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.