Books

Books

In the 100th year of 'The Velveteen Rabbit,' readers ask what it means to be real

11:28am April 23, 2022

On the 100th anniversary of 'The Velveteen Rabbit,' we look at the book's influence on writers and filmmakers, and the timeless question at the heart of the story: What does it mean to be real?

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Books

In the new novel 'Search,' a church searches for a new minister

10:41am April 23, 2022

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Michelle Huneven about her new novel, "Search," and the characters, recipes, and humor involved in a Unitarian Universalist church's search for a new minister.

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For classical pianist Jeremy Denk, life is like a series of music lessons

2:34pm April 22, 2022

by Terry Gross

Denk talks about what he learned from his teachers, and his failures, frustrations and pivotal moments as an artist. His new memoir is Every Good Boy Does Fine. Originally broadcast March 21, 2022.

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This Earth Day, one book presents global warming and climate justice as inseparable

9:31am April 22, 2022

by Barbara King

It's still an open question to what degree our planet will remain habitable in the coming years. Elizabeth Cripps offers an urgent message in What Climate Justice Means and Why We Should Care.

Fairport Convention band cofounder Richard Thompson looks back on his life in music

1:22pm April 20, 2022

by Terry Gross

The British singer/guitarist talks about his formative years, and about pioneering a new musical genre that blended rock with traditional music of the British isles. Thompson's new memoir is Beeswing.

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A former Israeli prime minister went to jail — where he wrote a memoir

4:38pm April 19, 2022

NPR's Daniel Estrin speaks with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert about his book, "Searching for Peace: A Memoir of Israel." He's said he's innocent, but went to prison for corruption charges.

Books

Louisa Lim's 'Indelible City' examines the U.K.'s handover of Hong Kong to China

7:27am April 19, 2022

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with former NPR Beijing correspondent Louisa Lim about her new book: Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong.

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A visitor reads a book at a book fair during a Publishers Forum in Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. A regional council in western Ukraine had passed a motion to ban all Russian-language books, films and songs in the region.

Russian invasion upends young, flourishing Ukrainian publishing industry

5:00am April 19, 2022

by Jim Zarroli

After the Crimea invasion, a backlash against Russian books filled with propaganda led to the growth of Ukraine's own book industry. But Russia's latest attacks and Covid have created major obstacles.

In a new sci-fi book, musician Janelle Monáe expands on themes from her Grammy-nominated album Dirty Computer to tell stories about a community of individuals whose identities are being erased.

Janelle Monáe's 'Dirty Computer' comes alive in a new collection of stories

2:10pm April 17, 2022

by Ayesha Rascoe

The artist builds on the Afrofuturistic world from her 2018 album in a new short story collection titled The Memory Librarian. She tells NPR about her nightmare that inspired the project.

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Books

Women face disproportionate attacks online. One expert shares some of the details

4:54pm April 16, 2022

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with disinformation researcher Nina Jankowicz about her new book, How to Be a Woman Online: Surviving Abuse and Harassment, and How to Fight Back.