Books

Journalist Connor Towne O’Neill’s “Down Along With That Devil’s Bones” tells the story of the afterlife of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest by exploring the battles raging over monuments to him in four places: Selma, Ala.; and the Tennessee cities of Murfreesboro, Nashville and Memphis.

Pastry chef (and St. Louis native) Claire Saffitz joined St. Louis on the Air to discuss her new book, “Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence.” She also discussed how growing up in St. Louis shaped her palate, why she decided to leave the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen and how her book can make you a better baker.

Belleville native Ken Kwapis' new book, “But What I Really Want to Do Is Direct: Lessons From a Life Behind the Camera,” provides plenty of useful advice to would-be directors. It also details the lessons he learned as a movie lover growing up in suburban St. Louis.

H.W. Brands’ new book “The Zealot and the Emancipator: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln and the Struggle for American Freedom” puts the two men’s lives in context. He discussed it on "St. Louis on the Air."

Tom Zoellner’s new book, “The National Road: Dispatches From a Changing America," offers a journey into the uneasy soul of the nation: what unites us, what divides us, and what lies in the middle between the gleaming cities of the coasts. He discussed it on "St. Louis on the Air."

Angie Schmitt’s new book, “Right of Way: Race, Class and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths,” examines why more American pedestrians are dying, who makes up these deaths and what simple yet concrete things we could do to save people like them. She discusses her book on St. Louis on the Air, and we hear from a victim's sister and a local transportation policy planner, too.

Patrick Murphy’s new book, “Candy Men: The Story of Switzer’s Licorice," tells the story of a homegrown candy company, which his great-grandfather co-founded in 1881 St. Louis. Murphy discussed the book on Monday’s St. Louis on the Air.

“Sister of the Chosen One” combines the magical boarding school of the Harry Potter series with the complex sister dynamics of “10 Things I Hate About You.” Authors Erin Armknecht and Colleen Oakes discussed their work on "St. Louis on the Air."

“Black in the Middle: An Anthology of the Black Midwest" explores what it's like to be Black in cities and towns far from the coasts. Editor Terrion Williamson of the University of Minnesota discussed it on "St. Louis on the Air," along with St. Louis-based contributor Lyndsey Ellis.

D.B. Dowd launches an illustrated, 26-letter take-down of the president.