Books

Artificial intelligence brain by particle form.

In 'Dopamine Nation,' Overabundance Keeps Us Craving More

2:34pm August 25, 2021

by Terry Gross

Psychiatrist Anna Lembke's new book explores the brain's connection between pleasure and pain. It also helps explain addictions — not just to drugs and alcohol, but also to food, sex and smartphones.

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Think You Know Where The Stories In 'Skinship' Are Going? Think Again

12:16pm August 25, 2021

by Maureen Corrigan

The eight short stories in Yoon Choi's extraordinary collection splinter out in unexpected ways, shifting focus from a single life to decades of complex family history.

'Seeing Ghosts' Navigates The Melancholia Of Loss — Of People, Places And Identities

6:16am August 25, 2021

by Kristen Martin

While this book would not exist without Kat Chow's grief — while Chow would not be the person she is now without that grief — her project here aims for more than just mapping her primal anguish.

Author Explores Her Family's Displacement In 'Names For Light: A Family History'

4:34pm August 24, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint, the author of Names For Light: A Family History, an impressionistic story that traces her ancestors and her own journey.

Journalist: Eddie Gallagher Case Reveals A 'War For The Soul Of The Navy SEALs'

2:02pm August 24, 2021

by Dave Davies

Gallagher was court martialed for shooting at civilians from a sniper's post and murdering a defenseless captive in Iraq. New York Times correspondent David Philipps chronicles the case in Alpha.

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More Voices, Higher Stakes Make For A Sequel That's Bigger, Badder And Better

11:34am August 24, 2021

by Jessica P. Wick

Linden A. Lewis's stylish queer space opera series levels up with The Second Rebel, which picks up with our initial protagonists Hiro, Lito and the First Sister, and adds a few new voices too.

Real Estate: A Living Autobiography, by Deborah Levy

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Arts

'Real Estate' ls An Elegant Exploration Of The Concept Of — And Desire For — Home

7:54am August 24, 2021

by Lily Meyer

The third installment of British writer Deborah Levy's excellent Living Autobiography is largely a book about the collisions of fantasies and real life — or perhaps a synthesis of the two.

Books

'The Love Songs Of W.E.B. Du Bois,' Is Poet Jeffers First Novel

6:55am August 24, 2021

NPR's Noel King talks to author Honoree Fanonne Jeffers about her new novel which explores centuries of racism and multigenerational loss. It's called: The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois."

James Loewen "could clearly illustrate a problem of injustice, often historical but tied to the present, and motivate the reader or listener to want to take action to solve that problem," one of his peers writes.

James Loewen, Author Of 'Lies My Teacher Told Me,' Dies At 79

6:04pm August 23, 2021

by Ashish Valentine

The sociologist and anti-racist activist died on Thursday. His work focused on dispelling myths about racial progress in American history and using education as a tool to further racial justice.

Sainte Rose de Lima Catholic Church in Maniche, Haiti, severely damaged in the recent earthquake.

Haiti Deserves Careful Attention. An Author Recommends 4 Books To Help

9:12am August 23, 2021

by Myriam J.A. Chancy

As an earthquake and then a storm wreak havoc in Haiti — ten years after the devastating Port-au-Prince quake, Haitian writer Myriam J.A. Chancey reflects on why the nation has been so vulnerable.