Books

The whole family came along to drop Kent Garrett off at college in fall 1959. He's pictured above in Harvard Yard with his sister, aunt and mother.

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'We Were Curiosities': One Of 'The Last Negroes At Harvard' Shares His Story

4:55pm April 18, 2020

by Jon Kalish

In 1959, Kent Garrett was one of 18 black students accepted into a freshman class of more than 1,000. It was an early form of affirmative action, and he chronicles his time on campus in a new book.

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Getting To Know Estranged Parents — Finally — In 'Missed Translations'

8:01am April 18, 2020

by Scott Simon

Sopan Deb's parents had an arranged marriage, but they were "a bad match from the start," leading to years of unhappiness and estrangement. He writes about it in a new memoir, Missed Translations.

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'Apsara Engine' Doesn't Break The Graphic Novel Rules — It Ignores Them

7:00am April 18, 2020

by Etelka Lehoczky

Bishakh Som's new comics collection is uncanny and hard to categorize — science-fictiony, mythic and humanistic, without making any particular assumptions about where humans as a species are going.

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life, by Lulu Miller

Learning Lessons From Inspiration, Despite Complexity, In 'Why Fish Don't Exist'

7:50pm April 17, 2020

by Ari Shapiro

Former NPR journalist Lulu Miller was inspired by a scientist who started again when his life's work was destroyed. Now, she writes about what she can take from his story, even when it's not all good.

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A Reading List For The Social Distancing Era, From Poet Tess Taylor

4:20pm April 17, 2020

In a series, various writers share what have they been reading while sheltering in place. Today, NPR poetry reviewer Tess Taylor lists what is helping her to get through.

The Instagram photo sharing app is seen on an iPhone 11 Pro Max on April 4. Sarah Frier details the app's rise in her book No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram.

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Instagram Allowed For Truth To Be Crafted, Despite 'No Filter' Options

11:14am April 17, 2020

by Chloee Weiner

Bloomberg reporter Sarah Frier's new book is a vibrant play-by-play of how Instagram reached its high level of influence through the business of manufacturing coolness.

Christy Lefteri's novel The Beekeeper of Aleppo has won the third annual Aspen Words Literary Prize.

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'The Beekeeper Of Aleppo' Wins 2020 Aspen Words Literary Prize

8:07pm April 16, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

Christy Lefteri's novel of the Syrian refugee crisis won the third annual award, which doles out $35,000 for fiction that illuminates a pressing social issue.

What Is the Grass: Walt Whitman in My Life, Mark Doty

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A Story Of Hero Worship And Connection Runs Through 'What Is The Grass?'

8:00am April 16, 2020

by Martha Anne Toll

Acclaimed poet Mark Doty's memoir is not only an exaltation of America's troubadour, Walt Whitman, but also a celebration of gay manhood, queerness, and the power and elasticity of poetry.

'In Deep' Challenges President Trump's Notion Of A Deep-State Conspiracy

2:04pm April 15, 2020

by Terry Gross

Author David Rohde refutes Trump's claims about a "deep state" — and argues that the president is the one creating a parallel shadow government filled with like-minded loyalists.

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Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace, Carl Safina

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In 'Becoming Wild,' Carl Safina Takes Us Inside The Cultures Of Animals

4:59am April 15, 2020

by Barbara J. King

Combining the knowledge of a seasoned scientist and the skills of a good storyteller, the ecologist-author invites us to leave our cultural worlds and enter some animal ones to see just how they work.