Reader's Corner

"Fire Weather" By John Vaillant

18 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather. The book offers a terrifying account of a colossal wildfire and an exploration of the rapidly...

"How To Sell A Poison" By Elena Conis

11 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Elena Conis, author of How to Sell a Poison. The book tells the tangled story of DDT, a corporate-backed poison that decimated wildl...

"Once There Were Wolves" By Charlotte McConaghy

04 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Charlotte McConaghy about her new novel, Once There Were Wolves. The book is about the looming threat of environmental collapse and ...

"A Day In The Life Of Abed Salama" By Nathan Thrall

27 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Nathan Thrall, author of the new book, A Day in the Life of Abed Salama. The book tells the story of a deadly accident outside Jerus...

"Tired Of Winning" By Jonathan Karl

20 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Jonathan Karl, author of Tired of Winning. The book explores how Donald Trump remade the Republican Party in his own image, baggage ...

"Camera Man" By Dana Stevens

13 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Dana Stevens, author of Camera Man: Buster Keaton, The Dawn of Cinema and the Invention of the Twentieth Century. In the book, Steve...

"Tyranny of the Minority" By Steven Levitsky (Part II)

06 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Steven Levitsky, co-author of Tyranny of the Minority. The book offers important context for our volatile times and a framework for ...

"Tyranny of the Minority" By Steven Levitsky (Part I)

30 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Steven Levitsky, co-author of Tyranny of the Minority. The book offers important context for our volatile times and a framework for ...

"The Violin Conspiracy" By Brendan Slocumb

23 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Brendan Slocumb, author of the novel, The Violin Conspiracy. Part literary thriller and part mystery, the book is a gripping coming-...

"The Big Fail" By Joe Nocera

16 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Joe Nocera, co-author of The Big Fail. Co-written by Bethany MacLean, the book offers new answers for why and how America become the...

"White House Wild Child" By Shelley Fraser Mickle

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Shelley Fraser Mickle, author of the new book, White House Wild Child. The book is a fascinating biography of outspoken first-daught...

"How Ike Led" By Susan Eisenhower

02 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode first aired in January 2021.

"Plunder" By Brendan Ballou

24 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Brendan Ballou, author of the new book, Plunder. The book offers a powerful expose on the private equity industry – what it is, ho...

"Navalny: Putin's Nemesis, Russia's Future?" By Morvan Lallouet, Ben Noble, And Jan Matti Dollbaum

17 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Morvan Lallouet, co-author of Navalny: Putin’s Nemesis, Russia’s Future? The book offers a close look at Alexei Navalny, from hi...

"The Identity Trap" By Yascha Mounk

10 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Yascha Mounk, author of the new book, The Identity Trap. The book provides a comprehensive account of the origins, consequences, and...

"Flying Blind" By Peter Robison (Part II)

03 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Peter Robison, author of Flying Blind: The 737 Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing. The book explores how an industry titan became consum...

"Flying Blind" By Peter Robison (Part I)

27 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Peter Robison, author of Flying Blind: The 737 Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing. The book explores how an industry titan became consum...

"Moscow X" By David McCloskey

20 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with David McCloskey author of the new thriller, Moscow X. The book centers on a daring CIA operation, which targets Putin’s private ba...

"Techlash" By Tom Wheeler

13 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Tom Wheeler, former FCC chairman and author of the new book, Techlash. With the experiences of the late 19th century’s industrial ...

"The Exponential Age" By Azeem Azhar

06 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Azeem Azhar, author of The Exponential Age: How Accelerating Technology is Transforming Business, Politics, and Society. The book ex...

"Mansfield And Dirksen" By Marc C. Johnson

30 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Marc C. Johnson, author of Mansfield and Dirksen: Bipartisan Giants of the Senate. The book highlights two Senate leaders whose comm...

"The Lumumba Plot" By Stuart A. Reid (Part II)

23 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Stuart A. Reid, author of The Lumumba Plot. The book is a thrilling Cold War account of the U.S.-sanctioned plot to assassinate the ...

