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Arts

2 novels to cure your winter blahs: Ephron's 'Heartburn' and 'Pineapple Street'

2:00pm March 16, 2023

by Maureen Corrigan

When it came out in 1983, Nora Ephron's comic novel became an instant bestseller. Now newly released, Heartburn pairs well with Jenny Jackson's smart comedy of manners, Pineapple Street.

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Arts

'Heart Sutra' is a satire that skewers religious institutions without mocking faith

7:21am March 16, 2023

by Lily Meyer

Chinese novelist Yan Lianke treats the deities of China's major religions as quiet, omnipresent participants in the novel's events, which range from slapstick comedy to shocking violence.

Books

Why customer service ratings are getting worse

4:09pm March 15, 2023

NPR's Juana Summers speaks with former customer service executive Amas Tenumah, author of Waiting for Service, on recent surveys showing Americans' dissatisfaction at record highs.

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Arts

'We Were Once a Family' exposes ills of U.S. child welfare system

3:41pm March 15, 2023

by Marcela Davison Avilés

Journalist Roxanna Asgarian's tenacious and vulnerable reporting reveals the foundation of the intensely disturbing Hart family story — a broken child welfare system in the U.S.

This safety-net hospital doctor treats mostly uninsured and undocumented patients

1:43pm March 15, 2023

by Terry Gross

Many of Ricardo Nuila's patients at Houston's Ben Taub Hospital are dealing with serious illnesses as a result of not being able to access basic preventive care. His new book is The People's Hospital.

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Arts

3 new fantasy novels spin inventive narratives from old folklore

8:33am March 15, 2023

by Caitlyn Paxson

Daughters and sisters are at the heart some new fantasy novels where supernatural bargains and shapeshifting transformations are just the beginning of stories that ultimately explore family dynamics.

Books

'Rough Sleepers': How one person can make a difference caring for the unhoused

5:11am March 15, 2023

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks to author Tracy Kidder about his new book, Rough Sleepers, which profiles Dr. Jim O'Connell, who runs an organization called Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

We are approaching the brave new world of neurotech.

Neurotech could connect our brains to computers. What could go wrong, right?

5:50pm March 14, 2023

by Manuela López Restrepo

Connecting our brains to computers may sound like something from a science fiction movie, but it turns out the future is already here. One expert argues it's a slippery slope.

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Books

Paris Hilton was at the center of it all. Now she's delving into her pre-fame life

4:12pm March 14, 2023

NPR's Juana Summers talks to early 2000s socialite and "it girl" Paris Hilton about her new book, Paris: The Memoir.

Books

This law and philosophy professor warns neurotechnology is also a danger to privacy

4:12pm March 14, 2023

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Nita Farahany about her new book The Battle For Your Brain, which looks at the promise and perils of neurotechnology — tech that connects the human brain and computers.