Chris La Tray discusses Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home (Milkweed Editions, Aug. 20), a standout memoir that tells the story of embracing his identity as a member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Kirkus: “A brilliant contribution to the canon of Native American literature” (starred review). Then our editors share their ... Show More
Nov 18
Best Nonfiction Books of 2025 with Jen Hatmaker
<p>We’re continuing our Best Books of 2025 coverage with a special episode dedicated to nonfiction. First, Jen Hatmaker joins us to discuss <em>Awake: A Memoir</em> (Avid Reader Press, Sept. 23), one of Kirkus’ Best Nonfiction Books of the year. ... Show More
48m 14s
Nov 11
Best Fiction Books of 2025 with Lily King
<p>We’re kicking off our Best Books of 2025 coverage with a special episode dedicated to fiction. First, Lily King joins us to discuss <em>Heart the Lover </em>(Grove, September 30), one of Kirkus’ Best Fiction Books of the year. Then fiction editor Lauri ... Show More
46m 55s
Jun 2025
Alan Michelson Talks Dinosaurs, Murderous US Presidents, and Platinum-Gilded Native “Knowledge Keepers”
As a child, Alan Michelson often rode the T past sculptor Cyrus Edward Dallin’s “Appeal to the Great Spirit” (1908) outside the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). He was riveted by the statue’s grand horse and the powerful yet melancholy figure wearing a striking Plains Indian wa ... Show More
52m 19s
Nov 4
Julian Brave Noisecat’s 'We Survived the Night' is part memoir, part Native history
As a newborn, Ed Archie NoiseCat was found in an incinerator at a Catholic-run Indian boarding school. In a new book We Survived the Night, his son, Julian Brave NoiseCat, writes about this trauma in the broader context of Native history in the United States and Canada. The book ... Show More
8m 27s
Jan 2019
Farina King, "The Earth Memory Compass: Diné Landscapes and Education in the Twentieth Century" (UP of Kansas, 2018)
When the young Diné boy Hopi-Hopi ran away from the Santa Fe Indian Boarding School in the early years of the twentieth century, he carried with him no paper map to guide his way home. Rather, he used knowledge of the region, of the stars, and of the Southwest’s ecology instilled ... Show More
1h 4m
Feb 2024
William L. Bird, "In the Arms of Saguaros: Iconography of the Giant Cactus" (U Arizona Press, 2023)
An essential—and monumental—member of the Sonoran Desert ecosystem, the saguaro cactus has become the quintessential icon of the American West.
In the Arms of Saguaros: Iconography of the Giant Cactus (U Arizona Press, 2023) shows how, from the botanical explorers of the nineteen ... Show More
48m 7s
Jul 2025
Best Of: Actor Leslie Uggams / Martha's Vineyard's Indigenous Past & Present
Actor and singer Leslie Uggams talks about her remarkable career, which started when she was 6. She was later the first Black woman to host a TV variety show. In the 1977 TV miniseries Roots, she played Kunta Kinte's daughter. More recently she's been in Empire, American Fiction, ... Show More
48m 13s
Oct 9
How the Trad Wife Took Over
<p>Scrutiny of the figure of the “trad wife” has hit a fever pitch. These influencers’ accounts feature kempt, feminine women embracing hyper-traditional roles in marriage and home-making—and, in doing so, garnering millions of followers. On this episode of Critics at Large, Vins ... Show More
41m 20s