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| The Thread's Must-Read |
| "Personal Stereo" by Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow Buy this book I know an awful lot about the Walkman right now. Remember that miraculous device? The one that let you walk around and listen to music of your own choosing? Remember the freedom that came with that bright yellow, kinda heavy rectangle, clipped to your belt? I was a little young for the Golden Days of the Walkman, but I coveted my older siblings’ sweet cassette collections, and I’ve been diving into the history of it all with the “Personal Stereo” book from the Object Lessons collection. The Object Lessons series makes stars out of everyday objects. These slim little volumes explore the history of everything from the remote control to the bookshelf to the high heel. There are books on dust and rust and hamburgers. You’ll come out knowing more than you ever knew you could about something you never thought much about. And your “dropping random knowledge during casual conversation” skills will go through the roof. With the advent of the personal stereo, people were skeptical and derisive. The Walkman was considered “self-indulgent and anti-social — the quintessential accessory for the ‘me’ generation.” Obviously, they had no idea what was coming. -Tracy Mumford |
| This Week on The Thread |
| On "The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History" "A More Beautiful and Terrible History" by Jeanne Theoharis Buy this book Jeanne Theoharis' new book re-examines civil rights history and the way it's been manipulated. "It is used to make us feel good about ourselves, to make us feel good about our progress," she says. More |
| The Thread Live 2018: Roxane Gay, Arundhati Roy The Thread Live returns this spring with two literary stars in conversation with Kerri Miller at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Tickets available now. More |
| "The sharpest spy fiction since John Le Carré" "This is What Happened" by Mick Herron Buy this book Critic John Powers says Mick Herron's latest novel sucks you in from the opening page. More |
| From Bieber to Buber, Zadie Smith mixes high and low "Feel Free" by Zadie Smith Buy this book Reading Zadie Smith's big-hearted, eloquent new essay collection is a lot like hanging out with a friend who's just as at home with pop stars as she is with philosophers. More |
| After 17 brushes with death, a writer reflects on coming "back from the brink" "I Am, I Am, I Am" by Maggie O'Farrell Buy this book Maggie O'Farrell recounts the multiple times she cheated death in her memoir, "I Am, I Am, I Am." "We're different people afterwards," she says. "These experiences always take up residence inside us." More |
| Danez Smith on "writing America down" Lately, Danez Smith can't talk about poetry without also addressing the political climate that surrounds it. More |
| Former agent says, "Border Patrol does good work ... but there's tension there" "The Line Becomes a River" by Francisco Cantú Buy this book In "The Line Becomes a River," Francisco Cantu looks back on his time as a Border Patrol agent. He says, "No matter what obstacle we put at the border, it's going to be subverted." More |
| Immortality, sadness and drinking with Shakespeare "How to Stop Time" by Matt Haig Buy this book Matt Haig's new novel isn't exactly about time travel — it's about a slow-aging man who travels through time just by staying alive for centuries. And yes, he meets Shakespeare (who has bad breath). More |
| "This is Not a Love Letter" really is a (heartbreaking) love letter "This is Not a Love Letter" by Kim Purcell Buy this book Kim Purcell's new novel is structured as a long, beautiful, despairing letter from a young woman to her missing boyfriend, written as she spurs her friends and neighbors into action to find him. More |
| After 16 years, Afghanistan war is "at best a grinding stalemate," journalist says "Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan" by Steve Coll Buy this book Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll warns that there is no end in sight to America's longest war: "Most of the generals ... say in public, 'There's no military solution to this war.'" More |
| Where "life is locked in an interlude of longing" "Rocket Fantastic" by Gabrielle Calvocoressi Buy this book Emmet Penney recommends a poetry collection that explores how life is "waiting for things to happen ... and sometimes being terrified of what might come your way." More |
| What not to say to the terminally ill "Everything Happens for a Reason" by Kate Bowler Buy this book Kate Bowler has lived with stage 4 cancer for years. Her new memoir details what she's found out about herself and suffering. "You have to learn to be present, even when things are absurd," she says. More |
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