Arts & Life

Books
Arts

'After Birth' Author On 'Mommy Wars': 'It Doesn't Have To Be This Way'

6:40pm February 23, 2015

by NPR Staff

"We are pitted against each other and ultimately, then, are pitted against ourselves," says writer Elisa Albert. Her new novel is about the singular and universal experience of having a baby.

Queue Listen Now

Mr. and Mrs. Disraeli: A Strange Romance

Books
Arts

Victorian Romance Meets 'House Of Cards' In 'Mr. And Mrs. Disraeli'

5:11pm February 23, 2015

by Maureen Corrigan

Daisy Hay's new book is a joint biography of 19th century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and his wife, Mary Anne, whose fortune and status as a gentile helped boost her husband's career.

Queue Listen Now

After An Education In American Jazz, A Musician Tackles The Turkish Songbook

4:52pm February 23, 2015

by Peter Kenyon

A Turkish jazz guitarist is converting Turkey's pop songs into popular jazz, the way American jazz musicians stylized tunes from the Great American Songbook.

Queue Listen Now

Visual Feast: If The World's Major Cities Were Made Of Food

4:42pm February 23, 2015

by Tove Danovich

A charming photo series called BrunchCity re-creates metropolises in miniature, with famous local noshes as part of the architecture.

David Treuer is the author of three previous novels and two books of nonfiction, including Rez Life. He also teaches literature and creative writing at the University of Southern California

Books
Arts

Prisoners Of War And Ojibwe Reservation Make Unlikely Neighbors In 'Prudence'

3:09pm February 23, 2015

Native American writer David Treuer bases the World War II camp for German prisoners on a real-life one that existed near the village of Bena, Minn., on the Leech Lake Reservation where he grew up.

Queue Listen Now

Bradley Cooper stars in American Sniper, based on the life of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.

Arts

'American Sniper' Exposes Unresolved Issues About The Iraq War

2:47pm February 23, 2015

by Elizabeth Blair

American Sniper, based on the life of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, has been a surprise hit at the box office. But as NPR's Elizabeth Blair reports, some say the movie misrepresents Kyle and glorifies war.

Queue Listen Now

She-Hulk, Dazzler, Medusa and Nico Minoru are some of the characters that make up Marvel's A-Force.

Books
Arts

The Woman Behind Marvel's Newest Team Of Heroines

2:02pm February 23, 2015

by NPR Staff

G. Willow Wilson says it's been a blast creating a team of all-female Avengers for the new Marvel Universe coming in May. "We really got no directives besides 'Pick your team and go nuts,' " she says.

Queue Listen Now

In "Road to Hell," Wild Tales' third story, Walter Donado plays a man who gets in a fight with a driver on an empty highway. The film opened last year in Argentina and is the country's highest-grossing movie ever.

Arts

1 Film, 6 Stories On The 'Pleasure Of Losing Control'

1:56pm February 23, 2015

by NPR Staff

Wild Tales includes six stories of people who are set off by things like road rage or infidelity. Then, says director Damián Szifron, "they cross the line that separates civilization from barbarism."

Queue Listen Now

Barack Obama hands a gift from a supporter to his assistant Reggie Love during his 2008 campaign for presidency.

Obama's 'Body Man' Looks Back On His Presidential Education

1:54pm February 23, 2015

by NPR Staff

Reggie Love went from playing sports at Duke to working as Barack Obama's personal assistant. His new memoir, Power Forward, describes what he learned on the campaign trail and in the White House.

Queue Listen Now

Scent Bar, in central Los Angeles, is home to over 700 niche fragrances — several of which are neatly arranged here.

The Scents And Sensibility Of LA's Nosy New Perfume Enthusiasts

1:54pm February 23, 2015

by Chloe Prasinos

Our sense of smell isn't simply a powerful trigger. It's a draw to scientists — and to a flourishing subculture in Los Angeles, where amateur perfumers collect fragrances like others collect stamps.

Queue Listen Now