Reader's Corner

By Bob Kustra

What's Reader's Corner about?

Welcome to Reader's Corner, a weekly radio show hosted by Boise State University president emeritus Bob Kustra that features lively conversations with some of the nation's leading authors about issues and ideas that matter today.

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Reader's Corner episodes:

04.13.2024
"Camera Man" By Dana Stevens
An interview with Dana Stevens, author of Camera Man: Buster Keaton, The Dawn of Cinema and the Invention of the Twentieth Century. In the book, Stevens places acclaimed filmmaker Buster Keaton’s unique creative genius in the context of his time.
04.06.2024
"Tyranny of the Minority" By Steven Levitsky (Part II)
An interview with Steven Levitsky, co-author of Tyranny of the Minority. The book offers important context for our volatile times and a framework for how to protect our democracy from an authoritarian backlash.
03.30.2024
"Tyranny of the Minority" By Steven Levitsky (Part I)
An interview with Steven Levitsky, co-author of Tyranny of the Minority. The book offers important context for our volatile times and a framework for how to protect our democracy from an authoritarian backlash.
03.23.2024
"The Violin Conspiracy" By Brendan Slocumb
An interview with Brendan Slocumb, author of the novel, The Violin Conspiracy. Part literary thriller and part mystery, the book is a gripping coming-of-age story about the love of music and a young man’s resilience.
03.16.2024
"The Big Fail" By Joe Nocera
An interview with Joe Nocera, co-author of The Big Fail. Co-written by Bethany MacLean, the book offers new answers for why and how America become the world leader in COVID deaths.
03.08.2024
"White House Wild Child" By Shelley Fraser Mickle
An interview with Shelley Fraser Mickle, author of the new book, White House Wild Child. The book is a fascinating biography of outspoken first-daughter Alice Roosevelt, sometimes dubbed the Jackie O of the early 20th century.
03.02.2024
"How Ike Led" By Susan Eisenhower
Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode first aired in January 2021.
02.24.2024
"Plunder" By Brendan Ballou
An interview with Brendan Ballou, author of the new book, Plunder. The book offers a powerful expose on the private equity industry – what it is, how it harms businesses and jobs, how the government helps, and how it can...
02.17.2024
"Navalny: Putin's Nemesis, Russia's Future?" By Morvan Lallouet, Ben Noble, And Jan Matti Dollbaum
An interview with Morvan Lallouet, co-author of Navalny: Putin’s Nemesis, Russia’s Future? The book offers a close look at Alexei Navalny, from his pioneering anti-corruption investigations to his leadership of a political movement.
02.10.2024
"The Identity Trap" By Yascha Mounk
An interview with Yascha Mounk, author of the new book, The Identity Trap. The book provides a comprehensive account of the origins, consequences, and limitations of so-called “wokeness.”
02.03.2024
"Flying Blind" By Peter Robison (Part II)
An interview with Peter Robison, author of Flying Blind: The 737 Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing. The book explores how an industry titan became consumed with the bottom line, leading to a tragedy that endangered countless lives. Note: This...
01.20.2024
"Moscow X" By David McCloskey
An interview with David McCloskey author of the new thriller, Moscow X. The book centers on a daring CIA operation, which targets Putin’s private banker.
01.13.2024
"Techlash" By Tom Wheeler
An interview with Tom Wheeler, former FCC chairman and author of the new book, Techlash. With the experiences of the late 19th century’s industrial Gilded Age as a backdrop, Wheeler makes the case for a new vision of digital governance.
01.06.2024
"The Exponential Age" By Azeem Azhar
An interview with Azeem Azhar, author of The Exponential Age: How Accelerating Technology is Transforming Business, Politics, and Society. The book explores the widening gap between rapidly-expanding technology and our ability to deal with its effects.
12.30.2023
"Mansfield And Dirksen" By Marc C. Johnson
An interview with Marc C. Johnson, author of Mansfield and Dirksen: Bipartisan Giants of the Senate. The book highlights two Senate leaders whose commitment to bipartisanship lead to the passage of groundbreaking legislation, even in tumultuous times.
12.23.2023
"The Lumumba Plot" By Stuart A. Reid (Part II)
An interview with Stuart A. Reid, author of The Lumumba Plot. The book is a thrilling Cold War account of the U.S.-sanctioned plot to assassinate the democratically elected leader of the newly independent Congo.
