Mpr News With Kerri Miller

Minneapolis author Shannon Gibney made a splash with her first novel, "See No Color," drawn from her life as a transracial adoptee. It won the 2016 Minnesota Book Award for Young People's Literature.She returns to writing about her own life in her just released memoir, “The Girl I Am, Was and Never Will Be.” But this a memoir unlike most. Gibney calls it speculative fiction. It explores both her life as it was — and as it might have been, had she not been adopted by a white family. It’s a unexpected and enterprising way to wrestle with life’s “what ifs.” Gibney and host Kerri Miller will talk about it on this Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas.While you wait, enjoy this conversation from the 2018 archives, when Gibney had just published her second book, "Dream Country.” It traces the oft-neglected history of free Blacks and former enslaved people who sailed back to Africa to colonize what is now known as Liberia.Guest: Shannon Gibney is a writer and a professor of English at Minneapolis Coll

Modern English loves an idiom. We use them all the time. “Take the cake.” “Eat crow.” “Deader than a doornail.” “By hook or by crook.” “Cut the mustard.” “Left in the lurch.”But do we really know what they mean? That was University of Minnesota linguistics professor Anatoly Liberman’s question when he set out to write a dictionary of common English language idioms. His new book, “Take My Word For It,” is the first truly all-encompassing etymological guide to both meanings and origins of idioms that surround us every day. Liberman is a favorite guest on Kerri Miller’s show, and this week, he returns to talk about the history of idioms, both popular and obscure. It’s not rocket science, but it is a delightful and engaging conversation that will leave you feeling as right as rain. Guest: Anatoly Liberman is a linguist and professor of languages at the University of Minnesota. His new book is, “Take My Word For It: A Dictionary of English Idioms.” To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player ab

Is there a word or phrase that you grew up with, something you felt was unique to your family?Maybe it was an expression your parents or grandparents used to show affection or describe frustration, only to eventually discover it had foreign origins? Or perhaps you still wonder where it came from?Borrowed words have flooded most languages, including English.In August 2021, Anatoly Liberman, beloved etymologist and professor of languages at the University of Minnesota, joined MPR News host Kerri Miller to explore the roots of familial words. In that interview, he mentioned he had just finished a dictionary of idioms. That book finally published in January 2023. This Friday on Big Books and Bold Ideas, Liberman is back with Miller to discuss it. In the meantime, enjoy this joyous conversation about familiar words from our archives. Guest: Anatoly Liberman is a linguist and professor of languages at the University of Minnesota. To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above. Subscribe to th

What does it mean to stand on the soil where enslaved people lived, worked and died — and to see, surrounding it, monuments to the people who did the enslaving? That’s the question at the heart of Clint Smith’s book, “How the Word Is Passed.” After a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee came down in his hometown of New Orleans, Smith began a quest to understand America’s historic and contemporary relationship to slavery. He did that by visiting sites like Monticello Plantation, where Thomas Jefferson wrote about freedom while enslaving hundreds, and Blandford Cemetery, where 30,000 Confederate soldiers are buried, and shared his powerful reflections in his book. “How the Word Is Passed” was a New York Times bestseller, the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award of Nonfiction and one of the New York Times Best Books of 2021. Now out in paperback, “How the Word Is Passed,” invites us to be honest about America’s history, and to reckon with how slavery’s legacy still shapes us today. This is a c

When a racially segregated community is suddenly forced to integrate high schools, it inextricably intertwines families on opposite sides of the divide.How two of those families navigate the chaos — and its ripple effects for years to come — is at the heart of Naima Coster's novel, “What's Mine and Yours.”Coster joined MPR News host Kerri Miller for the season finale of the 2021 Talking Volumes series, Talking Race. We hope it will whet your appetite for Miller’s conversation with Clint Smith this coming Friday, when they will talk about his book, “How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America.” Guest:Naima Coster is the author of two novels. Her most recent is “What’s Mine and Yours.”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 or RSS.Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations. 

