Books

Books
Arts

Eco-idealism and staggering wealth meet in 'Birnam Wood'

1:32pm March 14, 2023

by John Powers

Eleanor Catton's novel centers on young members of an radical environmental rights group who wind up entangled with a billionaire drone manufacturer. Our critic devoured all 400+ pages in two days.

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Books
Arts

Margaret Atwood's 'Old Babes in the Wood' tackles what it means to be human

7:11am March 14, 2023

by Gabino Iglesias

Margaret Atwood's first collection of short stories in almost a decade is a dazzling mixture of tales showcasing her imagination and humor — and exploring everything from love to the afterlife.

Books

'What Looks Like Bravery' explains how achievement can't protect us from grief

5:11am March 14, 2023

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with Laurel Braitman about her memoir, What Looks Like Bravery: An Epic Journey Through Loss to Love.

Beautiful white cat, breed Siberian Neva Masquerade in a plastic collar

A veterinarian says pets have a lot to teach us about love and grief

4:53pm March 13, 2023

by Dave Davies

Karen Fine says "I feel like I learn from my patients all the time. ... They really have skills and senses that we don't." Her new memoir is The Other Family Doctor.

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Japanese Nobel Prize winning author Kenzaburo Oe poses in March 2012 during the inauguration of the 32nd Paris Book Fair, which focused on Japanese writers.

Japan's Kenzaburo Oe, a Nobel-winning author of poetic fiction, dies at 88

8:46am March 13, 2023

by The Associated Press

Oe's works, including The Catch and A Personal Matter, were built from his childhood memories during Japan's postwar occupation and from being the parent of a disabled son.

Books
Arts

'Love at Six Thousand Degrees' is a refreshing inversion of the trauma narrative

8:15am March 13, 2023

by Leland Cheuk

Maki Kashimada's work is a fascinating exploration of the sources of our own cruelty and our level of individual agency when healing from trauma.

On a book tour, DeSantis teases his platform and a possible 2024 run

5:14pm March 12, 2023

NPR's Michel Martin talks to Ana Ceballos, a reporter for the Miami Herald who has been following Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on his book tour and his possible bid for the presidency.

Books

Nguyen Phan Que Mai on her novel 'Dust Child'

8:08am March 11, 2023

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon asks Nguyen Phan Que Mai about her novel, "Dust Child," and the intertwined lives of Vietnamese women and U.S. servicemen, and their Amerasian children.

Dina Nayeri has spent years studying the stories of vulnerable people.

Who gets believed? Dina Nayeri examines society's personal relationship with truth

6:09pm March 10, 2023

by Manuela López Restrepo

In a new book, the author and former refugee explores her own relationship with being believed — and believing others.

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Some of the challenges in Netflix's Physical: 100 are literally Sisyphean.

Books
Arts

What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend reading, listening and viewing

5:00pm March 10, 2023

Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Atsuko Okatsuka's The Intruder, Netflix's Physical: 100, the Wingspan board game and more.