"The Lumumba Plot" By Stuart A. Reid (Part I)

16 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Stuart A. Reid, author of The Lumumba Plot. The book is a thrilling Cold War account of the U.S.-sanctioned plot to assassinate the ...

"Clark and Division" By Naomi Hirahara

09 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Naomi Hirahara, author of the new novel, Clark and Division. Part crime novel, part poignant historical fiction, the book was recent...

"The Age of Insurrection" By David Neiwert

02 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with David Neiwert, author of The Age of Insurrection. In the book, Neiwert charts the rise of the far right’s threats against American...

"Passport Stamps" By Sean D. Carberry

25 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Sean D. Carberry, author of the new book, Passport Stamps: Searching the World for a War to Call Home. The book is a darkly comic an...

"The Secret Gate" By Mitchell Zuckoff

11 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Mitchell Zuckoff, author of The Secret Gate: A True Story of Courage and Sacrifice During the Collapse of Afghanistan. The book cove...

"How Antitrust Failed Workers" By Eric A. Posner

04 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Eric A. Posner, author of How Antitrust Law Failed Workers. The book is a powerful examination of the causes of inequality and wage ...

"Pushed Out" By Ryanne Pilgeram (Part I)

21 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is part I of a two-part interview, which originally aired in March 2022. An interview with Ryanne Pilgeram, author of Pushed Out: Contested...

"A Forest Journey" By John Perlin

14 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with John Perlin, author of A Forest Journey. Now with a brand new edition, Perlin's book offers a contemporary view of the effects of wo...

"Remarkably Bright Creatures" By Shelby Van Pelt

07 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Shelby Van Pelt, author of the novel Remarkably Bright Creatures. The book is an exploration of friendship and hope that traces a wi...

"Futureproof" By Kevin Roose

30 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Kevin Roose, author of Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation. The book shares the secrets of people and organizat...

"The Last Honest Man" By James Risen

23 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with James Risen, author of The Last Honest Man. The book examines the fight for democracy by Senator Frank Church, a man at the epicente...

"The Elephant Of Belfast" By S. Kirk Walsh

16 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with S. Kirk Walsh author of the bestselling novel, The Elephant of Belfast. Inspire by true events, the book is a moving account of a yo...

"America Second" By Isaac Stone Fish

02 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Isaac Stone Fish, author of America Second. The book is an exposé of America’s political and business ties to China, often with p...

"The Digital Republic" By Jamie Susskind

26 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Jamie Susskind, author of The Digital Republic. The book is a definitive guide to the great political question of our time: how can ...

"Red London" By Alma Katsu

05 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Alma Katsu, author of the new thriller, Red London. The book is a race-against-the-clock story, told by a writer with 35 years of ex...

"The Lincoln Miracle" By Edward Achorn

22 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Edward Achorn, author of The Lincoln Miracle: Inside the Republican Convention That Changed History. In the book, Achorn offers a be...

"The Rise Of Digital Repression" By Steven Feldstein

15 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Steven Feldstein, author of The Rise of Digital Repression: How Technology is Reshaping Power, Politics, and Resistance. The book of...

"Master Slave Husband Wife" By Ilyon Woo

08 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Ilyon Woo, author of Master Slave Husband Wife. The book tells the remarkable true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped sla...

"How Beautiful We Were" By Imbolo Mbue

01 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Imbolo Mbue's novel, How Beautiful We Were, follows a fearless young woman from a small African village as she starts a revolution against an American...

"Dust Child" By Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

24 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Nguyen Phan Que Mai, author of the new novel, Dust Child. The book is a saga about two Vietnamese sisters and two American men, whos...

"The Triumph Of Doubt" By David Michaels

10 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with David Michaels, author of The Triumph of Doubt. In the book, Michaels details how corrupt science becomes public policy, through the...

"Call Me Elizabeth Lark" By Melissa Colasanti

03 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Melissa Colasanti, author of the new novel, Call Me Elizabeth Lark. A psychological thriller, the book follows the mysterious reappe...

"Justice For Animals" By Martha C. Nussbaum

27 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Martha C. Nussbaum, author of Justice for Animals. The book offers a revolutionary new theory and call to action on animal rights, e...

