This week on The Write Question, host Lauren Korn speaks with co-owner of Hamilton’s Chapter One Bookstore, Marisa Neyenhuis—about her parents’ pledge parties and about the books she’s loving and recommending this year—for a live pledge week episode.
About Chapter One Bookstore:
Chapter One Bookstore has been a literary and community resource for Bitterroot Valley residents and visitors since 1974. Owned by Mara, Marisa, and Katrina, the bookstore offers a place for customers to explore new and used books, learn about local events, and chat about the daily happenings in the Bitterroot Valley and around the world. The mission at Chapter One is to provide a space for all to explore their passions, discover new ones, and share them with others. Located in the heart of Hamilton at Main and 3rd.
Marisa Neyenhuis recommends:
Upward Bound by Woody Brown (forthcoming March 2026; Hogarth)
The White Hot by Quiara Alegría Hudes (forthcoming November 2025; One World, Penguin Random House); Lauren thought Marisa’s description of this book sounded like Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (Back Bay Books); Wild by Cheryl Strayed (Vintage Books); and All Fours by Miranda July (Riverhead Books)
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (Alfred A. Knopf), Marisa’s book of the year!
Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzer (Penguin Random House)
Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth by Ingrid Robeyns (Astra House)
Also mentioned in this episode:
The Crazies: The Cattleman, the Wind Prospector, and a War Out West by Amy Gamerman (Simon & Schuster); list to Part One and Part Two of Lauren’s conversation with Amy!
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (Crown Publishing); listen to Part One of Lauren’s two-part conversation with Chris!
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (Limited Edition; Red Tower Books)
Beartown by Fredrik Backman (Atria Books), a selection for Chapter One’s Banned Book Club
Saving the Big Sky: A Chronicle of Land Conservation in Montana by Bruce Bugbee, Robert Kiesling, and John Wright (Oregon State University Press)
Winning the Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress by Lorissa Rinehart; listen to an excerpt of Lauren’s conversation with Lorissa here.
We Survived the Night by Julian Brave NoiseCat (Alfred A. Knopf); look out for Lauren’s conversation with Julian forthcoming on MTPR.
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The Write Question’s 2025-2026 season is supported by a co-op of four independent bookstores, encouraging a lifetime of learning through storytelling and conversation: Chapter One Bookstore in Hamilton, Montana; Montana Book Co. in Helena, Montana; Fact & Fiction Books in Missoula, Montana; and Bookworks of Whitefish.
Additional funding for The Write Question comes from members of Montana Public Radio; and from the Greater Montana Foundation—encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans.
The Write Question logo and brand (2022) was designed by Molly Russell. You can see more of her work at iamthemollruss.com and on Instagram @iamthemollruss.
The Write Question is a production of Montana Public Radio.