The American West wouldn’t have been settled without the women who braved the frontier. Katie Hickman’s new history, “Brave Hearted: The Women of the American West” uncovers their stories. But she doesn’t stop at the white women settlers who traveled by wagon or on foot. Drawing on diaries, letters and memoirs, she also brings to life Black enslaved women who went west with their master’s families, Chinese women who were brought by sex traffickers to the West Coast, and the Native American women who called the West home long before any settlers arrived.Hickman paints colorful and dramatic accounts of these women’s lives with a novelist’s eye for detail. This week, on Big Books and Bold Ideas, she talked about her research with host Kerri Miller, shared some of the stories she uncovered and offered important correctives about what really happened during the largest mass migration in American history.Guest:Katie Hickman is a is the best-selling author of ten books, including her most recent, “Brave Hearted.” Ka

Everyone's heard the story of the shootout at the O.K. Corral. It's been immortalized in over 40 feature films and written about in 1,000 books.But Mary Doria Russell refused to accept the story as we know it. Her 2015 novel novel digs for truth in the conflict that made Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday household names.While researching “Epitaph,” Russell tracked down diaries, census records and first-hand accounts of the O.K. Corral shootout. “It has been simplified and scrubbed up and changed and ultimately you have fiction based on fiction based on fiction,” Russell told host Kerri Miller. “What I was trying to do was get back to the real people, peel away the mythology, find the core of historical truth and work with that instead of just accepting the way it had been portrayed in movies for years."It’s a fascinating conversation from our archives, one that we hope will whet your appetite for another book that dives into the true story of the American West. This Friday on Big Books and Bold Ideas,

When we first meet Cristabel, the heroine of Joanna Quinn’s debut novel, “The Whalebone Theatre,” she is only three. But she is already sure of herself, in the pure and defiant way that young children often are. She knows she was born to be a leader. But how does she get there? That’s the story at the heart of Quinn’s delightful book, which follows Cristabel and her half-siblings as they grow up on the family’s lush estate in 1920s England. The grownups are dizzy with relief that World War I has ended, so they mostly exist in a haze of alcohol and amusements. The children are mostly left to themselves. That’s how they end up staging their own theater, in the skeleton of a beached whale, which provides a backdrop and a direction to their young lives.When World War II breaks out, Cristabel and her siblings, now grown, find themselves in a more serious production: playing roles in the allied military effort. And they don’t know how this story ends. Quinn’s novel takes us from seaside England to occupied Paris, f

Do you recognize a meme when you see one? Online disinformation expert Joan Donovan defines memes as pithy words or images — like “Black Lives Matter” or “Build That Wall” — that contain a coded meaning. They often work as badges of identity, and they can be powerful shortcuts to provoking an emotional response in the viewer. And thanks to the internet, they’re more influential than ever. Her new book, “Meme Wars,” details how memes and the online communities that produce them intensify the culture wars, erode trust in institutions, and even drive acts of violence, like the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. On the anniversary of that attack, MPR News host Kerri Miller talks with Donovan about the history of memes in America, how various conspiracy theorists use them to advance their ideologies, and how the current power of memes threatens to undermine democracy.Guest:Joan Donovan is the research director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Big Books and Bold Ideas is usually the show where readers meet writers. But for this final show of 2022, we decided to do something unexpected. Instead of talking to writers about books they wrote, we asked them about their favorite literary characters someone else wrote. It’s an assignment these Minnesota authors took seriously, and their selections both surprised and delighted host Kerri Miller. She also asked each author to recommend their favorite book of 2022, so get your “need to read” list ready! Guests:Peter Geye writes and lives in Minneapolis and is the author of many books. His latest novel is “The Ski Jumpers.”Shannon Gibney is a writer and a professor of English at Minneapolis College. Her books include the novel, “Dream Country” and the upcoming memoir-inspired novel, “The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be.”Ben Percy is a novelist and screenwriter based in Northfield, Minn. His novels include “The Unfamiliar Garden” and a collection of stories titled, “Suicide Woods.” He also writes for Marvel

