Books

Author Viet Thanh Nguyen Discusses 'The Sympathizer' And His Escape From Vietnam

2:02pm May 17, 2016

Nguyen and his family fled their village in South Vietnam in 1975. He won the Pulitzer Prize this year for The Sympathizer, a spy novel set during and just after the war in Vietnam.

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'Joe Gould's Teeth' Is The Tale Of A Long, Lost Book

1:04pm May 17, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

Jill Lepore digs into the story of Joe Gould, a legendary Greenwich Village writer and eccentric — and discovers that his missing magnum opus, long thought imaginary, may actually have existed.

The Power Of Genes, And The Line Between Biology And Destiny

9:09am May 17, 2016

Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee says genetics play a significant role in identity, temperament, sexual orientation and disease risk — but that environment also matters. His new book is The Gene.

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Winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize for fiction Han Kang, right, and her translator who shares the prize, Deborah Smith, following the award ceremony in London. They received the award for the novel, The Vegetarian.

'The Vegetarian' Wins Man Booker International Prize For Fiction

8:25am May 17, 2016

by Doreen McCallister

South Korean author Han Kang was awarded the prize for her dark novel The Vegetarian at a London ceremony on Monday. She shares the honor with translator Deborah Smith.

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Arts

Who Was Joe Gould, And Did He Really Write The World's Longest Book?

6:50pm May 16, 2016

by NPR Staff

Years ago, two New Yorker articles told the story of a Harvard dropout who claimed to be writing the longest book ever. Did he succeed? In Joe Gould's Teeth, Jill Lepore tries to answer that question.

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'People Want These Stories': Women Win Big At The Nebula Awards

4:58pm May 16, 2016

by K. Tempest Bradford

The Nebula Awards are some of the most prestigious prizes in science fiction and fantasy. This year, women authors swept the awards — and not for the first time.

'Geek Love' Author Katherine Dunn Dies At 70

4:24pm May 16, 2016

Author Katherine Dunn, who wrote the cult comic novel, Geek Love, has died at age 70. NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with Dunn's son, Eli Dapolonia, about his mother's life and work.

Books

'Valiant Ambition' Tells Of Benedict Arnold's Turn From Hero To Traitor

4:06pm May 16, 2016

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Nathaniel Philbrick about his new book, Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution.

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"King of Sting" Justin O. Schmidt is a biologist at the Southwestern Biological Institute. A "connoisseur of pain," he has ranked 83 different insect stings on a pain index based on his own experience.

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Stung By 83 Different Insects, Biologist Rates His Pain On A Scale Of 1 To — OW!

2:51pm May 15, 2016

by NPR Staff

Biologist Justin Schmidt has traveled all over the world looking for bugs ... and getting stung by them. He documents his travels/travails in his new book The Sting of the Wild.

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Quail in dandelion's nest — one of Pascal Baudar's wild-crafted culinary creations. "So many wild plants, so little time," says Baudar. He leads foraging expeditions in the forests of Los Angeles and works with chefs to create meals based on wild foods.

Urban Foraging: Unearthing The Wildcrafted Flavors Of Los Angeles

2:10pm May 15, 2016

by Jonaki Mehta

For Pascal Baudar, LA is a treasure trove of edible plants and insects that he uses in unusual culinary creations. He helps some of the city's top chefs put wild foods on menus and has a new cookbook.

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