Steve Bertrand on Books

Steve Bertrand on Books: Hannah Thurman

Hannah Thurman’s smash debut novel is set in Raleigh, North Carolina, mostly at an under-pressure mental institution. At the center of Mercy Hill is a family of four daughters, their dad, and the mom who is the force fighting to save the hospital. The family grows up in the shadow of the institution, much in the way Steve grew up in the shadow of the Manteno State Mental Hospital. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8398157/Hannah_Thurman_2026-05-20-010257.64kmono.mp3 [https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8398157/Hannah_Thurman_2026-05-20-010257.64kmono.mp3] RECENT POSTS STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-hannah-thurman/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: HANNAH THURMAN [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-hannah-thurman/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-charlie-schutt/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: CHARLIE SCHUTT [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-charlie-schutt/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-rachel-khong/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: RACHEL KHONG [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-rachel-khong/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-james-h-mccommons/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: JAMES H. MCCOMMONS [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-james-h-mccommons/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-clay-cane/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: CLAY CANE [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-clay-cane/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} Click for More [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/]

Steve Bertrand on Books: Charlie Schutt

Charles Schutt is a former Chicago priest who left the Church after 17 years and then successfully moved to the world of corporate recruiting. And he wants you to know why. He’s got a new book out called “A True Story of a Catholic Priest: Why I Got In, Why I Got Out, and What I Learned Through It All.” https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8373090/Charlie_Schutt_2026-05-11-191130.64kmono.mp3 [https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8373090/Charlie_Schutt_2026-05-11-191130.64kmono.mp3] RECENT POSTS STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-hannah-thurman/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: HANNAH THURMAN [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-hannah-thurman/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-charlie-schutt/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: CHARLIE SCHUTT [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-charlie-schutt/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-rachel-khong/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: RACHEL KHONG [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-rachel-khong/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-james-h-mccommons/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: JAMES H. MCCOMMONS [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-james-h-mccommons/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-clay-cane/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: CLAY CANE [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-clay-cane/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} Click for More [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/]

Steve Bertrand on Books: Rachel Khong

Maybe it’s in our 30s that the rubber finally meets the road and it’s time to confront life, maybe accept the fact that you can’t be anything you want to be after all. In a way, that’s a way to read Rachel Khong’s short story collection. It’s called “My Dear You.” Rachel says each short story is like a song. Well, this collection sings. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8358927/Rachel_Khong_2026-05-05-163627.64kmono.mp3 [https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8358927/Rachel_Khong_2026-05-05-163627.64kmono.mp3] RECENT POSTS STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-hannah-thurman/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: HANNAH THURMAN [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-hannah-thurman/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-charlie-schutt/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: CHARLIE SCHUTT [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-charlie-schutt/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-rachel-khong/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: RACHEL KHONG [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-rachel-khong/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-james-h-mccommons/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: JAMES H. MCCOMMONS [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-james-h-mccommons/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-clay-cane/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: CLAY CANE [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-clay-cane/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} Click for More [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/]

Steve Bertrand on Books: James H. McCommons

Sometimes a small story can help to paint a much bigger picture. That’s the case with The Feather Wars by James H. McCommons. Actually, his is not a small story at all, it’s a remarkable accounting of America’s assault on birds around the Gilded Age. McCommons writes about flocks of birds more than a hundred miles long: birds, the passenger pigeon in this case, that were hunted into extinction. Through McCommon’s stories, we learn more about the Gilded Age overall…and that, you might say, is a feather in his cap, though, in this case, that is not a good thing. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8342872/James_H_McCommons_2026-04-28-190512.64kmono.mp3 [https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8342872/James_H_McCommons_2026-04-28-190512.64kmono.mp3] RECENT POSTS STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-hannah-thurman/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: HANNAH THURMAN [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-hannah-thurman/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-charlie-schutt/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: CHARLIE SCHUTT [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-charlie-schutt/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-rachel-khong/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: RACHEL KHONG [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-rachel-khong/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-james-h-mccommons/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: JAMES H. MCCOMMONS [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-james-h-mccommons/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-clay-cane/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: CLAY CANE [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-clay-cane/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} Click for More [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/]

Steve Bertrand on Books: Clay Cane

Clay Cane has written a pretty remarkable book in a personal, novel way. Burn Down Master’s House is a fictional account of a variety moments of resistance by several separate slaves in the days before the civil war. He fictionalizes the stories into one strand that stands as its own narrative. As a descendant of slaves, he also uses the names of some of his ancestors. But there’s more here than 19th century men and woman freeing themselves of their changes. Burn Down Master’s House is calling on us all to unchain ourselves as well. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8300127/Clay_Cane_2026-04-20-191027.64kmono.mp3 [https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8300127/Clay_Cane_2026-04-20-191027.64kmono.mp3] RECENT POSTS STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-hannah-thurman/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: HANNAH THURMAN [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-hannah-thurman/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-charlie-schutt/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: CHARLIE SCHUTT [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-charlie-schutt/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-rachel-khong/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: RACHEL KHONG [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-rachel-khong/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-james-h-mccommons/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: JAMES H. MCCOMMONS [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-james-h-mccommons/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-clay-cane/ STEVE BERTRAND ON BOOKS: CLAY CANE [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/steve-bertrand-on-books-clay-cane/] .cls-7{fill:#fff;fill-rule:evenodd} Click for More [https://wgnradio.com/steve-bertrand-on-books/]