Books

First Platoon: A Story of Modern War in the Age of Identity Dominance, by Annie Jacobsen

Books

'First Platoon' Examines How War On Terror Birthed Pentagon's Biometrics ID System

10:32am January 14, 2021

by Steve Inskeep

In a new book, investigative reporter Annie Jacobsen explains how the U.S. has employed the use of biometric data during warfare — and questions what the government means to do with it all.

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Books

Olympic Runner Alexi Pappas Shares Her Struggle In A New Memoir

4:43pm January 13, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Olympic runner and filmmaker Alexi Pappas about her new memoir. In Bravey, Pappas shares what she has learned about confidence, self-reliance and mental health.

Books
Arts

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

1:33pm January 13, 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 in her new book.

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'Aftershocks' Tells Of A Reckoning With The Self — And With Memory

7:07am January 13, 2021

by Ilana Masad

Writer Nadia Owusu has lived many lives. Her nonlinear memoir, centered on the idea of physical and metaphorical earthquakes, is about all of the parts of what is her single, complex life.

'Kill Switch' Explores How Senate Minority Uses Filibuster To Protect Its Interests

4:20pm January 12, 2021

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Adam Jentleson, former deputy chief of staff to Sen. Harry Reid, about his new book, which explains how the Senate minority uses the filibuster to override the majority.

Books
Arts

'Kill Switch' Examines The Racist History Of The Senate Filibuster

3:15pm January 12, 2021

by Terry Gross

Adam Jentleson traces the history of the filibuster, which started as a tool of Southern senators upholding slavery and then later became a mechanism to block civil rights legislation.

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Books

'Concrete Rose' Is Angie Thomas' Follow-Up To 'The Hate U Give'

7:42am January 12, 2021

NPR's Noel King talks to young adult author Angie Thomas about her book: Concrete Rose. It goes back in time to tell the story of the parents of Starr Carter, the teenage girl in The Hate U Give.

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Books
Arts

There's Not A Single Off Note In 'That Old Country Music'

7:00am January 12, 2021

by Michael Schaub

In his new story collection, Kevin Barry proves to be a master at evoking the landscapes of both western Ireland and the human heart; he seems to have an innate sense of why people do what they do.

Books
Arts

Glimmers Of Hope: A 2021 Poetry Preview, Part 1

2:09pm January 11, 2021

This year, critic Craig Morgan Teicher says American poetry has become too big for just one person to cover, so he's invited five colleagues to bring their own perspectives to our 2021 poetry preview.

Books
Arts

'The Liar's Dictionary' Is A Clever Delight For Language Lovers

1:40pm January 11, 2021

by John Powers

Eley Williams tells the story of two word-mad characters who work for the same dictionary publisher 120 years apart. This novel is perfect for anyone who loves puns, crosswords and witty writing.

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