What a wonderful whirlwind (I won’t say tornado) I experienced in Iowa City over the past few days. I’m so grateful for thought-provoking interviews on Talk of Iowa and The Lit Show, as well as a smart and warm column about Carrier leading the Iowa City Press-Citizen’s Opinion page. After two radio interviews and a talk on campus, I geared up for my reading at Prairie Lights, which was a dream come true for me, since I found my inspiration for Carrier as a student in Iowa City and have long looked forward to the day when I would read from my first book at a bookstore so dear to my heart. It was a wonderful evening and I truly appreciated the warm and engaged audience.

I want to make sure I thank those folks in Iowa City–my colleagues, family, and friends–who welcomed me, shuttled me, fed me, and offered places to rest my head. I felt at home in Iowa City just as I used to.

Enjoy the links, and stay tuned for more, including the Prairie Lights reading. And now, if you’re in the Seattle area, tune your TV to KOMO 4 News at 4 p.m. tomorrow (Monday, Sept. 20) to see me speaking live with anchor Mary Nam about CARRIER.

Spread the word! And thanks for visiting www.bonniejrough.com.

I’m so excited this week to have a feature about Carrier on the fabulous literary culture site The Nervous Breakdown (TNB). The feature includes brand-new book excerpt and a self-interview in which I am both interviewer and subject. (I know it sounds like an exercise in meta-navel-gazing, but I did try to ask myself new questions about the book and what it’s been like to share my story.)

I hope you enjoy the new excerpt, and the comments it’s generating! Thank you for visiting www.bonniejrough.com.

One of my very favorite magazines, Brain, Child: The Magazine for Thinking Mothers, has just come out with their Summer 2010 issue, which includes a strong feature on three recent memoirs of genetic testing and family. CARRIER receives a glowing evaluation by reviewer Stephany Aulenback, alongside two other heart-rending and remarkable books: Saving Henry: A Mother’s Journey; and The Match: “Savior Siblings” and One Family’s Battle to Heal Their Daughter.

“In this elegantly crafted, highly literary memoir,” Aulenback writes, “Rough … highlights the fact that, since the introduction of genetic testing, people are faced with choices no one in history has ever had to make before.”

If you’ve never taken a look at Brain, Child before, I highly recommend this powerful little magazine. And of course, if you check it out this summer, you’ll find Aulenback’s complete Carrier review in your hands. Beach reading, anyone? (Along with Carrier, of course.) Happy summer, all, and thanks for stopping by www.bonniejrough.com!

Great news today!  Carrier  has received a STARRED review from Publishers Weekly! Here’s a snippet: ”What is so amazing about Rough’s struggle with her DNA destiny is not just the impossibly tough choices she faces in planning her own future, but the raw courage she exhibits in dealing with the choices made by the generations before her. … This is a story that will resonate for anyone who grew up in a family with a relative suffering from a chronic illness or addiction.”

To read the full review, click here. Thank you for visiting www.bonniejrough.com!

Great news! Carrier: Untangling the Danger in My DNA is listed in The Seattle Times today as a bestselling title at Square One Books, the much-loved West Seattle independent bookseller. Thanks, Square One, and thanks especially to you, readers!