What’s the best new book you read this year?
In a year full of uncertainty, stress and sadness, books provided many people an important escape. For others, so many hours at home offered the perfect time to dig into nonfiction writing about the issues our country faces today. Many sought out books that examine and critique racism, for example.
On Monday’s
St. Louis on the Air, listeners called in to share their favorite books released in 2020. That included “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson, “A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II” by Sonia Purnell and “She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs” by Sarah Smarsh. One listener also cited “A Universe Less Traveled” by Eric Von Schrader, a former St. Louis resident interviewed by Sarah Fenske in September.
one. tax cut, supreme court, the rollback of regulations, do those trump victories resonate in rural america or is trump s strength really the culture war? you know, i always hesitate to speak for an entire group. and i count myself as a political progressive, but i am from rural america and i understand aspects of the culture. i think that what trump really taps into is a sense of isolation from power. the irony, of course, being that he was born into the height of privilege. but he does leverage that message to at least validate and recognize people s sense of disenfranchisement and distance from the power centers of this country. so i think that that plays into these culture wars that you re discussing more so than the specific victories as far as the supreme court and stuff. sarah smarsh, good to have
reporter: ultimately, for tennessee voters in today s polarized political climate, how they vote may hinge on what matters more, a chance for moderation or party loyalty. martin savidge, cnn, knoxville, tennessee. as tuesday s midterm election approaches quickly now, trump s closing argument to his rural white base has increasingly been about identity politics. from rallies in west virginia to indiana to missouri to montana, trump has played up race with a simple warning. bad hispanic people are heading their way and must be stopped. i want to discuss this with the author of heartland: a daughter of the working class reconciles a divide. sarah, you dig deep into the demographic that helped put trump into the white house. what is it about his closing