Books

The book jacket for The Great Dissenter by Peter Canellos

Books

The Supreme Court Justice Who Made History By Voting No on Racial Segregation

4:33pm June 07, 2021

by Steve Inskeep

A new book explores the life of Justice John Marshall Harlan, who wrote the dissenting opinion in the Supreme Court case that upheld the principle of racial segregation.

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Walking on Cowrie Shells, by Nana Nkweti

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These Stories Dance Deftly Between America And Cameroon

5:00am June 07, 2021

by Martha Anne Toll

In her debut collection Walking On Cowrie Shells, Nana Nkweti bends language like a master, delivering keenly observed details and wicked humor no matter which side of the Atlantic she's on.

Books

John Paul Brammer, The Advice Columnist Behind 'Hola Papi,' Releases His Memoir

7:53am June 06, 2021

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with John Paul Brammer about his new memoir, Hola Papi.

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Arts

Love Rides The Q Train In This Supernaturally Sweet Romance

7:00am June 06, 2021

by Kamrun Nesa

In Casey McQuiston's new One Last Stop, cynical August moves to New York, where she meets and falls for Jane, a mysterious punk who seems to have been trapped on the Q train ... since the 1970s.

The Chosen and the Beautiful, by Nghi Vo

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This Retelling Of 'Gatsby' Has Demonic Flair To Spare

5:00am June 06, 2021

by Jessica P. Wick

Nghi Vo recasts the classic book with Jordan Baker at the center, a Gatsby who's literally sold his soul and a speakeasy crowd that's partial to a drop of demon's blood in their illicit cocktails.

Books

In Jesse McCarthy's Debut Novel, A Young Black Man Goes In Search Of Himself

10:03am June 05, 2021

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Jesse McCarthy about his debut novel, The Fugitivities. It's the story of a young, Black man trying to form his own identity.

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Ashley C. Ford Explore Her Relationship With Her Father In 'Somebody's Daughter'

8:03am June 05, 2021

NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Ashley C. Ford about her new memoir, Somebody's Daughter. It's about her childhood and relationship with her father, who served time in prison during most of her life.

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Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous, by Suzanne Park

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Arts

A Wannabe Influencer Gets Sent To Digital Detox In 'Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous'

7:00am June 05, 2021

by Alethea Kontis

Sunny — the protagonist of Suzanne Park's new young adult novel — is mortified when a PG-13 video accidentally goes viral, and even worse, her parents send her to a rural farm to get her off-line.

The Alchemy Of Words And Music: Tayari Jones Talks With Lara Downes

5:00am June 05, 2021

by Lara Downes

The best-selling novelist shares tips for good writing and the stories behind some of the most meaningful music in her life, from Rossini to the O'Jays.

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Arts

An Argentinean Novel Spins Countless Stories From A Bicycle Wheel

5:00am June 05, 2021

by Kamil Ahsan

César Aira's The Divorce, a 2008 novel now out in English, centers around one charged moment at a Buenos Aires cafe, when water falling from an awning suddenly drenches a passing bicyclist.