Imbolo Mbue Tells A Tale Of Corporate Greed And Environmental Destruction In New Book
NPR's Scott Simon asks author Imbolo Mbue about her new novel, How Beautiful We Were.
Books
Jo Owens Gives Voice To Stroke Survivor In Debut Novel 'A Funny Side Of Paradise'
The book A Funny Kind of Paradise is told from the point of view of a stroke survivor living in a long-term care facility. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with debut novelist Jo Owens.
Reclaiming Family And Memory In 'Sparks Like Stars'
Nadia Hashmi's new novel follows an Afghan woman who escaped the murder of her family during a coup; her comfortable life in New York City is turned upside down when a figure from the past reappears.
Author Kazuo Ishiguro Explores Love, Loneliness And Connection In 'Klara And The Sun'
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Kazuo Ishiguro about his new novel, Klara and the Sun, a story about a small AI girl robot created to keep teens from becoming lonely.
James McBride's Advice For New Writers: 'A Simple Story Is The Best Story'
McBride's most recent novel, Deacon King Kong, is set in a Brooklyn housing project in 1969. "Time and place is really crucial to good storytelling," he says. Originally broadcast Feb. 29, 2020.
'The Committed' Remains Uncommitted — And That's Its Strength
Viet Thanh Nguyen's sequel to his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sympathizer finds our hero a refugee again, this time in Paris, and disillusioned with communism but not ready to embrace capitalism.
'Home Is Not A Country' Imagines The Lives We Could Have Led
Safia Elhillo's novel follows a first-generation Muslim American girl who, bullied at school, longs for the homeland she's never really known and the alter ego who represents a more confident self.
'Klara And The Sun' Is A Masterpiece About Life, Love And Mortality
Narrated by a robotic "artificial friend," Kazuo Ishiguro's latest novel offers readers a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.
There Are So Many Flavors Of Potato Chips; 'Hooked' Looks At Why
Investigative reporter Michael Moss explores how some food companies tweak their products to take advantage of evolved biology, creating room for novelty that triggers the brain to make us want more.
Looking Again At A Doctor's Old Rhymes, Seuss Works Haven't Kept Up With The Times
Dr. Seuss Enterprises has announced it will end publication of six titles deemed to contain racist imagery. The books include And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street and If I Ran the Zoo.