The Thread

The Thread from MPR News

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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2020 Aspen Ideas Festival: Erik Larson on 'The Splendid and the Vile' and Walter Isaacson on 'The Code Breaker'
Erik Larson and Walter Isaacson speak at the 2020 Aspen Ideas Festival about their books, “The Splendid and the Vile” and “The Code Breaker: The Tale of Jennifer Doudna, CRISPR and the Future of the Human Race.” Mitt Romney speaks about the U.S.-China relations.
Regardless of what you think, 'irregardless' is a word
Grammarians are up in arms over dictionaries including "irregardless." The Merriam-Webster dictionary responds: "We do not make the English language, we merely record it."
'Want' captures the precariousness of America's middle class
The family at the center of Lynn Steger Strong's novel is on the brink of bankruptcy. “Want” is a portrait of how close to the edge people are — despite the seeming safeguard of middle-class jobs.
Coronavirus and drinking games: Author of new book sees commonalities
Adam Kucharski, author of the new book “The Rules Of Contagion,” talks about how to predict the spread (and end) of contagious events, from viruses to internet trends.
'We've got to learn from our history,' 'Demagogue' author warns
Author Larry Tye chronicles Sen. Joseph McCarthy's infamous smear campaign in a new book. He says both McCarthy and Trump are "bullies" who exploit fears and "point fingers when they're attacked."
Thread Must-Read: 'The Vanishing Half' by Brit Bennett
For this week’s Thread Must-Read, MPR News host Kerri Miller shares what she calls the summer read of 2020.
Privilege takes many forms in 'Friends and Strangers'
J. Courtney Sullivan's new novel examines the relationship between a mother and her child's caregiver — both women with significant degrees of privilege, despite their surface economic differences.
'Bright Precious Thing' encompasses memories unleashed by #MeToo movement
Like most good memoirs, Gail Caldwell's latest is a reassessment of life choices, roads taken and others foregone. "At some point you shuffle the cards and call the deck a life," she writes.