Bookmarks: Authors on Their Life-Changing Encounters With Books

If you could ask Margaret Atwood one question, what would it be? We came up with a good one. In fact, we asked Atwood, Tommy Orange, Lidia Yuknavitch, Jericho Brown and many more writers and creators the same question – “What book have you read that you’d consider personally life-changing, and why?” Their answers are the subject of “Bookmarks,” a new podcast from Wisconsin Public Radio and the producers of “To The Best Of Our Knowledge.”

“Great writers are great readers. And boy do they have stories to tell. Not just about the books they write, but about the books they read,” said Charles Monroe-Kane, senior producer of “To The Best Of Our Knowledge” and “Bookmarks.” “We’ve been asking authors for years to tell a story about that one book that left a mark. And oh my God, they’re so good. Funny, sexy, surprising, poignant. So now, we’re sharing them with listeners in this special bite-sized podcast. The lineup is incredible: Alice Walker, Phillip Pullman, Anne Lamott, Orhan Pamuk, even Werner Herzog. In the end, maybe the book that marked one of these authors just might leave a mark on you. It’s about three minutes every week of awesome.”

About "To The Best Of Our Knowledge" (TTBOOK)

TTBOOK is a nationally syndicated, Peabody award-winning radio show where long-form interviews lead us to dive headlong into the deeper end of ideas. We have conversations with novelists and poets, scientists and software engineers, journalists and historians, filmmakers and philosophers, artists and activists—anyone with a big idea and a passion to have a creative and engaging conversation about it.

About Wisconsin Public Radio 

For over 100 years, Wisconsin Public Radio has served the people of Wisconsin with quality news, music, talk and entertainment. On air, online and in the community - we work for Wisconsin. WPR is a service of the Educational Communications Board and University of Wisconsin-Madison. Listen, learn more and donate at www.wpr.org. 

Catch up on previous episodes

"The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell

Sarah Lewis bookmarks "The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell.

The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst

Poet Billy Collins bookmarks "The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst."

"Objects and Empathy" by Arthur Saltzman.

Novelist Richard Powers bookmarks "Objects and Empathy" by Arthur Saltzman.

Season of Migration to the North

Hanan Al-Shaykh bookmarks "Season of Migration to the North" by Tayeb Salih.

Dazzle of the Day

Karen Joy Fowler bookmarks "Dazzle of Day" by Molly Gloss.

"The Elephant's Journey" by Julie Schumacher

"Dear Committee Members" author Julie Schumacher recommends Portuguese Nobel Laureate José Saramago's retelling of a true tale.

"Borne" by Jeff VanderMeer
Anna Karenina
Jane Austen, "Persuasion"
The Peregrine by J.A. Baker
"The Earthsea Trilogy" by Ursula LeGuin
The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow
Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex Among Apes by Frans De Waal