Books

Books

Ali Benjamin Explores The Fallout Of The 2016 Election In Her New Novel

8:01am February 20, 2021

The 2016 election turned many lives upside down, including the characters in Ali Benjamin's new novel, The Smash-Up. NPR's Scott Simon asks Benjamin about her portrait of a family in upheaval.

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Exclusive 1st Read: 'Klara And The Sun,' By Kazuo Ishiguro

7:00am February 20, 2021

by Petra Mayer

We're excited to bring you an exclusive prepublication excerpt of Kazuo Ishiguro's new novel Klara and the Sun, a gentle fable about a world in which androids serve as companions to children.

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What Fashion History Says About A Vice Presidential 'Vogue' Controversy

4:16pm February 19, 2021

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Richard Thompson Ford, author of the book Dress Codes: How The Laws Of Fashion Made History.

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'Black Radical' Traces The Life And Legacy Of Activist William Monroe Trotter

1:34pm February 19, 2021

by Dave Davies

Trotter was a Black newspaper editor in the early 20th century who advocated for civil rights by organizing mass protests. Historian Kerri Greenidge tells his story. Originally broadcast January 2021.

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No One is Talking About This, by Patricia Lockwood

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You Actually Will Be Talking About 'No One Is Talking About This'

7:00am February 18, 2021

by Heller McAlpin

Patricia Lockwood's first novel follows an Extremely Online woman whose life changes forever when her niece is born with a serious illness — which sounds Hallmark-ready, but Lockwood pulls it off.

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In 'No One Is Talking About This,' Patricia Lockwood Enters An Internet Portal

4:07pm February 17, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Patricia Lockwood on her new novel, No One Is Talking About This. The book follows its protagonist down an Internet wormhole until a real-life event snaps her out of it.

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'Sum Of Us' Examines The Hidden Cost Of Racism — For Everyone

1:45pm February 17, 2021

by Dave Davies

Author Heather McGhee draws on a wealth of economic data to make the case that discriminatory laws and practices that target African Americans also negatively impact society at large.

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Aspen Words Announces 5 Finalists For 2021's Literary Prize

12:10pm February 17, 2021

by Petra Mayer

The $35,000 prize honors fiction that "illuminates vital contemporary issues." This year's finalists deal with everything from Native American land ownership to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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'The Echo Wife' Layers Sci-Fi And Murder Mystery For A Twisty Treat

7:00am February 17, 2021

by Jason Heller

Sarah Gailey's new novel follows a famed geneticist whose husband uses her methods to clone her — and has an affair with the clone. When he's murdered, the two women must figure out to do next.

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Bette Midler Discusses Her New Children's Book, 'The Tale Of The Mandarin Duck'

4:57pm February 16, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Bette Midler about her new children's book, The Tale of the Mandarin Duck, a fable about a diva who catches the eye of New Yorkers.