"Mother Daughter Traitor Spy" By Susan Elia MacNeal

20 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Susan Elia MacNeal, author of the novel, Mother Daughter Traitor Spy. The book is inspired by a real-life mother and daughter, who g...

"Uncounted" By Gilda R. Daniels

13 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Gilda R. Daniels, author of Uncounted: The Crisis of Voter Suppression in America. The book warns about a premeditated strategy of r...

"Evolution Gone Wrong" By Alex Bezzerides

06 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Alex Bezzerides, author of Evolution Gone Wrong. The book is a fresh and funny examination of the curious ways human beings have bea...

"When McKinsey Comes To Town" By Walt Bogdanich

29 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Walt Bogdanich, co-author of the new book, When McKinsey Comes to Town. The book offers a portrait of a company whose work has often...

"The Petroleum Papers" By Geoff Dembicki

15 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Geoff Dembicki, author of The Petroleum Papers. The book provides a step-by-step account of how we reached this precipice of climate...

"American Schism" By Seth David Radwell

08 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Seth David Radwell, author of American Schism. The book is an enlightened exploration of our history to unite a deeply-divided Ameri...

"Kill Switch" By Adam Jentleson

01 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode originally aired in July 2021.In his book, Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate ...

"Preparing For War" By Bradley Onishi (Part II)

25 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is the second half of a two-part interview. An interview with Bradley Onishi, author of Preparing for War. The book is an engrossing accoun...

"Preparing For War" By Bradley Onishi (Part I)

19 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is the first of a two-part interview. An interview with Bradley Onishi, author of Preparing for War. The book is an engrossing account of t...

"The Globalization Myth" By Shannon K. O'Neil

11 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Shannon K. O’Neil, author of The Globalization Myth: Why Regions Matter. The book offers a case for why regionalization, not globa...

"The World Turned Upside Down" By Clyde Prestowitz

04 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The World Turned Upside Down: America, China, and the Struggle for Global Leadership, by Clyde Prestowitz, identifies the challenges China’s growing...

"Afterlives" By Abdulrazak Gurnah

25 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bob Kustra interviews Abdulrazak Gurnah, Nobel Prize winner and author of the novel, Afterlives. The book is a multi-generational saga of displacement...

"Sleeping Bear" By Connor Sullivan

18 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Connor Sullivan, author of the new novel, Sleeping Bear. In the book, a former Army veteran seeking solitude in the Alaskan wilderne...

"The Ransomware Hunting Team" By Daniel Golden

04 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Daniel Golden, author of The Ransomware Hunting Team. The book is a real-life technological thriller about a band of eccentric misfi...

"Spymaster's Prism" By Jack Devine

28 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The show originally aired in June 2021. In Jack Devine's newest book, Spymaster’s Prism: The Fig...

"Africa Is Not A Country" By Dipo Faloyin (Part II)

21 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Dipo Faloyin, debut author of Africa is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent. In the book, Faloyin explores the youth-led cult...

"Africa Is Not A Country" By Dipo Faloyin

14 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Dipo Faloyin, debut author of Africa is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent. In the book, Faloyin explores the youth-led cult...

"From Warsaw With Love" By John Pomfret

07 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with John Pomfret, author of From Warsaw With Love. The book tells the epic story of how Polish intelligence officers forged an alliance ...

"Proof Of Life" By Daniel Levin

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In his latest book, Proof of Life, Daniel Levin dives deep into a shadowy world where few have access—an underground industry of war where everythin...

"Mr. Dickens And His Carol" By Samantha Silva

24 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is an encore program which originally aired in December of 2017.

"Nomad Century" By Gaia Vince

17 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Gaia Vince, author of Nomad Century: How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World. The book investigates a coming environmental migr...

"The New Map" By Daniel Yergin

10 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Daniel Yergin, author of The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations. The book offers a fresh look at how energy revolutio...

"Made In China" By Amelia Pang

03 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Amelia Pang, author of Made in China: A Prisoner, an SOS Letter, and the Hidden Cost of America's Cheap Goods. The book explores eth...