“Between you and me, being a woman is a dangerous business.” So says Madam Parks to young Eliza Ripple, who is now working as a prostitute in Gold Rush-era California after her brutish husband was killed in a bar fight. Eliza knows this truth all too well. But instead of letting that truth paralyze her, she leans into the danger that freedom brings. When some of her fellow working girls go missing, Eliza and friend Jean take it upon themselves to investigate the murders — a mystery the male authorities in Monterey are content to ignore. Jane Smiley’s newest novel, “A Dangerous Business,” is murder mystery lite, topped with a hefty dollop of feminist energy. Both Smiley and her heroines are inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” but unlike Poe, Smiley gives her characters a delightful sense of possibility. This week, on Big Books and Bold Ideas, MPR News host Kerri Miller talked with Smiley about the California landscape that so often gives shape to her books , how her discovery of the

If you want to know canine psychologist Alexandra Horowitz’ best advice for training a puppy, it can be summed up in one sentence: “Expect that your puppy will not be who you think, nor act as you hope.”That truth — which can both delight and confound new puppy caretakers — is at the center of her new book, “The Year of the Puppy.” A longtime researcher of canine behavior, Horowitz realized she had never examined those critical first months of a dog’s life. So in 2020, she started to observe litters from birth on. When the pandemic shut down the world, she brought one of those puppies into her already animal-centric home — and almost immediately had second thoughts. But adapting to Quiddity, their new pup, gave her fresh insight into doggie development. Ultimately, it reinforced her belief that human companions need to respect and enjoy these creatures that live with us but are fundamentally different. If all we do is focus on how to train the puppy, we miss them becoming themselves. This is a can’t-miss conv

Many dog owners get to enjoy knowing their pet from puppyhood to maturity. Turns out, that life cycle also has a lot to teach us. New research that looks at how dogs age finds parallels between dogs and their human companions. For example, dogs are squirrelly when they are young and calm as they enter midlife. Changes to canine DNA mirror the changes in our own. Could our best friends teach us how to age better — and maybe even live longer? That was the central question MPR News host Kerri Miller discussed with researchers at the Dog Aging Project on her daily show back in November of 2020.This Friday, on Big Books and Bold Ideas, she’ll look at the other end of a dog’s life, when she talks with canine researcher Alexandra Horowitz about her new book, “The Year of the Puppy.”Guests:Daniel Promislow is co-director of the Dog Aging Project and a biologist at the University of Washington.Kellyn McNulty is a veterinarian and researcher with the Dog Aging Project.To listen to the full conversation you can use the

When faced with a tough situation, do you walk away? Or do you press on? Most of us are inclined to stay the course. After all, quitting — especially in American culture — is seen as a character defect. But Annie Duke thinks that’s wrong. Her new book, “Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away,” is a guidebook for learning how and when to quit. She explores the psychology and social forces that keep us stuck in bad situations for too long — and what we lose when we equate quitting with failure. Don’t miss MPR News host Kerri Miller’s conversation with Duke, a cognitive behaviorist who learned a thing or two about quitting during her years as a professional poker player on this Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas.Guest:Annie Duke is an author and a consultant on the behavior of decision making — in addition to being a world-class poker player. Her new book is “Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away.”To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above. Subscribe to the MPR News with Ke

Why do we do what we don’t want to do? And why can’t we make ourselves do what we want?Humans have puzzled over this one for ages. But science is starting to clear a window into the motives and biology behind self-control.Science journalist John Tierney teamed up with psychologist and researcher Roy F. Baumeister in 2011 to write about it in their book “Willpower.” For this week’s archive broadcast, you’ll hear a conversation between Tierney and MPR News host Kerri Miller from early 2012 where they talk about how to understand this coveted human virtue.It hints at the discussion coming this Friday on Big Books and Bold Ideas — a chat with cognitive behaviorist and former professional poker player Annie Duke about the science of quitting.Guest: John Tierney is a science journalist and one-half of the duo behind the book, “Willpower,” published in 2011. 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 or