12.16.2023
"The Lumumba Plot" By Stuart A. Reid (Part I)
An interview with Stuart A. Reid, author of The Lumumba Plot. The book is a thrilling Cold War account of the U.S.-sanctioned plot to assassinate the democratically elected leader of the newly independent Congo.
12.02.2023
"The Age of Insurrection" By David Neiwert
An interview with David Neiwert, author of The Age of Insurrection. In the book, Neiwert charts the rise of the far right’s threats against American democracy.
11.25.2023
"Passport Stamps" By Sean D. Carberry
An interview with Sean D. Carberry, author of the new book, Passport Stamps: Searching the World for a War to Call Home. The book is a darkly comic and emotionally-fraught tale of a former NPR journalist who seeks solace in...
11.11.2023
"The Secret Gate" By Mitchell Zuckoff
An interview with Mitchell Zuckoff, author of The Secret Gate: A True Story of Courage and Sacrifice During the Collapse of Afghanistan. The book covers the true story of an incredible rescue in the frenzied final hours of the U.S....
11.04.2023
"How Antitrust Failed Workers" By Eric A. Posner
An interview with Eric A. Posner, author of How Antitrust Law Failed Workers. The book is a powerful examination of the causes of inequality and wage stagnation in America.
10.21.2023
"Pushed Out" By Ryanne Pilgeram (Part I)
Note: This is part I of a two-part interview, which originally aired in March 2022. An interview with Ryanne Pilgeram, author of Pushed Out: Contested Development and Rural Gentrification in the US West. In the book, a small town weighs...
10.14.2023
"A Forest Journey" By John Perlin
An interview with John Perlin, author of A Forest Journey. Now with a brand new edition, Perlin's book offers a contemporary view of the effects of wood, as used for building and fuel, and of deforestation on the development of...
10.07.2023
"Remarkably Bright Creatures" By Shelby Van Pelt
An interview with Shelby Van Pelt, author of the novel Remarkably Bright Creatures. The book is an exploration of friendship and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.
09.30.2023
"Futureproof" By Kevin Roose
An interview with Kevin Roose, author of Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation. The book shares the secrets of people and organizations that have survived technological change, and explains how we can protect our own futures.
09.23.2023
"The Last Honest Man" By James Risen
An interview with James Risen, author of The Last Honest Man. The book examines the fight for democracy by Senator Frank Church, a man at the epicenter of numerous investigations into the abuses of power within American government.
09.16.2023
"The Elephant Of Belfast" By S. Kirk Walsh
An interview with S. Kirk Walsh author of the bestselling novel, The Elephant of Belfast. Inspire by true events, the book is a moving account of a young zookeeper and the elephant she's compelled to protect during the German blitz...
09.02.2023
"America Second" By Isaac Stone Fish
An interview with Isaac Stone Fish, author of America Second. The book is an exposé of America’s political and business ties to China, often with profound and hidden costs to U.S. interests.with Isaac Stone Fish, author of America Second. The...
08.26.2023
"The Digital Republic" By Jamie Susskind
An interview with Jamie Susskind, author of The Digital Republic. The book is a definitive guide to the great political question of our time: how can freedom and democracy survive in a world of powerful digital technologies?
08.05.2023
"Red London" By Alma Katsu
An interview with Alma Katsu, author of the new thriller, Red London. The book is a race-against-the-clock story, told by a writer with 35 years of expertise in national security.
07.22.2023
"The Lincoln Miracle" By Edward Achorn
An interview with Edward Achorn, author of The Lincoln Miracle: Inside the Republican Convention That Changed History. In the book, Achorn offers a behind-the-scenes look at Abraham Lincoln’s history-changing nomination to lead the Republican Party in the 1860 presidential election.
07.15.2023
"The Rise Of Digital Repression" By Steven Feldstein
An interview with Steven Feldstein, author of The Rise of Digital Repression: How Technology is Reshaping Power, Politics, and Resistance. The book offers a compelling record of how anti-democratic leaders harness powerful technology to advance their political objectives.
07.08.2023
"Master Slave Husband Wife" By Ilyon Woo