"Why The New Deal Matters" By Eric Rauchway

26 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Eric Rauchway, author of Why the New Deal Matters. The book offers a look at how the New Deal fundamentally changed American life, a...

"When Time Stopped" By Ariana Neumann

24 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In her bestselling memoir, When Time Stopped: A Memoir of My Father’s War and What Remains, Ariana Neumann offers a moving story of personal discove...

"A Children's Bible," By Lydia Millet

10 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode originally aired in April 2021.

"The Mountains Sing" By Nguyen Phan Que Mai

27 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode originally aired in March 2021.

"Robert E. Lee & Me" By Ty Seidule

20 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode originally aired May 2021.Ty Seidule's book, Robert E Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Rec...

"Tuesday Night Massacre" By Marc C. Johnson

30 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode first aired in March 2021.

"Beaten Down, Worked Up" By Steven Greenhouse

16 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode originally in March 2021.

"This Land Is Our Land: An Immigrant's Manifesto" By Suketu Mehta

02 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. This episode originally aired in February 2021.

"Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking Of America" By Kurt Andersen

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode originally aired in February 2021.

"Putin's People" By Catherine Belton

04 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The original episode premiered in August 2020.

"Hatchet Man" By Elie Honig

07 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Elie Honig, author of Hatchet Man: How Bill Barr Broke the Prosecutor's Code and Corrupted the Justice Department. In the book, Honi...

"Eat The Buddha" By Barbara Demick

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore episode of Reader's Corner. The original episode first aired in January 2021.

"A Pilgrimage To Eternity" By Timothy Egan

02 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode originally aired in December 2020.

"Pushed Out" By Ryanne Pilgeram (Part II)

26 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode originally aired in March 2022. This is part II of a two-part interview. An interview ...

"Ill Winds" By Larry Diamond

12 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The original aired in November 2020.

"Life Undercover" By Amaryllis Fox

12 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The original episode aired in October 2020.

"Invisible Child" By Andrea Elliott

29 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Andrea Elliott, author of Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City. A stunning debut, the book covers eight ...

"Supreme Inequality" By Adam Cohen

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode originally aired in September 2020.

"In Deep" By David Rohde

01 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of our program. The original aired in September 2020.

"A Most Beautiful Thing" By Arshay Cooper

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Growing up on Chicago’s Westside in the 90’s, Arshay Cooper knows the harder side of life. Street corners full of gangs, hallways of his apartment...

"Cover Your Tracks" By Daco Auffenorde

18 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Daco Auffenorde, author of the thrilling novel, Cover Your Tracks. The book is a chilling story of love and hate, the devastating po...

"Up All Night" By Lisa Napoli

11 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of our program. The original aired in August 2020.

"Dirty Work" By Eyal Press (Part II)

04 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is the second half of a two-part interview. This is also an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode originally aired in December 202...

"Dirty Work" By Eyal Press (Part I)

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Eyal Press, author of Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America. The book offers a groundbreaking and ...

"Overground Railroad" By Candacy Taylor

05 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of our program. The original premiered in August 2020.

"The Shape Of The Ruins" By Juan Gabriel Vasquez

23 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of our program. The original episode premiered in July 2020.

"Beijing Payback" By Daniel Nieh

09 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of our program. The original episode aired in June 2020.

"The Daughters of Kobani" by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

02 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, author of The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice. The book uncovers a group of wo...

"World Without Mind" By Franklin Foer

25 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In his new book, World Without Mind, Franklin Foer argues that today’s monopolists are seeking access to every facet of our identities, and influenc...

"Murder At The Mission" By Blaine Harden

11 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Blaine Harden, author of Murder at the Mission: A Frontier Killing, its Legacy of Lies, and the Taking of the American West. The boo...

"The Guarded Gate" By Daniel Okrent

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is an encore edition of our program. The original episode aired in July 2020.

American Foreign Policy And "The Hell Of Good Intentions" With Stephen M. Walt

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1992, the United States stood at the pinnacle of world power and Americans were confident that a new era of peace and prosperity was at hand. 25 ye...