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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. 

Ask a Bookseller: Stay True

In “Stay True,” author Hua Hsu confronts his grief over his friend’s death in an honest and raw way.
by Emily Bright

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'Should I sacrifice my life to live half American?'

'Should I sacrifice my life to live half American?'

Historian Matthew Delmont paints a vivid and painful picture of life for Black Americans during World War II in his new book, “Half American.” Even as Black service members fought to win the war overseas, they couldn’t win the war of equality at home.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Book by mom of six puts onus on men to stop unwanted pregnancies

Book by mom of six puts onus on men to stop unwanted pregnancies

In her new book, writer — and mother of six — Gabrielle Blair makes the case that the abortion debate should focus much more on men's roles in unintended pregnancy.
by Sarah McCammon

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The story behind a new book's strange dedication to Toast the cat

The story behind a new book's strange dedication to Toast the cat

"For Toast, the cat, who was no help at all," reads the dedication page of researcher Jonathan Saha's book, “Colonizing Animals.” A picture of the page went viral on Twitter.
by Halisia Hubbard

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Bao Phi on his watching his award winning children's book come to the stage in Hopkins

Bao Phi on his watching his award winning children's book come to the stage in Hopkins

Bao Phi’s children’s book “In a Different Pond” won the Caldecott Medal in 2018 and has now been adapted for theater and is currently playing at Stages Theatre in Hopkins. Bao Phi talks with host Cathy Wurzer about his work and watching it come alive on stage.
by Cathy Wurzer and Britt Aamodt

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'In the Mouth of the Wolf' examines the murder of a Mexican investigative reporter

'In the Mouth of the Wolf' examines the murder of a Mexican investigative reporter

Since 2000, more than 150 journalists have been killed in Mexico. Among them is Regina Martinez, a veteran journalist reporting on government corruption and human rights abuses in Veracruz state.
by Marcela Davison Avilés

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Lincoln prioritized democracy over his political future. A new biography explains why

Lincoln prioritized democracy over his political future. A new biography explains why

Presidential historian Jon Meacham speaks with NPR about his new biography, ”And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle.” It examines Lincoln's actions as well as motivations.
by Rachel Treisman

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Ask a Bookseller: the poetry of desire

“Eros, the Bittersweet” explores the idea that love is bittersweet and that desire is not about having, but wanting.
by Emily Bright

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