Books

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All Roads Lead Back To Florida In 'Sunshine State'

11:36am April 13, 2017

by Jason Heller

Sarah Gerard's lucid, atmospheric essay collection draws on her experiences growing up in Florida for a candid memoir that mixes first-person memories with thoughtful big-picture reporting.

Former House Speaker and 2012 Republican Party presidential candidate Newt Gingrich autographs a copy of his book at a campaign event in Georgetown, S.C., in 2012. Gingrich published with conservative publishing house Regnery Publishing.

Trump's Win Changed The Game For Publishers On The Left And The Right

10:36am April 13, 2017

by Lynn Neary

For years, conservative publishers thrived as their readers flocked to books aimed directly at taking down the party in power. Now, with Republicans in control, they have to rethink their strategy.

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Above, the Library of Congress Card Division, 1919

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Arts

File This Under Nostalgia: New Book Pays Tribute To The Library Card Catalog

8:10am April 13, 2017

by Andrew Limbong

Today, people use the antique wooden cabinets to store their knick-knacks. But these card catalogs once held the keys to a world of information. A new Library of Congress book explores their history.

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'The Souls Of China' Documents Country's Dramatic Return To Religion

4:36pm April 12, 2017

When the author Ian Johnson first visited China in 1984, he says religious life appeared to be dead. Today, he says China is experiencing a dramatic return to religion, and he documents this in a new book called The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao.

U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera from his office at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Books

Juan Felipe Herrera On Poetry In Tough Times

1:55pm April 12, 2017

by Adrian Florido

Juan Felipe Herrera is the 21st Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. NPR met with Herrera on World Poetry Day, March 21, 2017, to talk about the role of poetry in society.

'Nixon: The Life' Humanizes — But Doesn't Rehabilitate

12:41pm April 12, 2017

by Jason Heller

John A. Farrell's new biography of Richard Nixon contains a bombshell about Nixon's interference in a Vietnam peace deal — and that's just one of the book's many extensively-researched revelations.

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Arts

In 'Exes,' The Losses Pile Up Like New England Snowdrifts

10:00am April 12, 2017

by Heller McAlpin

Max Winter's bleak, powerful debut novel is haunted by missing people — and those who feel their absence. It centers around a man trying to piece together his estranged brother's last years.

A 2010 memorial service for the Jonestown massacre in Oakland, Calif., featured photographs of the victims.

Nearly 40 Years Later, Jonestown Offers A Lesson In Demagoguery

2:24pm April 11, 2017

by Terry Gross

In 1978, more than 900 followers of the Rev. Jim Jones committed mass suicide in Guyana. In his new book, The Road to Jonestown, journalist Jeff Guinn details how Jones captivated so many.

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A moment of discovery from Cathy Malkasian's richly melancholic graphic novel Eartha.

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Arts

Long-Buried Secrets, Scampering Dreams And A Cat That Talks: 'Eartha'

12:01pm April 11, 2017

by Glen Weldon

In Cathy Malkasian's gorgeous, melancholic graphic novel, a woman travels to a distant city to learn why its residents have stopped dreaming.

Books
Arts

'Brimstone' Burns Brightly, Despite A Few Flaws

10:00am April 11, 2017

by Amal El-Mohtar

Set in a real Florida town with a real history of devastating fires, Cherie Priest's Brimstone is a deeply loving story about a witch and a grieving veteran with a strange connection to the fires.