'The Liquid Eye of a Moon' is a Nigerian coming-of-age story
In Uchenna Awoke’s debut novel, we come to understand that 15-year-old Dimkpa’s choices are painfully constricted by the caste system into which he was born.
Books
Republicans and Democrats don't understand Latino voting bloc, strategist says
NPR's A Martinez talks to Republican strategist Mike Madrid about his book -- Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy -- about the power of the Latino vote.
Christian writer's new book reminds kids what makes them different makes them special
Christian writer Jonathan Merritt's new book My Guncle and Me tells the story of a gay uncle who helps his nephew embrace being different.
Stuck in a rut? How to appreciate your life again, according to science
After a while, even the most exciting relationships, jobs and environments lose their spark. But cognitive neuroscientist Tali Sharot says it's possible to fall back in love with life's small joys.
The truth and lies behind one of the most banned books in America
Author Mike Curato wrote Flamer as a way to help young queer kids, like he once was, better understand and accept themselves. It was met with immediate praise and accolades — until it wasn't. When the book got caught up in a wave of Texas-based book bans, suddenly the narrative changed. And like so many books that address queer identity, Flamer quickly became a flashpoint in a long, messy culture war that tried to distort the nature of the book.
The human brain is hardwired to recognize faces. But what if you can't?
Humans are hardwired to see faces — even in inanimate objects. We have a lima bean-shaped part of our brains dedicated to facial recognition. But this process isn't always straightforward. Science journalist Sadie Dingfelder is one of 10 million Americans who are face blind, or struggle to recognize the faces of people they know. In her new book, Do I Know You? she dives into this, as well as the science of memory and imagination.
Want more episodes on the wonder of the human brain? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Want more episodes on the wonder of the human brain? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Journalist explores the history of communist China through his family’s heritage
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with New York TimesAt the Edge of Empire: A Family's Reckoning with China."
4 crime and suspense novels make for hot summer reading
There’s something about the shadowy moral recesses of crime and suspense fiction that makes those genres especially appealing as temperatures soar. Here are four novels that turn the heat up.
'Cue the Sun!' is a riveting history of reality TV
Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker critic Emily Nussbaum's book is a near-definitive history of the genre that forever changed American entertainment.
Author Juli Min tells the story of a family in reverse in her book 'Shanghailanders'
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with author Juli Min about her new book Shanghailanders, which unspools the story of a family in reverse.