Books

Books
Arts

Swallowed By The Times And The Fate Of 'Great Powers'

12:41pm June 07, 2014

Tom Rachman has written a book for book lovers in The Rise and Fall of Great Powers. The best-selling novelist talks with NPR's Scott Simon about the difference between reading and literature.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

In Leap From Page To Stage, UK's Take On 'Catch-22' Gets It Right

7:58pm June 05, 2014

by Ari Shapiro

Catch-22 is widely considered a great novel; until now, it has been a disaster as a play. A new production of his play seems to have broken the curse: It's touring the UK and receiving strong reviews.

Queue Listen Now

Brothers rides down the front stretch before the 88th Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on May 18, 2012, in Baltimore.

For Jockey Donna Barton Brothers, Horse Racing Runs In The Family

3:35pm June 05, 2014

At the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, former jockey Donna Barton Brothers will interview the winner on horseback. Now an analyst for NBC, Brothers won more than 1,100 races before retiring in 1998.

Queue Listen Now

'Burning Down The House' Makes The Case Against Juvenile Incarceration

4:57pm June 04, 2014

by NPR Staff

In her new book, Nell Bernstein says America's juvenile justice system is overdue for reform. Time in jail as a child or teen, she says, is the best predictor of adult criminality and incarceration.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Amazon's Pricing Dispute Sets Book Expo Buzzing

12:02pm June 03, 2014

by Lynn Neary

The dispute between retail giant Amazon and publisher Hachette was big news at Book Expo America. Writers, publishers and agents are wondering what the rift could mean for the future of books.

Queue Listen Now

Books

Authors Angered Over Amazon's Dispute With Publisher Hachette

9:37am June 02, 2014

by Mandalit del Barco

Amazon wants better terms for print and e-books and is refusing pre-orders for upcoming Hachette books, and slowing delivery for those already ordered. Authors are complaining on the Internet.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Laura Bridgeman, A Pioneer 50 Years Before Helen Keller

11:38am May 31, 2014

What Is Visible imagines the life of Laura Bridgman, the first blind and deaf person to learn language, years before the more famous Helen Keller. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with author Kimberly Elkins.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Working Out With Hefty Proustian Epics

11:38am May 31, 2014

It's time to get in shape for the summer reading season. NPR's Scott Simon talks to writer Sally Franson to hear how readers can do a pre-beach workout while sitting still.

Queue Listen Now

Ralph Ellison in 1957, four years after his novel Invisible Man won the National Book Award. Ellison died in 1994.

Books
Arts

Ralph Ellison: No Longer The 'Invisible Man' 100 Years After His Birth

7:07pm May 30, 2014

by Tom Vitale

Ellison's exploration of race and identity won the National Book Award in 1953 and has been called one of the best novels of the 20th century.

Queue Listen Now

Angelou began her career as a dancer and writer. She was part of the Caribbean Calypso Festival in 1957.

Books
Arts

Maya Angelou, Poet, Activist And Singular Storyteller, Dies At 86

9:11pm May 28, 2014

by Lynn Neary

Angelou refused to speak for much of her childhood and revealed the scars of her past in her groundbreaking memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She opened doors for black and female writers.

Queue Listen Now