Arts

Books
Arts

'Textbook' Tries To Extend Kid-Lit Playfulness To Adult Reading

10:00am August 09, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

Amy Krouse Rosenthal's latest requires a high tolerance for whimsy; billed as "not exactly a memoir," it's a kind of noisy activity book for adults that's more Mad Libs than Speak, Memory.

Green eggs and ham is a dish at once familiar to many and yet mysterious — no one can say for sure what this meal would translate to as real, edible food. Mar'sel, a Los Angeles county restaurant inside the ocean-side resort Terranea, crafted a green eg

You Can Eat It Here And There: Green Eggs And Ham Are Everywhere (On Menus)

9:58am August 09, 2016

by Tove Danovich

The Dr. Seuss book that made the dish famous turns 56 this month. But what does this meal taste like in real life? Chefs across the U.S. are tackling the question.

Books
Arts

'Underground Railroad' Traces The Terrible Wounds Of Slavery

7:00am August 09, 2016

by Michael Schaub

The Underground Railroad is a literal train running underground in Colson Whitehead's new novel, which follows escaped slave Cora. It's both brilliant fiction and searing historical document.

'Brazillionaires' Tracks An Economic Collapse Through The Eyes Of The Rich

6:21pm August 08, 2016

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with author Alex Cuadros about his book, Brazillionaires: Wealth, Power, Decadence, and Hope in an American Country.

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Veteran Authors Look To Reclaim The Story Of War

4:37pm August 08, 2016

by Quil Lawrence

A new generation of veteran novelists are trying to navigate the pressure to be spokesmen for all veterans while simply trying to write good literature.

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Colson Whitehead is also the author of the novel Zone One, and the memoir The Noble Hustle.

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Arts

Colson Whitehead's 'Underground Railroad' Is A Literal Train To Freedom

3:03pm August 08, 2016

As a child, Whitehead was surprised to learn that escaped slaves did not ride an actual subway. His new novel follows Cora, a young slave who has escaped a Georgia plantation and is heading north.

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Books
Arts

Novel Explores The Fierce And Frenzied World Of Competitive Gymnastics

3:02pm August 08, 2016

by Maureen Corrigan

Megan Abbott's new book takes readers deep into the intense, vacuum-sealed universe of young female gymnasts and their parents. Critic Maureen Corrigan says You Will Know Me is worthy of a gold medal.

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Actor Keegan-Michael Key attends a premiere at Paramount Studios on May 10 in Hollywood.

Arts

Not My Job: Keegan-Michael Key Of 'Key & Peele' Gets Quizzed On Peels

12:53pm August 08, 2016

The actor and comedian performed with the improv troupe Second City before he gained fame on MAD TV and partnered with Jordan Peele for Key & Peele. He's now starring in the film Don't Think Twice.

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Director Moustapha Akkad (left) with actress Irene Papas during the filming of The Message. The film depicts the life of the Prophet Muhammad.

40 Years On, A Controversial Film On Islam's Origins Is Now A Classic

6:04pm August 07, 2016

by R. H. Greene

The Message, released in 1976 and starring Anthony Quinn, was made with difficulty and condemned by hardliners. One of the challenges: its main character, the Prophet Muhammad, could not be pictured.

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Books
Arts

'Imperial Wife' Trains Its Spotlight On Powerful Women, Past And Present

9:14am August 07, 2016

by NPR Staff

Irina Reyn's new novel focuses on two women in difficult marriages. Though they're centuries apart, both relationships are tied to the strong woman's struggle to fulfill gender expectations.