A family renting a home in remote Long Island are startled by the return of the owners fleeing a black out in New York City. The novel “Leave the World Behind” by Rumaan Alam keeps readers off balance while dealing with family, race and home.

They were recruited, trained and they worked completely in secret. More than 10 thousand young women worked for the US Army and Navy breaking enemy codes during World War 2. On this week’s “All About Books’ guest reviewer Lynn Roper shares a book that reveals the untold history of young women who quietly helped win the war, “Code Girls” by Liza Mundy.

By the 1890s, Wilmington North Carolina was that states largest city and a shining example of a mixed-race community. But white supremacist Democrats plotted to take back the state legislature “by the ballot or bullet or both.” This week on Nebraska Public Media’s “All About Books” a review of the Pulizer Prize winning book "Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy” by David Zucchino

An irritable, old church deacon shoots a drug dealer in broad daylight. This begins the action of the novel, “Deacon King Kong” by James McBride. The story reveals the reasons behind the shooting and the consequences to the 1960's New York neighborhood.

Three Japanese women living in a tiny Tokyo apartments struggle to find peace in their lives as they deal with issues of partners, children and appearance. Hear a review of the novel “Breasts and Eggs” by best-selling Japanese author Mieko Kawakami.

The city-wide reading project, "One Book- One Lincoln" has announced the 3 finalists. On this week's "All About Books" David Smith from the selection committee will introduce one of the 3, "Transcendent Kingdom" by Yaa Gyasi.

He and his family lived by hiding in plain sight, hoping never to be truly seen. In his memoir, “Children of the Land”, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo tells of their survival in a system that treated them like criminals for seeking safe, normal lives.

Brainard, Nebraska native Ross Benes found himself trying to explain to his New York City friends what the people of rural American were really like. His thoughts and experiences bridging rural and urban America led to his new book, “Rural Rebellion: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold.” On this week’s “All About Books” he talks about growing up in Nebraska as it politically moved to the right and why that happened.

An Asian actor stuck generic roles longs to move his career forward. With this character, novelist Charles Yu skewers cultural stereotypes with humor and insight in his novel, “Interior Chinatown”

An Asian actor stuck generic roles longs to move his career forward. With this character, novelist Charles Yu skewers cultural stereotypes with humor and insight in his novel, “Interior Chinatown”