Vick Mickunas

3 weeks ago | wyso.org | Vick Mickunas

(original recording made in 2003)Curtis White started out writing fiction then shifted into a non-fictionmode with works of cultural criticism. When I go back and listen toshows I did decades ago they can sound dated. Sometimes I'll decide theyhave no current appeal whatsoever. On the other hand this conversationwith the exception of a few names that were mentioned still soundsfresh, viable, and thought provoking. I really enjoyed this book and ourdiscussion about it.

1 month ago | daytondailynews.com | Vick Mickunas

As this book opens Roman Carruthers is heading from Atlanta to his hometown in Virginia. His father owns a mortuary and he has just been severely injured and is in a coma. Roman, or Rome, is a successful agent for celebrities and he hasn’t been home in a while. His sister Neveah has been running the mortuary with their dad. They have another sibling, Dante, who has essentially checked out. He’s heavily into drugs. This is a story about secrets. Their mother vanished years ago.

1 month ago | wyso.org | Vick Mickunas

Floyd Collins got trapped in a Kentucky cave back in 1925. They spentweeks trying to save him. A reporter went down there and interviewed thepoor guy. This total unknown became the subject of what was a mediastorm back in the day. Of course there was no TV yet, no internet,barely any radio, but lots of newspapers. Floyd Collins was on the frontpages of newspapers all over the country.

1 month ago | wyso.org | Vick Mickunas

Hiroshima was the first Japanese city that was destroyed by an atomicbomb. Not many days later we did it again to Nagasaki. Susan Southard'sin-depth study of the aftermath of the attack on Nagasaki is not an easyread, but it is an important one. The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro LibraryWright Memorial Public LibraryTipp City Public

1 month ago | wyso.org | Vick Mickunas

Tom Crouch knows the Smithsonian Institution inside and out. He workedthere for 45 years. In this magisterial work, Crouch takes us inside thismassive enterprise and shows us how it began and ultimately flourishedunder the direction of several visionary leaders. The tale isconvoluted, impressive, and at times, rather strange. He's toiling awayright now on the second half of this expansive history and hopefully wewill see the second part of it in just a few more years.