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
Oct 7
2025 Kirkus Prize with Thérèse Purcell Nielsen
On a special episode of Fully Booked, we’re celebrating the 2025 Kirkus Prize finalists, ahead of our annual awards ceremony on Oct. 8. First, fiction judge Thérèse Purcell Nielsen joins us to discuss the process of selecting six outstanding works of fiction from hundreds of elig ... Show More
48m 34s
Sep 30
Best Books of October 2025 with Kate McKinnon
On our Best October books episode, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. Then Kate McKinnon joins us to discuss Secrets of the Purple Pearl, book two in her #1 New York Times-bestselling middle grade series, “The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladie ... Show More
48m 15s
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
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 nineteent ... Show More
48m 7s
Jul 26
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
Sep 2024
The Trap of the Trad Wife
This summer, scrutiny of the figure of the “trad wife” 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 ... Show More
43m 36s