Books

Books
Arts

As Demographics Shift, Kids' Books Stay Stubbornly White

11:14am June 25, 2013

by Elizabeth Blair

Nearly a quarter of all public school kids are Latino, but only 3 percent of kids' books are by or about Latinos. There's a similar dearth of Native American, black and Asian characters. Why? One editor says librarians, with their high demand for multicultural books, don't drive best-seller lists.

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In his new memoir, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson describes his life in music — and how he mimicked beats at just 10 months old.

Questlove's Roots: A 'Meta' Memoir Of A Lifetime In Music

4:55pm June 24, 2013

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, the co-founder of and drummer for the hip-hop band The Roots, has been a musician since he was a teen. In Mo' Meta Blues, he explains how his musician father groomed him for a life in show business from an early age.

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Louise Monaghan was previously a senior travel consultant. She's currently a full-time mother.

Books
Arts

A Mother Rescues Her Daughter From War-Torn Syria

6:51pm June 23, 2013

by NPR Staff

When her abusive ex-husband kidnapped their daughter and returned to Syria, Louise Monaghan went after them. The story of how she escaped with her life and her daughter is the subject of her new book, Stolen.

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Arts

Oliver Sacks, Exploring How Hallucinations Happen

2:28pm June 21, 2013

The famed neurologist talks to Fresh Air about how grief, trauma, brain injury, medications and neurological disorders can trigger hallucinations — and about his personal experimentation with hallucinogenic drugs in the 1960s.

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Sarah Dunant is also author of the novels The Birth of Venus and Sacred Hearts.

Books

'Blood & Beauty' Breathes New Life Into The Borgias

12:48pm June 21, 2013

by NPR Staff

In the 1500s, Italy was bursting with some of the most influential and vivid figures in history. In her latest book, Blood & Beauty: The Borgias, novelist Sarah Dunant explores the story of the powerful and notorious family.

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E.O. Wilson's Advice for Future Scientists

11:17am June 21, 2013

In his new book, Letters to a Young Scientist, biologist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward O. Wilson aims to inspire a new generation of scientists. Among his observations and advice: Geniuses don't make the best scientists, and don't worry if you aren't good at math.

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In his new book, The Center Holds, Jonathan Alter looks at President Obama's re-election campaign.

'The Center Holds' Sees Victory For Moderates In Obama's Win

2:50pm June 20, 2013

Journalist Jonathan Alter regards the 2012 presidential contest as the most consequential election of recent times. In his new book, Alter argues that President Obama's re-election prevented the country from veering sharply to the right, and he dissects the campaign and the events that led up to it.

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In The Dark, a boy name Laszlo is visited one night by his biggest fear.

Books

Deadpan Humor And Childhood Fears Collide In 'The Dark'

2:26pm June 20, 2013

by NPR Staff

Are you afraid of the dark? In his latest children's book, The Dark, Daniel Handler — who writes under the pen name Lemony Snicket — takes on darkness itself, with the story of a young boy who confronts his biggest fear.

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The National Security Agency (NSA) headquarters at Fort Meade, Md.

'The Watchers' Have Had Their Eyes On Us For Years

3:07pm June 19, 2013

Shane Harris, an author and journalist who covers intelligence, surveillance and cybersecurity for a number of publications, says that the revelations about the NSA from Edward Snowden are nothing new, and that such programs have a significant recent history in the United States.

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Mary Louise Kelly spent two decades traveling the world as a reporter for NPR and the BBC.

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Arts

Spy Reporter Works Her 'Sources' To Write A Thriller

1:52pm June 18, 2013

by NPR Staff

Mary Louise Kelly used to cover national security for NPR, but lately she's turned her attention to fiction. Her new novel, Anonymous Sources, draws on Kelly's own reporting experiences, including things she couldn't say when she was a journalist.

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