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From Gladiator Duels To Caesar's Last Words: The Myths Of Ancient Rome

1:32pm August 12, 2016

Historian Mary Beard says many of our popular notions about the empire are based on culture rather than fact. Her new book is called SPQR. Originally broadcast Nov. 30, 2015.

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Beats Bubble Up In The Latest Volume Of 'Hip Hop Family Tree'

7:00am August 11, 2016

by Etelka Lehoczky

Ed Piskor is back with another volume of his popular Hip Hop Family Tree series, this time chronicling the acts — from the Beastie Boys to one-hit wonders — that rose to the top in 1984 and 1985.

Jacqueline Woodson is also the author of Brown Girl Dreaming, Miracle's Boys, Show Way and Feathers.

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Jacqueline Woodson's New Novel For Adults Has Its Roots In Adolescence

4:28pm August 10, 2016

by Lynn Neary

Best known for her kids' and young adult books, Woodson has written her first adult novel in 20 years. Another Brooklyn is a dreamlike narrative about friendship, memory and dealing with death.

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'Playing Dead' Teaches You How To Disappear

3:07pm August 10, 2016

by Genevieve Valentine

Elizabeth Greenwood thought about faking her own death to get out of massive student debt — but decided instead to write a book about all the ways people try (and usually fail) to disappear.

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3 Steps To Faking Your Own Death From The Author Of 'Playing Dead'

5:13pm August 09, 2016

by NPR Staff

Elizabeth Greenwood has spent a lot of time researching the death fraud industry. She says the hardest step for many aspiring fraudsters would be cutting all ties with friends and family.

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In the world of books and literature, "diversity" has recently become hotly debated, along with other cultural and media spheres. Though a few writers of color seem to be getting more shine, the demographics of those working behind the scenes in publishin

Diversity In Book Publishing Isn't Just About Writers — Marketing Matters, Too

3:02pm August 09, 2016

by Jean Ho

For writers of color, the lack of diversity in book publicity departments can feel like a death knell.

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Jacqueline Woodson's 'Brooklyn' Is Full Of Dreams And Danger

1:28pm August 09, 2016

The National Book Award winner's new novel is based in part on her memories of growing up in Brooklyn in the 1970s. Woodson describes the teen years as an "amazing and urgent moment" in life.

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'Textbook' Tries To Extend Kid-Lit Playfulness To Adult Reading

10:00am August 09, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

Amy Krouse Rosenthal's latest requires a high tolerance for whimsy; billed as "not exactly a memoir," it's a kind of noisy activity book for adults that's more Mad Libs than Speak, Memory.

Green eggs and ham is a dish at once familiar to many and yet mysterious — no one can say for sure what this meal would translate to as real, edible food. Mar'sel, a Los Angeles county restaurant inside the ocean-side resort Terranea, crafted a green eg

You Can Eat It Here And There: Green Eggs And Ham Are Everywhere (On Menus)

9:58am August 09, 2016

by Tove Danovich

The Dr. Seuss book that made the dish famous turns 56 this month. But what does this meal taste like in real life? Chefs across the U.S. are tackling the question.

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'Underground Railroad' Traces The Terrible Wounds Of Slavery

7:00am August 09, 2016

by Michael Schaub

The Underground Railroad is a literal train running underground in Colson Whitehead's new novel, which follows escaped slave Cora. It's both brilliant fiction and searing historical document.