Books

Books

A federal case against book restrictions in Florida schools is going forward

5:13am January 11, 2024

by Tovia Smith

A judge ruled there's a viable argument that removing certain books is unconstitutional. Free speech advocates, a publisher, authors and parents say the restrictions violate the First Amendment.

How E.J. Koh drew on her own family members' experiences to write 'The Liberators'

6:09pm January 10, 2024

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with author E.J. Koh about her novel, The Liberators. In just over 200 pages, the story covers generations, wars and geopolitical upheaval.

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Arts

'The Fetishist' examines racial and sexual politics

11:19am January 10, 2024

by Kristen Martin

Katherine Min's well-crafted posthumous novel is inspired by Lolita -- but with an Asian fetishist as Humbert Humbert and the objects of his objectification given voice.

Annie Liontas is a professor of writing at George Washington University. Their previous book is Let Me Explain You.

'Sex With a Brain Injury' reveals how concussions can test relationships

1:44pm January 09, 2024

by Terry Gross

Annie Liontas experienced three brain injuries in the span of one year, which led to dizziness, memory fog and anger — and impacted Liontas' marriage and sex life.

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Meet trailblazing foreign correspondent Maggie Higgins in the book 'Fierce Ambition'

5:13pm January 07, 2024

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks to author Jennet Conant about her new book Fierce Ambition, a biography about Pulitzer prize winning war correspondent Maggie Higgins.

Books

NPR staffers pick their favorite food books from the 2023 Books We Love list

8:26am January 06, 2024

From NPR's Books We Love list, our staff recommends the cookbooks "Ed Mitchell's Barbeque," "Invitation to a Banquet," "The Secret of Cooking," "The Migrant Chef," and "Asada."

Books

Alvaro Enrigue's novel imagines the clash of two great empires in the 16th century

8:26am January 06, 2024

by Scott Simon

The Spanish and the Aztecs don't know what to make of each other in Alvaro Enrigue's new novel, "You Dreamed of Empires." He talks with NPR's Scott Simon about getting into a 16th-century mindframe.

Renowned author and former state poet laureate Fred Chappell dies at 87

5:27pm January 05, 2024

by Paul Garber

Chappell grew up in the mill town of Canton in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. In a documentary about his life, “Fred Chappell: I Am One of You Forever,” he said he carried the mountains with him whenever he went. He spent most of his career in Greensboro, writing and teaching in the graduate-level creative writing program he helped build.

Books
Arts

Restaurateur Rose Previte shares recipes she learned from women around the world

1:38pm January 03, 2024

by Tonya Mosley

Previte's restaurants serve food inspired by her extensive travels and the home-cooked Lebanese dishes of her childhood. Her new cookbook is Maydān: Recipes from Lebanon and Beyond.

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Books

New mafia book stands out because of the background of its author, an ex-mobster

5:06am January 02, 2024

NPR's A Martinez talks to Louis Ferrante about the first volume of his Borgata trilogy on the history of the American Mafia. Ferrante is a former high-ranking member of the Gambino crime family.