An interview with Ilyon Woo, author of Master Slave Husband Wife. The book tells the remarkable true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery with Ellen passing as a wealthy, disabled White man and William posing as “his”...
07.01.2023
"How Beautiful We Were" By Imbolo Mbue
Imbolo Mbue's novel, How Beautiful We Were, follows a fearless young woman from a small African village as she starts a revolution against an American oil company.
06.24.2023
"Dust Child" By Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
An interview with Nguyen Phan Que Mai, author of the new novel, Dust Child. The book is a saga about two Vietnamese sisters and two American men, whose lives intersect in surprising ways, set during and after the war in...
06.10.2023
"The Triumph Of Doubt" By David Michaels
An interview with David Michaels, author of The Triumph of Doubt. In the book, Michaels details how corrupt science becomes public policy, through the aid of dark money, and where it's happening today.
06.03.2023
"Call Me Elizabeth Lark" By Melissa Colasanti
An interview with Melissa Colasanti, author of the new novel, Call Me Elizabeth Lark. A psychological thriller, the book follows the mysterious reappearance of a woman’s daughter after 20 years.
05.27.2023
"Justice For Animals" By Martha C. Nussbaum
An interview with Martha C. Nussbaum, author of Justice for Animals. The book offers a revolutionary new theory and call to action on animal rights, ethics, and law.
05.20.2023
"Mother Daughter Traitor Spy" By Susan Elia MacNeal
An interview with Susan Elia MacNeal, author of the novel, Mother Daughter Traitor Spy. The book is inspired by a real-life mother and daughter, who go undercover after stumbling upon a Nazi cell in Los Angeles during the early days...
05.13.2023
"Uncounted" By Gilda R. Daniels
An interview with Gilda R. Daniels, author of Uncounted: The Crisis of Voter Suppression in America. The book warns about a premeditated strategy of restrictive laws and deceptive practices that is eroding the very basis of American democracy.
05.06.2023
"Evolution Gone Wrong" By Alex Bezzerides
An interview with Alex Bezzerides, author of Evolution Gone Wrong. The book is a fresh and funny examination of the curious ways human beings have beaten the odds as a species.
04.29.2023
"When McKinsey Comes To Town" By Walt Bogdanich
An interview with Walt Bogdanich, co-author of the new book, When McKinsey Comes to Town. The book offers a portrait of a company whose work has often made the world more unequal, more corrupt, and more dangerous.
04.15.2023
"The Petroleum Papers" By Geoff Dembicki
An interview with Geoff Dembicki, author of The Petroleum Papers. The book provides a step-by-step account of how we reached this precipice of climate disaster, and the politicians and companies who helped get us here.
04.08.2023
"American Schism" By Seth David Radwell
An interview with Seth David Radwell, author of American Schism. The book is an enlightened exploration of our history to unite a deeply-divided America.
04.01.2023
"Kill Switch" By Adam Jentleson
Note: This is an encore edition of Reader's Corner. The episode originally aired in July 2021.In his book, Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy, Senate insider Adam Jentleson contends that far from...
03.25.2023
"Preparing For War" By Bradley Onishi (Part II)
Note: This is the second half of a two-part interview. An interview with Bradley Onishi, author of Preparing for War. The book is an engrossing account of the years-long campaign of White Christian nationalism that led to the insurrection of...
03.19.2023
"Preparing For War" By Bradley Onishi (Part I)
Note: This is the first of a two-part interview. An interview with Bradley Onishi, author of Preparing for War. The book is an engrossing account of the years-long campaign of White Christian nationalism that led to the insurrection of January...
03.11.2023
"The Globalization Myth" By Shannon K. O'Neil
An interview with Shannon K. O’Neil, author of The Globalization Myth: Why Regions Matter. The book offers a case for why regionalization, not globalization, has been the biggest economic trend of the past forty years.
03.04.2023
"The World Turned Upside Down" By Clyde Prestowitz
The World Turned Upside Down: America, China, and the Struggle for Global Leadership, by Clyde Prestowitz, identifies the challenges China’s growing power poses and how it must be confronted.
02.25.2023
"Afterlives" By Abdulrazak Gurnah
Bob Kustra interviews Abdulrazak Gurnah, Nobel Prize winner and author of the novel, Afterlives. The book is a multi-generational saga of displacement, love and loss, set against the brutal colonization of east Africa.

