All About Books | Net Radio

In her day job she moved billion-dollar deals. At night, she worked pro bono in near hopeless legal battles. As a successful young black-professional, Brittany Barnett used her talents and time to help those caught in the racial injustice of the courts. Her life story is told in "A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom.”

Students growing up in Nebraska, may have read Mari Sandoz, but not everyone knows her books. This week on All About Books, special guest Lynn Roper from the Mari Sandoz Historical Society will introduce the life and works of the Nebraska author.

A high elevation mesa in Arizona is a battleground between Apache people, the United States government and 2 of the world’s largest mining firms.The story is told in “Oak Flat: A Fight for Sacred Land in the American West” by Lauren Redniss.

On this week's program part 2 of UNL English Professor Stephen Buhler's summer reading list which features, "Hamnet: the Story of a Plague" by Maggie O'Farrell. A novel imagining William Shakespeare’s marriage, family and the death of one of his sons.

What does an English professor read during summer vacation? As you’d expect, a variety of very good books. UNL’s Stephen Buhler is the guest on this week’s program sharing his summer reading list which includes travel, poetry, song, and of course something on Shakespeare.

A family renting a home in remote Long Island are startled by the return of the owners fleeing a black out in New York City. The novel “Leave the World Behind” by Rumaan Alam keeps readers off balance while dealing with family, race and home.

They were recruited, trained and they worked completely in secret. More than 10 thousand young women worked for the US Army and Navy breaking enemy codes during World War 2. On this week’s “All About Books’ guest reviewer Lynn Roper shares a book that reveals the untold history of young women who quietly helped win the war, “Code Girls” by Liza Mundy.

By the 1890s, Wilmington North Carolina was that states largest city and a shining example of a mixed-race community. But white supremacist Democrats plotted to take back the state legislature “by the ballot or bullet or both.” This week on Nebraska Public Media’s “All About Books” a review of the Pulizer Prize winning book "Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy” by David Zucchino

An irritable, old church deacon shoots a drug dealer in broad daylight. This begins the action of the novel, “Deacon King Kong” by James McBride. The story reveals the reasons behind the shooting and the consequences to the 1960's New York neighborhood.

Three Japanese women living in a tiny Tokyo apartments struggle to find peace in their lives as they deal with issues of partners, children and appearance. Hear a review of the novel “Breasts and Eggs” by best-selling Japanese author Mieko Kawakami.

The city-wide reading project, "One Book- One Lincoln" has announced the 3 finalists. On this week's "All About Books" David Smith from the selection committee will introduce one of the 3, "Transcendent Kingdom" by Yaa Gyasi.

He and his family lived by hiding in plain sight, hoping never to be truly seen. In his memoir, “Children of the Land”, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo tells of their survival in a system that treated them like criminals for seeking safe, normal lives.

Brainard, Nebraska native Ross Benes found himself trying to explain to his New York City friends what the people of rural American were really like. His thoughts and experiences bridging rural and urban America led to his new book, “Rural Rebellion: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold.” On this week’s “All About Books” he talks about growing up in Nebraska as it politically moved to the right and why that happened.

An Asian actor stuck generic roles longs to move his career forward. With this character, novelist Charles Yu skewers cultural stereotypes with humor and insight in his novel, “Interior Chinatown”

A boy from the Nebraska Sandhills was murdered decades ago but his body was never found. In the suspense novel, “Pickard County Atlas.” UNL Lecturer Chris Harding Thorton has written a book combining menace and dark humor. On this week’s "All About Books” the author shares her Nebraska background and influences that helped shape the novel

If forests, mountains and oceans are extroverted environments that demand our attention- the prairie has a more quiet voice. Photographer, author and the Nature Conservancy’s Director of Science in Nebraska, Chris Helzer, has written, “Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter.” It explores the diversity and activity of plants and animals on just a small patch of the prairie.

To their neighbors in Colorado Springs, the Galvins seemed to be a large, happy, baby boom family. Over the years 6 of the 12 children would be diagnosed with schizophrenia. How this could have happened this happened is the subject of the new book “Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family” by Robert Kolker.

It may be the first of its kind: a coffee-table book of Nebraska photographs designed, written, published and even printed entirely in Nebraska. Amateur photographer and self-published author, Matt Steinhousen joins host Pat Leach to talk about his book, "The Least Interesting Place."

Beginning in 1960’s Laos, “Run Me to Earth” by Paul Yoon is a novel spanning decades. It tells the story of 3 orphans who risk their lives collecting medical supplies across a nightmare landscape of unexploded bombs.

He’s been awarded a Pulitzer Prize, named U.S. Poet Laureate twice, and now Nebraska poet Ted Kooser has a tribute from his colleagues and students in a new book. “More in Time” from the University of Nebraska Press is a celebration of Ted Kooser as teacher, mentor and friend. All About Books host Pat Leach is joined by one of the book’s editors, Timothy Schaffert.