Books

I Named My Dog Pushkin (And Other Immigrant Tales): Notes From a Soviet Girl on Becoming an American Woman, by Margarita Gokum Silver

A Russian Immigrant To The U.S. Humorously Recounts Her Experience, Love For America

6:01am August 01, 2021

by Martha Anne Toll

It's a particular pleasure to see our splintered country through the eyes of Margarita Gokun Silver, a determined and appreciative emigree, in 'I Named My Dog Pushkin.'

Books
Arts

In 'Goldenrod,' A Poet Finds Lessons In The Good, The Bad And The Unexpected

5:00am August 01, 2021

by Jeevika Verma

Maggie Smith's new poetry collection considers the human tendency to search for universal truths — but she looks for those truths in things we can see every day, as ordinary as rosebushes and rocks.

Books

In 'Agatha Of Little Neon,' Four Young Nuns Go To Help Others, And Find Themselves

1:44pm July 31, 2021

Scott Simon speaks with Claire Luchette about their debut novel, "Agatha of Little Neon." It's the story of four young nuns who are reassigned to a half-way house in Rhode Island.

Books

'Being Clem' Is The Final Book In Lesa Cline-Ransome's 'Finding Langston' Trilogy

1:43pm July 31, 2021

"Being Clem," the final book in the YA "Finding Langston" trilogy, follows a young boy during World War II after his father is killed. Scott Simon talks with author Lesa Cline-Ransome about it.

Books
Arts

Feeling Lost? These 3 Fantasy Novels Will Help You Be The Hero Of Your Own Story

7:00am July 31, 2021

by Alethea Kontis

Sometimes books can be a literal escape, not just a figurative one. Our critic Alethea Kontis recommends three fantasy novels that helped her along the way as she escaped an abusive relationship.

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Arts

Monsters And Magic Run In The Family In These 2 YA Novels

5:00am July 31, 2021

by Caitlyn Paxson

Six Crimson Cranes and The River Has Teeth — two new July YA novels — both focus on monstrous mothers and folkloric family magic. But apart from that, they couldn't be more different.

Helen Hoang, author of The Kiss Quotient.

Author Helen Hoang Talks Sex, Autism And Freedom

5:30pm July 30, 2021

by Alyssa Jeong Perry

This summer, Code Switch is laser-focused on books that teach us about freedom. Today, we're in conversation with a romance novelist whose own identity helped inform a rich cast of characters.

Given The Choice Between Prison Life And Fighting Wildfires, These Women Chose Fire

5:24pm July 30, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with writer Jaime Lowe about her new book, Breathing Fire, which tells the stories of the incarcerated women who are part of California's wildfire crews.

Why Sweat Is A Human Superpower

1:53pm July 30, 2021

Sweat is an "evolutionary marvel," says Sarah Everts, the author of The Joy of Sweat. In her new book, Everts delves into the science of perspiration and how this trait has enabled humans to thrive.

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Books
Arts

1963 Novel 'The Stone Face' Has New Edition — And It Couldn't Be More Timely

1:42pm July 30, 2021

by John Powers

William Gardner Smith wrote the story of a Black writer who, like Smith himself, moved to Paris to pursue a freedom he couldn't find in America. New York Review Books is releasing a new edition.

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