books

When it comes to the future of good jobs and a contented workforce in the United States, the outlook is tenuous at best: workers left in the wake of off-shoring, financial crises and game-changing robotic technology developments all shape market.

Journalist Sarah Jaffe says community movements are a key to better outcomes. “For the people taking part in them it is not a question of left or right, but of the powerless against the powerful.”

Bill Radke sits down with author Colson Whitehead to talk about his new novel, "The Underground Railroad."

His book explores slavery in the American South and the role of the Underground Railroad in that story. But in a departure from the history we know about the Underground Railroad, in his book the railroad is an actual railroad. 

Elizabeth Austen talks to local poet Laura Da', the author of "Tributaries", about how she uses poetry to tell the story of her ancestors. Her book is the recipient of the American Book Award. 

Bill Radke speaks with author Dan White about the history of camping in America. White highlights how we overcame the early Puritan fear of the woods and the changing demographics of wild places. His latest book is "Under the Stars: How America Fell in Love with Camping."

In 1972 a young man named Harry Walker was killed by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park. The subsequent wrongful death trial focused on whether the National Park Service had done enough to prevent human interaction with bears.

The story puzzled and fascinated former park ranger Jordan Fisher Smith. In it he found myriad questions of what it means to manage nature.

Marcie Sillman talks with "Book Lust" author Nancy Pearl about “She Poured Out Her Heart,” by Jean Thompson.

Bill Radke speaks with Bruce Barcott about the character of Mount Rainier and the place it takes in the lives of people who live around Puget Sound. Barcott is the author of "Measure of a Mountain: Beauty and Terror on Mount Rainier." 

KUOW has profiled all three of the national parks in Washington to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. You can also hear our conversations about Olympic National Park and North Cascades National Park. 

In his new memoir, “Falling: A Daughter, A Father, and a Journey Back,"  author Elisha Cooper recalls how he and his family faced and survived his daughter Zoe’s cancer.

The act of reflection, some years after the events, is cathartic for Cooper. The result is the chronicle of a life-changing period, marked by terrifying uncertainty and resilience. He tells the story with humor and a palpable sense of awe. 

Bill Radke speaks with photographer Tom Reese and journalist Eric Wagner about their book, "Once and Future River: Reclaiming the Duwamish." The three talk about the history of the Duwamish, how it became Seattle's forgotten river and the efforts to clean it up.

Marcie Sillman talks with "Book Lust" author Nancy Pearl about "The Last Samurai" by Helen DeWitt.