Thirty years ago, David Treuer was a young writer, taking classes at Princeton University, far from his home on the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota. He was eager to polish his craft — and maybe a little brash. In 1995, a few months before he turned 25, Graywolf Press published his first novel. Now, decades later, Graywolf is rereleasing that book, “Little.” In the introduction, Treuer — now a widely respected, award-winning author — reflects on his writing roots and how both he and his work have changed over the years. This Friday, on Big Books and Bold Ideas, MPR News host Kerri Miller chatted with Treuer about what he’s learned. What does he know now that he didn’t know when “Little” was first released? What does he think about his younger self? And how does he view the burgeoning field of Native writers and books today?Guest:David Treuer is the award-winning author of seven books. His first novel, “Little” was rereleased this month by Graywolf Press. He is Ojibwe from the Leech Lake Reservatio

This month, Graywolf Press republished author David Treuer’s first novel, “Little.” Originally printed in 1995, when Treuer wasn’t yet 30, “Little” tells the story of a Native American family struggling with loss, poverty and prejudice. What does Treuer think about his debut novel now, 27 years after it was published? MPR news host Kerri Miller will talk with him about that on this Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas.In the meantime, enjoy this 2019 conversation from Miller and Treuer about his award-winning book, “The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee.” Treuer wrote it as a response to Native American history too often being told through a tragic lens. Instead, in “The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee,” Treuer traces Native American history, from the Battle of Wounded Knee to the present, with a focus on transformation in each new era.Guest: David Treuer is Ojibwe, from the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota. He is a celebrated author of many books, including “The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee” and “Little.” To listen

When “The House of Fortune” opens, Nella Brandt is 37. Almost 20 years have passed since we first met her in “The Miniaturist,” Jessie Burton’s wildly popular first book. But not much has changed. Nella still lives in the house she inherited from her dead husband. Many of the same characters inhabit her world — with one addition. Her niece, Thea, is grown and turning 18. And Nella has pinned all her hopes on Thea marrying well.The irony is thick, although Nella doesn’t see it. Nella herself was married off at age 18, leading to the scandal that enthralled readers in “The Miniaturist.” What will happen this time? Will Nella revisit that sin on her headstrong niece? Or will Thea’s own secrets collide with the family’s? It’s a delicious return to austere but wealthy 18th century Amsterdam, told through Burton’s sensual lens. This Friday on Big Books and Bold Ideas, host Kerri Miller sat down with Burton and talked about what it’s like to write a sequel and how looking back is often the key to moving forward. Gue

Jessie Burton's first book, "The Miniaturist," was an international best-seller and set her on the road to continued success with novels “The Muse” and “The Confession.”Her latest book, “The House of Fortune,” is a companion novel to “The Miniaturist.” This Friday on Big Books and Bold Ideas, host Kerri Miller will talk with Burton about that book.In the meantime, enjoy this 2014 conversation from the archives, when the pair discuss “The Miniaturist,” and Burton’s meteoric rise to book stardom.Guest:Jessie Burton is an award-winning novelist of four books, including “The Miniaturist” and its new companion novel, “The House of Fortune.” 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 or RSS.Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations. 

Poet Ross Gay believes in joy. But he pays careful attention to how one defines that word.It is not simply happiness or delight, he says in his new book “Inciting Joy.” Rather, it is what grows from the fertile soil of breaking and belonging. It is the light that emanates from us when we help each other carry our sorrows.In his book, Gay writes, “What if joy is not only entangled with pain, or suffering, or sorrow, but is also what emerges from how we care for each other through those things?'“Gay was in St. Paul in early November to talk with MPR News host Kerri Miller for the finale of the 2022 Talking Volumes season. The evening also featured music from Minneapolis artist MAYYADDA.Guest:Ross Gay is a poet, an essayist, a gardener and a professor. His new book is “Inciting Joy.” NOTE: The audio and video above contain explicit language. To listen to a lightly edited version of the Talking Volumes conversation, use the audio player above. You can also watch the full event via the embedded video, or look