What's Reader's Corner about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Reader's Corner episodes:

"Camera Man" By Dana Stevens

"Tyranny of the Minority" By Steven Levitsky (Part II)

"Tyranny of the Minority" By Steven Levitsky (Part I)

"The Violin Conspiracy" By Brendan Slocumb

"The Big Fail" By Joe Nocera

"White House Wild Child" By Shelley Fraser Mickle

"How Ike Led" By Susan Eisenhower

"Plunder" By Brendan Ballou

"Navalny: Putin's Nemesis, Russia's Future?" By Morvan Lallouet, Ben Noble, And Jan Matti Dollbaum

"The Identity Trap" By Yascha Mounk

"Flying Blind" By Peter Robison (Part II)

"Moscow X" By David McCloskey

"Techlash" By Tom Wheeler

"The Exponential Age" By Azeem Azhar

"Mansfield And Dirksen" By Marc C. Johnson

"The Lumumba Plot" By Stuart A. Reid (Part II)

"The Lumumba Plot" By Stuart A. Reid (Part I)

"The Age of Insurrection" By David Neiwert

"Passport Stamps" By Sean D. Carberry

"The Secret Gate" By Mitchell Zuckoff

"How Antitrust Failed Workers" By Eric A. Posner

"Pushed Out" By Ryanne Pilgeram (Part I)

"A Forest Journey" By John Perlin

"Remarkably Bright Creatures" By Shelby Van Pelt

"Futureproof" By Kevin Roose

"The Last Honest Man" By James Risen

"The Elephant Of Belfast" By S. Kirk Walsh

"America Second" By Isaac Stone Fish

"The Digital Republic" By Jamie Susskind

"Red London" By Alma Katsu

"The Lincoln Miracle" By Edward Achorn

"The Rise Of Digital Repression" By Steven Feldstein

"Master Slave Husband Wife" By Ilyon Woo

"How Beautiful We Were" By Imbolo Mbue

"Dust Child" By Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

"The Triumph Of Doubt" By David Michaels

"Call Me Elizabeth Lark" By Melissa Colasanti

"Justice For Animals" By Martha C. Nussbaum

"Mother Daughter Traitor Spy" By Susan Elia MacNeal

"Uncounted" By Gilda R. Daniels

"Evolution Gone Wrong" By Alex Bezzerides

"When McKinsey Comes To Town" By Walt Bogdanich

"The Petroleum Papers" By Geoff Dembicki

"American Schism" By Seth David Radwell

"Kill Switch" By Adam Jentleson

"Preparing For War" By Bradley Onishi (Part II)

"Preparing For War" By Bradley Onishi (Part I)

"The Globalization Myth" By Shannon K. O'Neil

"The World Turned Upside Down" By Clyde Prestowitz

"Afterlives" By Abdulrazak Gurnah