Mystery Series' Portly P.I. Peels Back The Layers Of Delhi Society
Tarquin Hall's mystery novels, starring the Punjabi detective Vish Puri, are a merry introduction to India's cultural and culinary delights.
Books
Hardcore With A Heart: Joburg Thrillers Star A Spunky P.I.
Jassy Mackenzie's crime novels, set in Johannesburg, star the not-always-law-abiding private investigator Jade de Jong. Mackenzie says that de Jong and "Joburg" are well-matched.
'Fresh Air' Remembers Poet And Memoirist Maya Angelou
In 1986, Angelou spoke to Terry Gross about Southern influences in her writing, her love of autobiography and how, as a traumatized young girl, poetry inspired her to start speaking again.
China Turns To Africa For Resources, Jobs And Future Customers
In China's Second Continent, Howard French explores the Chinese presence in 15 African countries. The relationship goes beyond economics: more than a million Chinese citizens have migrated to Africa.
A Look At India's New Leader, Through The Lens Of Literature
Narendra Modi is a Hindu nationalist and political outsider who won India's election in a landslide. To understand India's political history, author Akash Kapur recommends a book by V.S. Naipaul.
'Third Plate' Reimagines Farm-To-Table Eating To Nourish The Land
Renee Montagne talks to Dan Barber about his new book The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food. Barber advocates eating a wider variety of foods that better support the land.
A Second Posthumous Collection From Rock Critic Ellen Willis
The Essential Ellen Willis focuses on the writer's explicitly feminist culture criticism. It was edited by Willis' daughter, who published an earlier collection of her mother's essays in 2011.
40 Years After Watergate, A Look Back At Nixon's Downfall
Political journalist Elizabeth Drew chronicled the events of 1974 in her recently reissued Washington Journal. She tells NPR's Robert Siegel that she sees "a certain nobility" in Nixon's resilience.
How The Koch Brothers Remade America's Political Landscape
Charles and David Koch have spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to bring their libertarian views into the mainstream. In a new book, Daniel Schulman looks at the roots of their ideology.
'Chameleon' Has Cabaret, Spies And A Plot Fit For Lifetime
Francine Prose's latest novel was inspired by a 1932 photo of two lesbians, one of whom was in the Gestapo. Critic Maureen Corrigan says it's an ingenious excursion into the Parisian demimonde.