Miranda July's new book asks: Is middle-age a cliff or a mountain peak?
Miranda July's latest novel, "All Fours," explores the transitional period of middle age and menopause through the journey of one unnamed protagonist.
Books
Alice Munro, Nobel Prize-winning short story author, dies at 92
The Canadian writer was known for her masterfully crafted short stories. Throughout her long career, she earned a number of prestigious awards including the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013.
Kathleen Hanna on life as a 'Rebel Girl,' and the joy of expressing anger in public
The Bikini Kill frontwoman pioneered the "riot grrrl" movement in the 1990s. "I thought of myself as a feminist performance artist who was in a punk band," Hanna says.
What are 'the kids' thinking these days? Honor Levy aims to tell in 'My First Book'
Social media discourse and the inevitable backlash aside, the 26-year-old writer's first book is an amusing, if uneven, take on growing up white, privileged, and Gen Z.
'Brotherless Night,' an ambitious novel about Sri Lankan civil war, wins $150K prize
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is a relatively new literary award given to women and nonbinary authors. This year's winner is V.V. Ganeshananthan for her book Brotherless Night.
Claire Messud's sweeping novel borrows from her own 'Strange Eventful History'
Messud draws from her grandfather's handwritten memoir as she tells a cosmopolitan, multigenerational story about a family forced to move from Algeria to Europe to South and North America.
My Octopus Teacher's Craig Foster dives into the ocean again in 'Amphibious Soul'
Nature's healing power is an immensely personal focus for Foster. He made his film after being burned out from long, grinding hours at work. After the release of the film, he suffered from insomnia.
Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko on his memoir about the war
NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko about his memoir of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, "I Will Show You How It Was: The Story of Wartime Kyiv."
A new book traces the life of Fu Pei-mei, who brought Chinese food to the world
Michelle T. King's new book is about a pioneering cook who brought Chinese food to the world, Fu Pei-mei. NPR's Scott Simon talks with King about her and about the book, "Chop Fry Watch Learn."
'Women and Children First' is a tale about how actions and choices affect others
The puzzle of a girl's death propels Alina Grabowski's debut novel but, really, it's less about the mystery and more about how our actions impact each other, especially when we think we lack agency.