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First up: A deep look at where Hillary Clinton's campaign may have gone wrong | ||
Kerri Miller's Must-Read | ||
| "No One Is Coming To Save Us" by Stephanie Powell Watts Buy this book One of the first notes I made as I read the opening pages of this terrific novel was that it had a Gatsby-esque sensibility to it. And Stephanie Watts’ dedication, “For Bob and Auden, forever my green lights,” obviously contributed to that. What I didn’t know, until I heard her interview on NPR last week, was that Gatsby is deliberately stamped all over this story, from the newly rich young man, JJ, who returns to his hometown to build a mansion, to the fragile and troubled woman, Ava, who he’s loved since they were teens. Watts said in the interview that while she admired Fitzgerald’s novel from her first reading, she wondered why the women in the story had such bit parts: “I'm seeing the women and the tiny, tiny roles that they have in the book, and I want them to speak. I want to hear what they have to say." Her novel goes a long way in rectifying that. But the Gatsby vibe isn't the reason to read this book. It is so, so much more. Watts set her novel in a small North Carolina town, where young black men end up doing long prison stints for drug crimes; where good jobs are scarce and the social services intake office is busy; and where JJ knows that “you don’t get over being poor,” even when you have money. It's a timely, beautiful story that deserves a spot on the shelf next to F. Scott Fitzgerald. -K.M. | ||
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| This Week on The Thread | ||
| "Shattered" picks through the broken pieces of Hillary Clinton's dream "Shattered" by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes Buy this book A new book goes behind the scenes of Clinton's presidential bid. "There is no Big Reveal," says NPR's Ron Elving. "Instead we get a slow-building case against [her campaign's] concept and execution." More | ||
| Bana Alabed, 7-year-old Syrian refugee, will publish a memoir The world met Bana Alabed on Twitter last year: She documented life in Aleppo as the city came under siege. More | ||
| From "f-bomb" to "photobomb," how the dictionary keeps up with English "Word by Word" by Kory Stamper Buy this book For a new word to enter the dictionary, it must meet three criteria: widespread use, sustained use and meaningful use. Merriam-Webster lexicographer Kory Stamper explains the process in a new book. More | ||
| Recasting a historic heroine — in space "The Book of Joan" by Lidia Yuknavitch Buy this book Lidia Yuknavitch's fascination with Joan of Arc informs her new novel, set in a grim future where humanity is sexless and ageless, prisoners in a technological hell ruled by a malevolent billionaire. More | ||
| The Thread Live: 2017 authors announced The Thread's 2017 season of author interviews has been announced: Don't miss Jacqueline Woodson, Eddie Glaude, Jr. or Sheryl Sandberg. Get tickets | ||
| Poetry Friday: All in the details To celebrate National Poetry Month, we are showcasing weekly poems from Graywolf Press, Milkweed Editions and Coffee House Press. More | ||
| A feast of ideas "Tender" by Sofia Samatar Buy this book Sofia Samatar is the creator of an award-winning fantasy world; she sticks closer to earth in her powerful first story collection, but it's not always the earth we might recognize. More | ||
| An underground library and the perfect mystery "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Buy this book Cynthia Justus owns the westernmost bookstore in the entire United States, in Kauai, Hawaii. There's one book she's been recommending to readers for almost a decade. More | ||
| Sen. Elizabeth Warren's new book on activism and the middle class "This Fight is Our Fight" by Elizabeth Warren Buy this book "Everybody's got to get out there and find the piece that they can do," the Democratic Massachusetts senator says. She talks to NPR's Audie Cornish about her new book, the middle class and activism. More | ||
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