Books

Books

Erik Larson's Latest Book Focuses On Winston Churchill During The Blitz

6:18am March 02, 2020

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Erik Larson about his latest book: The Splendid and the Vile. Larson's past books have often focused on less famous characters at the edge of history.

Queue Listen Now

Books

Celebrating 116 Years Since The Birth Of Dr. Seuss

6:12am March 02, 2020

Theodor Seuss Geisel, commonly known by his pen name Dr. Seuss, was born on March 2, 1904. We pay tribute to the author of The Cat in the Hat and so many more children's favorite books.

Queue Listen Now

Scratched: A Memoir of Perfectionism, by Elizabeth Tallent

Books
Arts

'Scratched' Spotlights The Value Of A Less Orderly Approach, Harm Of Perfectionism

3:13pm March 01, 2020

by Lily Meyer

Elizabeth Tallent writes: "For the sake of perfection, I took a voice, my own, and twisted until mischance and error and experiment were wrung from it, and with them any chance of aliveness."

Books

'Manhattan Is A Lenape Word,' And Other Poems Looking At Native Americans' Struggles

11:47am March 01, 2020

NPR's Leila Fadel talks with author and poet Natalie Diaz about her new book, Postcolonial Love Poems.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Louise Erdrich's Grandfather Inspired Her New 'Night Watchman'

8:21am February 29, 2020

by Scott Simon

Erdrich's new novel, set in the 1950s, follows a Native American tribe fighting for their rights as the U.S. Congress prepares to terminate their nation-to-nation treaties and land ownership rights.

James McBride is also the author of The Color of Water and won the National Book Award for Fiction for The Good Lord Bird. He's shown above in Paris on Sept. 23, 2015.

Books
Arts

James McBride's Advice For New Writers: 'A Simple Story Is The Best Story'

8:21am February 29, 2020

by Scott Simon

The National Book Award-winning author has a new novel called Deacon King Kong. It's set in a Brooklyn housing project in 1969. "Time and place is really crucial to good storytelling," he says.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

'Finna' Warns: Beware Of The Fuzzy Chairs

7:00am February 29, 2020

by Amal El-Mohtar

Nino Cipri's magical multiworld adventure is set in a Swedish big box furniture store — no, not that one — where the showroom floor is prone to interdimensional wormholes that swallow shoppers.

Cover photo of The Resisters, by Gish Jen

Books
Arts

Dystopian Novel 'The Resisters' Drives Home The Perils Of Our Wired World

1:20pm February 28, 2020

by Maureen Corrigan

Gish Jen weaves baseball into her inspired vision of how Americans bought into the fantasy of less stress and more free time. As speculative fiction goes, The Resisters hits close to the bone.

Queue Listen Now

Strung Out: One Last Hit and Other Lies That Nearly Killed Me, by Erin Khar

Books
Arts

'Strung Out' Tackles Pain, Stigma And Shame Of Drug Use

11:44am February 28, 2020

by Ilana Masad

Erin Khar's son, at 12, asked her if she'd ever used drugs; this book is her answer: "When we write the truth, when we write about our experiences, we reflect back what it means to be a human being."

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories, by Ken Liu

Books
Arts

'The Hidden Girl' Is Smart, But Not Entirely Human

10:00am February 27, 2020

by Jason Sheehan

Ken Liu is an acclaimed author, translator and poet who's won multiple awards for his short fiction. But his new collection doesn't come together — some stories are gorgeous, while others fall flat.