In 'A Real Pain,' Jesse Eisenberg asks: What is the purpose of 'tragedy tourism'?
Eisenberg's film follows two cousins on a Jewish heritage tour of Poland, which includes a stop at the Majdanek death camp. The story draws on his own family history — and his struggle with OCD.
Eating Yogurt Is Not Enough: Rebalancing The Ecosystem Of 'The Microbes Within Us'
Ed Yong, author of I Contain Multitudes, says someday we might be able to improve our health by taking probiotics, but "we are still in the very early stages of working out how to do this."
Bossacucanova's 'Best Of' Album Pulses With Lovely, Lively Music
The Brazilian trio, which won a Grammy in 2002, is known for mixing new and classic bossa nova tunes with electronica. Critic Milo Miles says The Best of Bossacucanova has a "captivating flow."
'Hillbilly Elegy' Recalls A Childhood Where Poverty Was 'The Family Tradition'
J.D. Vance grew up in a Rust Belt town in Ohio, in a family from the hills of eastern Kentucky. His new memoir details the social isolation, poverty and addiction that afflict poor white communities.
Earls Of Leicester Mix Bluegrass With Gospel And Honky-Tonk On 'Rattle & Roar'
The band, which began as a tribute to the The Foggy Mountain Boys, won a Grammy for their debut album in 2015. Critic Ken Tucker says the Earls' new record, Rattle & Roar, lives up to its title.
'Roaring Wind' Examines Extreme Weather, And The Power Of Air
Biologist Bill Streever sailed from Texas to Guatemala while doing research for his new book, And Soon I Heard a Roaring Wind. He says the wind was working against him "most of the time."
From Gladiator Duels To Caesar's Last Words: The Myths Of Ancient Rome
Historian Mary Beard says many of our popular notions about the empire are based on culture rather than fact. Her new book is called SPQR. Originally broadcast Nov. 30, 2015.
Robbers And Rangers Collide In 'Hell Or High Water'
Two masked robbers clean out small branches of a Texas bank in David Mackenzie's new neo-Western. Critic David Edelstein calls Hell or High Water a work of "broad scale and deep feeling."
