Books

A student works on a laptop on a college quad.

Books
Arts

Amid Rising College Costs, A Defense Of The Liberal Arts

9:18am August 04, 2014

by NPR Staff

Wesleyan University President Michael Roth, author of the new book Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters, says that the debate over the value of a college education is hardly new.

Queue Listen Now

Sounds Intriguing: The World's Most Interesting Noises

8:53am August 01, 2014

by NPR Staff

As an acoustic engineer, Trevor Cox has spent most of his career getting rid of bizarre, unwanted sounds. But in The Sound Book, Cox turns up the volume on those sonic oddities. The book explores weird echoes and unexpected noises from around the globe — including "whisper galleries" and a chirping pyramid.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Fiction Explores The Push And Pull Of Arab-Israeli Identity

12:27pm July 30, 2014

by Molly Antopol

Sayed Kashua is an Arab who writes novels in Hebrew and a sitcom in Arabic. A contradiction? Maybe. But his newest book is a good look at an often-overlooked segment of the Israeli population.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

'Ride Around Shining' Reimagines Gatsby's Nouveau-Riche Excess

3:54pm July 29, 2014

by Maureen Corrigan

Chris Leslie-Hynan's debut novel follows a white grad student who's a chauffeur to a black basketball player. It references The Great Gatsby often with fresh takes on race, manhood and meritocracy.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

In 'Blue Eyed Boy,' Author Reveals Long Recovery From Facial Burns

2:02pm July 29, 2014

Robert Timberg, who was disfigured by a land mine as a Marine in Vietnam, went on to become a successful journalist. His new memoir Blue Eyed Boy charts his struggle to recover from his wounds.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

'Panic In A Suitcase' Puts A Fresh Spin On A Coming-To-America Story

10:17am July 28, 2014

by Maureen Corrigan

Yelena Akhtiorskaya's debut novel is about a family that emigrates from Odessa to the Russian enclave of Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, N.Y. It's a funny tale full of insider knowledge and offbeat words.

Queue Listen Now

Tiphanie Yanique is also the author of the short story collection How To Escape From A Leper Colony and a picture book called I Am the Virgin Islands.

Books
Arts

'Love And Drowning' In The U.S. Virgin Islands

6:52pm July 27, 2014

by NPR Staff

In the Land of Love and Drowning, the islands are a magical setting for three generations of one family living through the modern history of the territory as it passes from Danish to American hands.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

'Back Channel' Turns Up White House Intrigue

1:32pm July 26, 2014

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Stephen L. Carter about his new novel, Back Channel. It's a political thriller set during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Book Review: 'Angels Make Their Hope Here'

8:17pm July 22, 2014

by Alan Cheuse

Alan Cheuse reviews Angels Make Their Hope Here, by Breena Clarke.

Queue Listen Now

The Fantastic Laboratory of Dr. Weigl cover

Books
Arts

How Scientists Created A Typhus Vaccine In A 'Fantastic Laboratory'

5:23pm July 22, 2014

Arthur Allen's new book, The Fantastic Laboratory of Dr. Weigl, describes how a WWII scientist in Poland smuggled the typhus vaccine to Jews — while his team made a weakened version for the Nazis.

Queue Listen Now