at 86

Di Prima wrote over 40 books of poetry and memoir, including her collection the radical and political “Revolutionary Letters.”
by Andrew Limbong

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'Kindred' dismantles simplistic views of Neanderthals

'Kindred' dismantles simplistic views of Neanderthals

Rebecca Wragg Sykes describes evidence showing that as innovative tool- and fire-makers, Neanderthals adapted to changing climates, adopted symbolic cultural practices and expressed profound emotions.
by Barbara J. King

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Washington Post critic says 'Trump has unwittingly enabled' discussions of race

Washington Post critic says 'Trump has unwittingly enabled' discussions of race

Carlos Lozada tells NPR: "It's ironic that a president with such a negative force for race relations" and women's rights has presided over a period where both groups feel more empowered to speak out.
by Steve Inskeep

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New book examines how the 1st Amendment sits at the forefront in an election year

New book examines how the 1st Amendment sits at the forefront in an election year

Right now, we have "an entire government apparatus designed to foster falsehoods," says editor Ellis Cose, who has written a new book, “The Short Life and Curious Death of Free Speech in America.”
by Michel Martin

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A new picture book reminds Black sons: You are 'every good thing'

A new picture book reminds Black sons: You are 'every good thing'

When Derrick Barnes began writing children's books 15 years ago, he didn't see Black kids — boys in particular — depicted in positive, affirming ways. Barnes has four sons of his own and he wrote his new book — “I Am Every Good Thing” — to be empowering and affirming.
by Samantha Balaban

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Yes, there's conflict — but no one's the bad guy in 'Memorial'

Yes, there's conflict — but no one's the bad guy in 'Memorial'

Bryan Washington's debut novel brings together an eclectic cast of characters who redefine family. He says he wanted to write about people operating from a place of love, rather than disdain or hate.
by Scott Simon

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'Snapped' grounds a sparky romance in real-world experience

'Snapped' grounds a sparky romance in real-world experience

Alexa Martin draws on her own life for the latest in her series of football-themed romances. “Snapped” deals with some of the problems that plague the sport, but never loses sight of the love story.
by Denny S. Bryce

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