Books

'Hue 1968' Revisits An American 'Turning Point' In The War In Vietnam

1:38pm June 12, 2017

Author Mark Bowden says the capture of Hue, Vietnam, was part of a wave of well-planned Communist attacks that shocked American commanders and helped turn U.S. public opinion against the war.

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The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South by John T. Edge.

Race, Class And Paying Down Southern Food's Great 'Debt Of Pleasure'

12:48pm June 11, 2017

In his book, The Potlikker Papers, John T. Edge tells the story of modern Southern history through food — which means "explicitly digging into issues of race, class, gender, ethnicity," he says.

Actors Adam West (L)and Burt Ward dressed as their characters (Zappp!) "Batman" and (Powww!) "Robin," on Jan. 27, 1989 at the "World of Wheels" custom car show in Chicago.

Adam West Saved Batman. And Me.

8:44am June 11, 2017

by Glen Weldon

NPR's resident Bat-scholar Glen Weldon offers a personal remembrance of the late Adam West, explains how the actor rescued the character of Batman from oblivion, and explores his enduring legacy.

Books

'Blind Spot' Is A Multimedia Journal Of Travel

8:12am June 11, 2017

Novelist and photographer Teju Cole's latest book is a mix of text and photography. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro asks him about his book Blind Spot.

The Last Kid Left: A Novel, by Rosecrans Baldwin.

Books
Arts

'Last Kid Left' Is A Summer Read For People Who Hate The Light

7:00am June 11, 2017

by Jason Sheehan

Rosecrans Baldwin's new novel probably shouldn't have come out in summer: It's got the trappings of a beach read — a shore town, tourists, a murder — but it strays into some very dark territory.

Books
Arts

Beach Reads You Need: Four Sandy Summer Romances

10:00am June 10, 2017

by Maya Rodale

Our monthly romance roundup rolls on with four beach-appropriate reads for June, from the supernatural to the astronomical to an old-fashioned tale of family lost and found when you least expect it.

Books
Arts

'The Essex Serpent' Spreads Its Wings

7:00am June 10, 2017

by Annalisa Quinn

Sarah Perry's historical novel is gloriously alive, teeming with bugs, moss and marsh, unconventional spirits and a darker undercurrent of fear about a legendary monster haunting the Essex coast.

Books
Arts

The Man Behind Wonder Woman Was Inspired By Both Suffragists And Centerfolds

2:05pm June 09, 2017

Wonder Woman's creator had a few secrets of his own. Historian Jill Lepore describes William Moulton Marstothe's unusual life in The Secret History of Wonder Woman. Originally broadcast Oct. 27, 2014.

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"Racial impostor syndrome" is definitely a thing for many people. We hear from biracial and multi-ethnic listeners who connect with feeling "fake" or inauthentic in some part of their racial or ethnic heritage.

'Racial Impostor Syndrome': Here Are Your Stories

5:26pm June 08, 2017

by Leah Donnella

We got more than 100 letters from our listeners about how y'all feel like fakes. Here are some of our favorites.

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Manal al-Sharif grew up in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. She was the first woman to work in the information security division at Aramco, the Saudi national oil company.

For One Saudi Woman, 'Daring To Drive' Was An Act Of Civil Disobedience

3:03pm June 08, 2017

by Terry Gross

In 2011, Manal al-Sharif filming herself driving in a country where women are banned from getting behind the wheel. Driving, she says, is "a way to emancipate women. It gives them so much liberty."

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