'The Line That Held Us': Noir In Appalachia
Novelist David Joy, whose books chronicle the rural, working-class South of his own milieu, has penned a new book where a hunting accident triggers a thriller of violent vengeance.
Books
'Baghdad Noir' Presents A City Of Diverse Experiences
Akashic Books' Noir series visits Baghdad for its latest installment, and the talented writers collected here manage to wrest compelling noir from a place that's plenty dark already.
V.S. Naipaul, Controversial Author And Nobel Laureate, Dies At 85
Naipaul was born in Trinidad, and his relationship to his birthplace was nothing if not complicated. He was often criticized for the way he depicted developing countries in his novels.
'The Victorian And The Romantic' Attempts To Link Writers Through The Ages
Nell Stevens's new memoir is an uneven but pleasant book that braids her story of doing a PhD amid an uneasy love affair with imaginary scenes from the life of her 19th century research subject.
Understanding Horizontal Gene Transfer In 'The Tangled Tree'
NPR's Scott Simon asks science writer David Quammen about horizontal gene transfer and how it changes how we think about humankind's place in the world. Quammen's new book is The Tangled Tree.
Graceful 'Court Dancer' Can't Escape Her Sorrows
Kyung-Sook Shin's atmospheric, tragic novel follows a beautiful orphan whose dancing skills secure her a place at the Korean court, and later a life in Belle Époque France — but not happiness.
Omarosa Tells NPR She Heard Trump 'N-Word Tape,' Contradicting Her Own Tell-All Book
Former reality TV star and Trump aide Omarosa Manigault Newman spoke to NPR about explosive allegations in her new book, Unhinged, but part of her account changed in the interview.
In Satirical 'Severance,' A Stricken Country Works Itself To Death
When a disease wipes out most of the U.S. population, Candace Chen is the last one left at the office. Ling Ma began work on the apocalyptic novel right before she got laid off from her own job.
David Sedaris On The Life-Altering And Mundane Pages Of His Old Diaries
Sedaris' Theft by Finding is a collection of excerpts from those diaries. In it, he revisits major turning points, including how he met his longtime boyfriend. Originally broadcast May 31, 2017.
'Lies My Teacher Told Me,' And How American History Can Be Used As A Weapon
James Loewen's 1995 book explained how history textbooks got the story of America wrong. Now, in a new edition, Loewen champions critical thinking in the age of fake news.