Books

Books
Arts

In 'The Girls,' A Teen's Need To Be Noticed Draws Her Into A Manson-Like Cult

7:14pm June 16, 2016

by Lynn Neary

Emma Cline's debut novel was inspired by the infamous Manson family murders. But Cline says it wasn't the cult that fascinated her — it was the young girls who were so taken by it.

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Jason and Lucie Amundsen on their farm in in Wrenshall, Minn.

'Locally Laid': A Humorous Memoir To Cure You Of Farming Fantasies

5:09pm June 16, 2016

by Nina Martyris

When Jason Amundsen told his wife he was quitting his job to raise pasture-raised eggs, she was less than amused. Readers, however, will chuckle at the story of their tragicomic path to success.

Lois Duncan was a pioneer in the genre of teen suspense. Books like Down a Dark Hall scared generations of readers.

Books
Arts

Remembering Lois Duncan, The Queen Of Teen Suspense

4:51pm June 16, 2016

by Petra Mayer

The beloved author died suddenly Wednesday at the age of 82. Just a teen herself when she started writing, Lois Duncan sent chills down a generation of spines with books like Down a Dark Hall.

Books
Arts

Former Restaurant Worker Serves Up Industry-Inspired Fiction In 'Sweetbitter'

1:46pm June 16, 2016

Stephanie Danler drew on her own experiences to write her novel about a young woman working at an upscale restaurant in New York. "It's so physically punishing," she says of her work as a server.

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Pulitzer Prize-winning author Susan Faludi wrote about the second-wave feminist movement in Backlash.

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'In The Darkroom' Explores The Concept Of Identity — Both Fixed And Fluid

11:53am June 16, 2016

by Maureen Corrigan

Pulitzer-prize winning author Susan Faludi writes about her father's sex reassignment surgery in her memoir, In The Darkroom. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls it "exhausting, messy and provocative."

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The Power Of Seeing, And Being Seen, In 'The Girls'

7:00am June 16, 2016

by Jean Zimmerman

Emma Cline's spooky new novel starts with a teenaged girl spying on a shabby-glamorous group of Mansonesque cult followers. She follows, desperate for attention — and eventually, they see her too.

Books
Arts

Tig Notaro On Her Terrible Year In 'I'm Just A Person'

6:21pm June 15, 2016

by NPR Staff

Comedian Tig Notaro shot to fame in 2012, talking candidly onstage about having cancer. Now she's in remission, recently married and the author of a new memoir called I'm Just A Person.

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Read, Watch, Binge! Did you like the movie Trainwreck? You might also like the web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, the book How to Build a Girl and the TV show You're the Worst.

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Like These Movies? Here Are 100+ Things You Might Also Like ...

3:12pm June 15, 2016

Introducing NPR's cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, book/movie/TV recommendation algorithm: HUMANZ.

Understanding Congressional Gerrymandering: 'It's Moneyball Applied To Politics'

1:40pm June 15, 2016

Ratf**ked author David Daley says that Republicans targeted key state legislative races in 2010 in an effort to control state houses, and, eventually, Congressional redistricting.

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Books
Arts

'The Course Of Love' Is More Case Study Than Novel

10:00am June 15, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

Alain de Botton returns to a long-standing fascination — the arc of relationships — in his new novel. But despite its fictional trappings, the book seems more like a class on maintaining a marriage.