In Life And Fiction, Edward St. Aubyn Sheds The Weight Of His Past
The writer is best known for his semi-autobiographical novels about an Englishman from a posh but monstrous family. St. Aubyn's new book marks a departure.
Books
A 'New York Times' Shake-Up, But Not The One You're Thinking Of
The New York Times made news this week when it announced Jill Abramson's departure. For a deeper understanding of the paper's history, author Kevin Roose recommends Hard News by Seth Mnookin.
Mark Twain's Famous Outcasts Float Through Three Centuries
Huck Finn and his friend Jim float down the Mississippi through the Jim Crow South and Hurricane Katrina in a new book called The Boy in His Winter. NPR's Scott Simon talks with author Norman Lock.
'Wynne's War,' A Modern Take On The Classic 'Mideastern'
Wynne's War is part western, part war novel. NPR's Scott Simon talks with author Aaron Gwyn about the book that follows a U.S. Special Forces unit on horseback through Afghanistan.
In Mona Simpson's 'Casebook,' A Holden Caulfield For Our Time
The teenage protagonist in Simpson's novel spies on his parents and learns their secrets. It's a haunting cross between Harriet the Spy and The Catcher in the Rye.
Greenwald On NSA Leaks: 'We've Erred On The Side Of Excess Caution'
Journalist Glenn Greenwald says he and his team weighed the public's interest against the potential harm to innocent people when deciding how many of Edward Snowden's leaked documents to make public.
'Good Doctor' Puts Past Medical Practices Under An Ethical Microscope
In a new book, bioethicist and internist Barron Lerner recalls how he came to question some of his father's medical practices — practices that were common among many doctors of that generation.
For Geithner, Financial Crisis Was Like Landing A Burning Plane
Former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner received mixed reviews of his performance during the financial crisis. In his new book, he says he did what was required to "keep the lights on."
In A Changing Climate, Science Fiction Starts To Feel Real
In response to The White House's new report on climate change, author Lev Grossman has some recommended reading. It's a novel called The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi.
For Artistic Criminal, Breaking Rules Is Key To 'Creativity'
Performer Philippe Petit, who walked between the World Trade Center towers in 1974, says the difference between the average criminal and an artistic one is that the former takes and the latter gives.