Five NPR 'Books We Love' for readers in the Pacific Northwest

It's the most wonderful time of the year: NPR released its annual "Books We Love" list this week.

A daunting 381 books made the cut for 2023. So if you (like this reader) curate your personal reading list according to NPR's recommendations, you've got a lot of new material to consider.

We did some of the hard work for you and found five books that may be of interest to readers in the Pacific Northwest.

"A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them" by Timothy Egan

KUOW listeners may recognize the latest title from Seattle author Timothy Egan. "Soundside" spoke to Egan in April about his book exploring the often-overlooked story of the Ku Klux Klan's power in northern states and the testimony that brought down its most powerful leader.

Egan documents the people attempting to expose the KKK and the woman whose testimony ultimately brought down the Grand Dragon of Indiana and one of the most powerful men in the nation.

Doug Berman, the self-described benevolent overlord of "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" wrote this of "A Fever in the Heartland":

"This fascinating and timely book about the second rise of the Ku Klux Klan in America reads like a legal thriller. The story follows the rise and fall of Indiana’s con-man-ish grand dragon, D.C. Stephenson, whose qualities may remind some readers of a certain prominent political figure of today. When a woman brings an unlikely case against him, it challenges the status quo in 1920s Indiana, where belonging to the KKK became as common and as socially acceptable as belonging to the Rotary Club."

"Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World" by John Vaillant

The environmentally conscious reader can find a number of worthwhile selections on NPR's list, but this exploration of "why we are entering a new century of fire" seems especially fitting for a region that is no stranger to fire danger.

John Vaillant uses the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire to illustrate why fires are burning longer and with greater intensity today. More than that, though, he considers how humanity's unchecked consumption of fossil fuels have contributed to this growing threat.

NPR arts reporter Neda Ulaby had this to say about "Fire Weather":

"How unfortunately ironic that this gripping investigation into a catastrophic 2016 Canadian wildfire was published at exactly the moment when the Eastern Seaboard found itself gasping through a yellow haze caused by record-setting fires that scorched over 70,000 square miles north of the border. John Vaillant, an U.S.-born author and journalist living in Canada, examines an earlier, comparable disaster. The Fort McMurray wildfire, known locally as 'the Beast,' caused billions of dollars in damages and displaced tens of thousands of people. Vaillant takes readers back into the deep history of the boreal forests before thrusting us into the Beast’s fiery heart. Fire Weather is a report from the front lines of environmental cataclysm and a prediction of what more will surely come."

"Hit Girls: Women of Punk in the USA, 1975-1983" by Jen B. Larson

How about something on the lighter side? Jen B. Larson strikes out against the "music patriarchy" with this compendium of punk queens.

Larson's northwest picks include early Seattle punk band "Chinas Comidas" and "The Accident" from Bellevue. They're among dozens of notable punks in this book that spans the country during a wild time in musical history.

NPR Music critic Ann Powers recommended "Hit Girls":

"Every artistic movement has its legends, but in punk many of the best were unknown, underground and, most of all, local. And the most overlooked involve women. This book, designed to be as vivid and personal-feeling as a classic photcopied punk zine, is both a travelogue and a compendium of the women-led bands that burned up the clubs in punk’s forming days, not only in New York and Los Angeles, but in vibrant scenes from South Palm Beach to Milwaukee to San Francisco. Mixing mini-bios with interviews, essays and raggedly cool visuals, Hit Girls shows how unhinged female energy gave punk life."

"Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence" by Paul Scharre

This year's "Books We Love" includes several that seek to make sense of the evolution of AI and what it means for the future — a conversation that is unfolding right in our own backyard at companies like Microsoft.

Paul Scharre takes the conversation from plagiarism in college essays to the global stage. As an autonomous weapons expert, Scharre dissects the race to develop and implement game-changing technology at all levels of society.

NPR's acting Chief Content Officer, Senior Vice President and Editor in Chief Edith Chapin had this to say about "Four Battlegrounds":

"What are the implications of the use of artificial intelligence in democratic and authoritarian states? Paul Scharre’s clear primer on AI addresses the race to lead AI in determining the rules of the next century. He raises the possibility that AI in war accelerates past human control, undermining democracy and freedom. He urges democratic nations to shape the future of AI, arguing that the U.S. has struggled to develop an identifiable strategy for AI, unlike China, which views it as a key to national success."

"Pay As You Go" by Eskor David Johnson

This witty novel may not take place in Seattle — it's set it the fictional city of Polis — but its themes feel a little too familiar for anyone who has glanced at the local housing market lately.

The young protagonist Slide dreams of the finer things in city life and begins his search for the perfect apartment. Hilarity ensues even as Eskor David Johnson delves into the reality of housing for some in cities dealing with a lack of affordable housing. At one point, Slide ends up in a disaster-relief tent.

This line from the publisher, McSweeney's, captures the general vibe: "Slide begins to realize that he's going to have to scratch and claw just to claim a place for himself in this world — let alone a place with in-unit laundry."

Award-winning author Tochi Onyebuchi wrote this recommendation for "Pay As You Go":

"Though I’ve read many funny books, I’ve read few that made me laugh out loud and fewer still that have had me guffawing so hard I had to put the book down. Eskor David Johnson’s Pay As You Go is a veritable ab workout of a book. I can’t remember the last time I cheered as rowdily as I have for Slide, our aspirant barber with a past. Relatable to anyone who has endured city life, his surreal and uproarious picaresque is a love letter to cities and all who have lived in them."

This selection of "Books We Love" barely scratches the surface of what's waiting for readers in the PNW. NPR's picks cover everything from the intersection of climate change and motherhood to the fictional story of a young man who inherits his uncle's supervillain business and so much more.