Books

Books

Michelle Duster Reflects On Life Of Great Grandmother Ida B. Wells In New Biography

4:28pm February 01, 2021

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Michelle Duster about her new biography of her great grandmother, Ida B. Wells, Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells.

Ben Harper And Mom Ellen Reflect On A Lifetime Immersed In A Folk Music 'Wonderland'

1:30pm February 01, 2021

by Terry Gross

Ellen and Ben Harper both grew up in the Folk Music Center in Claremont Calif., which Ellen's parents founded in 1958. They join Fresh Air to discuss Ellen's new memoir, Always a Song.

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Books

'Land Of Big Numbers,' Short Story Collection From Te-Ping Chen

5:58am February 01, 2021

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Te-Ping Chen about her short story collection: Land of Big Numbers. It features people in China trying to live their lives in the shadow of an overpowering state.

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We Came, We Saw, We Left: A Family Gap Year, by Charles Wheelan

'We Came, We Saw, We Left' Takes Us On One Family's Gap Year Adventure

6:10pm January 31, 2021

by Carson Vaughan

Dartmouth's Charles Wheelan, author of Naked Economics, writes about his nine-month globetrot in 2016 with his wife and their teenagers — offering a refreshing escape during these isolating times.

"Young people often have this desire to try to make their life interesting," says actor, author and director Ethan Hawke. "Life is so interesting all by itself. You do not have to try to goose life." He's pictured above in Paris on Nov. 25, 2019.

Books
Arts

Actor And Author Ethan Hawke: Writing 'Forces You To Think Through Things'

8:00am January 31, 2021

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Hawke's latest novel is called A Bright Ray of Darkness. It's about a famous young actor in a crumbling marriage who immerses himself in a Broadway production of Shakespeare's Henry IV.

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Books

Amelia Pang's Book Explores The Human Cost Of Our Cheap Goods

10:30am January 30, 2021

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with journalist Amelia Pang about her new book Made In China.

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She Persisted: Harriet Tubman, by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Books
Arts

'She Persisted,' Now In Chapter Book Form, Brings History To Life

10:00am January 30, 2021

by Juanita Giles

Chelsea Clinton has turned her She Persisted series of picture books into a new series of chapter books, written by prominent kids' authors. The new books really take readers inside historical lives.

Books

Cherie Jones' Debut Novel Sees Characters In Paradise Put Through Hell

7:54am January 30, 2021

NPR's Scott Simon speak with author Cherie Jones about her new novel, HOW THE ONE-ARMED SISTER SWEEPS HER HOUSE.

Amanda Gorman, the country's first National Youth Poet Laureate, recited her poetry at President Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20.

Amanda Gorman — And Poetry — Will Be Part Of Super Bowl LV

1:08pm January 29, 2021

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Fresh from her burst into the literary stratosphere after her appearance at President Biden's inauguration, poet Amanda Gorman will recite a new poem during the Super Bowl LV pre-show next Sunday.

Soul City: Race, Equality, and the Lost Dream of an American Utopia, by Thomas Healy

In 'Soul City,' One Man Envisions A Place Where Black People Have Power, Opportunity

7:10am January 29, 2021

by Michael Schaub

Author Thomas Healy chronicles how, in 1969, Floyd McKissick went about building a city from scratch, only to have his dreams dashed by a combination of prejudice and bureaucracy.