Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller
Arts:Books
Alexandra Fuller’s new memoir begins with the death of her 21-year-old son, Fi, and chronicles her attempts to grieve well in the searing aftermath of his loss.
Among other things, that meant acknowledging her kinship with others who had gone before her.
In her gorgeous new book, “Fi: A Memoir of My Son,” she writes: “The way a pilot sees wind and clouds, or a sailor reads currents and water, I look unconsciously for stories to remind me where I am, to remind me that, whatever I’m going through, millions have been here before, are here now, will be here again.”
She talks about finding solace in that continuity on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas. As she tells host Kerri Miller: “As I was running to my son’s body … I knew that I would be ‘over the grief’ when I was able to find gratitude for the grief. I knew I would find out the quality of my God, for real. And I knew I had joined the vast throng of women who had raised me on the Southern African continent who had been here before.”
Don’t miss this thoughtful, tender and vulnerable conversation about non-linear grief — grief that is “a braid and a spiral and a knot.”
Guest:
Alexandra Fuller is the author of many books, including “Don’t Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight,” and "Quiet Until the Thaw.” Her new memoir is “Fi: A Memoir of My Son.”
Subscribe to Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS or anywhere you get your podcasts.
Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.
Joanna Quinn on her best-selling novel 'The Whalebone Theatre'
Online disinformation expert Joan Donovan on the power of memes
Formative characters: Three Minnesota authors share their favorites
Jane Smiley on her new novel, 'A Dangerous Business'
Canine psychologist Alexandra Horowitz on her book 'The Year of the Puppy'
From the archives: What can dogs teach us about aging?
Annie Duke on how to get better at quitting
From the archives: John Tierney on the science behind willpower
David Treuer on the republishing of his first novel, 'Little'
From the archives: David Treuer on 'The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee'
Jessie Burton returns to family secrets in Amsterdam with 'The House of Fortune'
From the archives: Jessie Burton paints Dutch Golden Age in 'The Miniaturist'
Talking Volumes: Ross Gay on 'Inciting Joy'
Talking Volumes: Dani Shapiro on 'Signal Fires'
From the archives: Dani Shaprio ponders marriage in 'Hourglass'
Talking Volumes: Celeste Ng on 'Our Missing Hearts'
From the archives: Author Sarah Broom at Talking Volumes 2020
'Should I sacrifice my life to live half American?'
Fresh takes on American history from three authors
The best of Minnesota writers on stage for Talking Volumes
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
74 Seconds
Song of the Day
Prince Remembered
The Story of Mankind
The Federalist Papers
YourClassical Daily Download
Minnesota Today