Books

Books
Arts

2022 was a big year for dance books: Here are 5 to check out

6:00am December 24, 2022

by Sophie Bress

These books shed light on some of dance's most iconic figures and provide a glimpse into the state of ballet culture today — and the direction it's heading next year and for years to come.

David Sedaris recounts tales from his time as a department store elf in Santaland Diaries.

Arts
Books

David Sedaris reads from 'Santaland Diaries,' a Christmastime classic

1:12pm December 23, 2022

Sedaris' darkly funny account of his stint as a Macy's department store Christmas elf named Crumpet has been a hallmark of the Morning Edition airwaves for 30 holiday seasons.

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Nikki Grimes, the winner of the ALA Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, has written more than 100 children's books.

Books
Arts

2022 was a good year for Nikki Grimes, who just published her 103rd book

5:00am December 23, 2022

by Neda Ulaby

The winner of the ALA Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement has written more than 100 children's books. Her latest, about the pandemic, is called Garvey in the Dark.

These are the favorite books of some of our favorite authors.

Books
Arts

Our favorite authors share their favorite books

5:00am December 23, 2022

by Manuela López Restrepo

Rax King, Elin Hilderbrand, and Steph Cha divulge their favorite reads and how they've impacted their own creative process.

Books

Writer Rax King on her favorite book, 'Dancing Queen' by Lisa Carver

4:05pm December 22, 2022

NPR's Juana Summers talks with writer Rax King about one of her favorite books, "Dancing Queen" by Lisa Carver.

Books

Writer on how his book set in 1940s Los Angeles parallels today's illiberal democracy

4:05pm December 22, 2022

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with writer Antony Marra about his book, "Mercury Pictures Presents."

Author Susan Kuklin wrote Beyond Magenta, which is on the American Library Association's lists of most banned books.

Author Susan Kuklin: These teens wanted to let other kids know 'they are not alone'

2:33pm December 21, 2022

by Susan Kuklin

When Beyond Magenta hit shelves in 2014, little had been written or said publicly about transgender and nonbinary teens. The book received positive reviews. By 2015, it was being challenged.

Banned Books: Author Susan Kuklin on telling stories that inform understanding

11:01am December 21, 2022

Susan Kuklin published the award-winning Beyond Magenta in 2014. The collection of images and interviews with transgender and nonbinary teens and young adults centers their experiences and identities.

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How a Black neighborhood association in Pittsburgh helped shape emergency medicine

1:27pm December 19, 2022

by Dave Davies

American Sirens author Kevin Hazzard tells the story Freedom House, a neighborhood nonprofit that, with the help of a pioneering physician, trained some of the nation's first paramedics.

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Books

NPR staff recommend the fiction books we love

7:56am December 18, 2022

NPR staff recommend four novels from our Books We Love list: "A Merry Little Meet Cute," "The Complicated Calculus (and Cows) of Carl Paulsen," "The Devil Takes You Home," and "Lapvona."