Books

Books

A Fiendish Fly Recalls Kafka In 'Jacob's Folly'

2:30pm March 06, 2013

by Maureen Corrigan

The main character in Rebecca Miller's new novel is a pest with a past, and his gnat-like status offers him one great advantage: Those convex eyes allow him to see fully into the hearts of humans, specifically two other characters whose paths intersect with his.

Queue Listen Now

In Sly Self-Help Novel, Selling Clean Water Gets You 'Filthy Rich'

11:18am March 06, 2013

by NPR Staff

In Mohsin Hamid's fictional how-to, a nameless protagonist makes a fortune selling knockoff bottled water in a thirsty Asian metropolis. Hamid joins NPR's Steve Inkeep to discuss the book's conceit and the side effects of rampant development.

Queue Listen Now

O'Connor served on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006.

Books
Arts

'Out Of Order' At The Court: O'Connor On Being The First Female Justice

4:15pm March 05, 2013

Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, discusses her new book about the history of the court, and why she doesn't like the term "swing vote." O'Connor served for 24 years, retiring in 2006 to care for her ailing husband.

Queue Listen Now

This Dec. 26, 2004, photograph shows a trail of destruction in the southern Sri Lankan town of Lunawa after tidal waves lashed more than half of Sri Lanka's coastline.

Books
Arts

'Wave' Tells A True Story Of Survival And Loss In The 2004 Tsunami

7:56am March 05, 2013

by Lynn Neary

Sonali Deraniyagala lost her husband, two sons and parents to the Indian Ocean tsunami that claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people. Her new memoir recounts the events of that fateful day.

Queue Listen Now

Skipping Out On College And 'Hacking Your Education'

5:18am March 05, 2013

by NPR Staff

Dale Stephens says many students would be better off ditching college and finding alternate ways to complete their educations. His new book, Hacking Your Education, explores that idea. "When you think about education as an investment, you have to think about what the return is going to be," he says.

Queue Listen Now

Jamaica Kincaid, author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, lives in Vermont.

Books
Arts

Time Rules In Jamaica Kincaid's New Novel, 'See Now Then'

8:44pm March 03, 2013

by NPR Staff

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Sweet is anything but sweet. In Jamaica Kincaid's first new novel in 10 years, she traces the unraveling of a marriage. See Now Then follows the joy, pain and destruction that time can wreak on a union.

Queue Listen Now

Mary Robinson was Ireland's first female president. A former United Nations High Commissioner and activist lawyer, she has advocated for human rights around the world.

For Ireland's First Female President, 'Everybody Matters'

5:21pm March 02, 2013

by NPR Staff

In her memoir, Mary Robinson speaks of her experience advocating for social causes and her personal convictions after growing up in a deeply Catholic family.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Man Turned Fly Seeks Revenge For Bad Reincarnation

8:01pm March 01, 2013

by NPR Staff

When 18th century Jewish peddler Jacob Cerf reappears in the 21st century, he finds he can read minds and will people to do his bidding — but he's also a common housefly. Rebecca Miller's Jacob's Folly traces Jacob's mission to get back at God.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

The Case For Being Concise: Short Poems That Speak Volumes

3:03pm March 01, 2013

by NPR Staff

Brad Leithauser likes to look for poetry in graveyards. An author and poet himself, there's something he values greatly in tombstone epitaphs: brevity. In a piece for The New Yorker's Page-Turner blog, Leithauser cites tiny works that speak volumes.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Dorothea Lange's 'Migrant Mother' Inspires The Story Of 'Mary Coin'

1:00pm February 28, 2013

by Maureen Corrigan

Marisa Silver's new novel imagines the meeting of a Depression-era photographer and her now-iconic subject. Giving the characters different names but similar stories to their real-life counterparts, Silver tackles big questions about the morality of art.

Queue Listen Now