Books

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We Picked Our Favorite Sci-Fi And Fantasy Books 10 Years Ago. Here Are Some We Missed

10:54pm August 19, 2021

by Petra Mayer

Way back in 2011, we polled our readers about their favorite science fiction and fantasy books and made a list of their 100 favorites. There were some notable omissions. It's time to fix that.

Books

How Ross Gay Finds Joy In The Smallest of 'Delights'

3:15pm August 19, 2021

by Christina Cala

On the Code Switch podcast, Ross Gay reflects on his 2019 collection The Book of Delights, the difficulty of allowing yourself to be moved, and why he thinks it's important to use the word "love."

Afghan-born American novelist Khaled Hosseini, photographed in Rome in 2008.

With The Taliban In Power, Best-Selling Author Worries For The Afghan People

11:10am August 19, 2021

by A Martínez

NPR's A Martínez talks to Afghan American novelist Khaled Hosseini about his reflections on Afghanistan, which has been shattered by decades of war, tribal feuds and corruption.

Names for Light: A Family History, by Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint

Immigration And Prejudice, Colonialism And Inheritance At Heart Of 'Names For Light'

7:02am August 19, 2021

by Martha Anne Toll

Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint's second book reads like poetry, an embodied experience of exquisite reflections on family and rootedness and deracination and sorrow and love.

Silent Winds, Dry Seas, by Vinod Busjeet

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This Surprising Debut Takes Readers To A Crossroads Of Empires And Cultures

7:00am August 19, 2021

by Jenny Bhatt

Vinod Busjeet, like his main character, is descended from the Indian workers brought to Mauritius by French and English colonizers. His debut, Silent Winds, Dry Seas, reflects that critical history.

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We Asked, You Answered: Your 50 Favorite Sci-Fi And Fantasy Books Of The Past Decade

6:03pm August 18, 2021

by Petra Mayer

Earlier in the summer, we asked you to vote for your favorite science fiction and fantasy reads of the past decade — so here are 50 fabulous reads, curated by our expert judges and you, the readers.

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Arts

This Book Introduces You To The People Doing Your 'Dirty Work'

4:23pm August 18, 2021

by Dave Davies

Author Eyal Press calls them "jobs of last resort" — slaughtering animals, working in prisons, engaging in remote drone combat. Society needs them but doesn't want to talk about them.

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Laura Lippman's 'Dream Girl' Is The Latest Thriller To Center On Stolen Stories

12:38pm August 18, 2021

by Maureen Corrigan

Many of this year's mystery and suspense novels explore literary appropriation — characters in positions of privilege laying their sticky mitts on stories that don't belong to them.

Tennis Legend Billie Jean King Puts It 'All In' Her New Autobiography

1:37pm August 17, 2021

by Dave Davies

The book covers King's Grand Slam and Wimbledon championships, the "Battle of the Sexes," her activism for women's and LGBTQ rights, as well as some joyous and painful chapters in her personal life.

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Against White Feminism: Notes on Disruption, Rafia Zakaria

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'Against White Feminism' Is An Urgent Call To Action For Solidarity And Justice

1:14pm August 17, 2021

by Jenny Bhatt

Although personal anecdotes are included throughout, Rafia Zakaria's aim is not to explore her own pain but to retrace the history of how white feminism has caused unending trauma through centuries.