Books

P.J. O'Rourke in 2007 in Los Angeles, California.

Books
Arts

Satirist P.J. O'Rourke, panelist on NPR's 'Wait...Wait Don't Tell Me,' dies at 74

5:25pm February 15, 2022

by Elizabeth Blair

O'Rourke authored more than 20 books, including Parliament of Whores and Give War a Chance, both of which reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.

Books
Arts

Arthur Brooks on cracking the code to happiness in the second half of life

3:54pm February 15, 2022

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with writer Arthur Brooks about his new book about happiness, From Strength to Strength.

Follow the perilous course of Afghan refugees with this firsthand account

1:32pm February 15, 2022

by Dave Davies

Journalist Matthieu Aikins shed his own identity and traveled with his Afghan interpreter along smugglers' routes to reach Europe and escape the Taliban. His book is The Naked Don't Fear the Water.

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Moon Witch, Spider King, by Marlon James

Books
Arts

'Moon Witch, Spider King' is a rare sequel that is better than its predecessor

9:52am February 15, 2022

by Alex Brown

Black Leopard, Red Wolf, the first book in Marlon James' Dark Star Trilogy, systematically dismantles the known foundations of epic fantasy. This sequel once again shatters expectations.

Black American Refugee, Tiffanie Drayton

Books
Arts

A damaging love affair with the U.S. ends in heartbreak in 'Black American Refugee'

9:00am February 15, 2022

by Ericka Taylor

Tiffanie Drayton tells the story of coming to the U.S. as an immigrant child and discovering that no level of accomplishment would enable her to shake the burden of Blackness in this nation.

NPR's Culture Desk suggests movies, books and songs for Valentine's Day.

For Valentine's Day, a few of our favorite love stories to read, watch and hear

11:47am February 14, 2022

by Miranda Mazariegos

Valentine's Day reminds us we can relearn and redefine what it means to love and be loved. So, we offer some books, songs, and movies about passion, devotion, and relationships to take on the journey.

Books

Funny person Georgia Pritchett writes about her life and her anxiety

6:36am February 14, 2022

NPR's Rachel Martin speaks to humorist Georgia Pritchett about her memoir: My Mess Is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety.

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Books

Marlon James talks new novel 'Moon Witch, Spider King'

5:07pm February 13, 2022

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with bestselling author Marlon James about his latest novel, Moon Witch, Spider King.

Books

Estranged siblings learn the secrets and truth of their late mother in 'Black Cake'

9:25am February 13, 2022

by Kelsey Snell

In the new novel "Black Cake," an elderly mother makes a recording for her children. After her death, they learn her carefully kept secrets. Kelsey Snell talks with author Charmaine Wilkerson.

Health workers share information about tuberculosis with residents of aslum neighborhoods in New Delhi. India has the greatest number of TB cases in the world.

Before COVID, TB was the world's worst pathogen. It's still a 'monster' killer

7:01am February 13, 2022

by Susan Brink

It was under control. And then it wasn't. In her new book Phantom Plague: How Tuberculosis Shaped History, VIdya Krishnan shows how "we repeat the same disease-spreading mistakes over and over."