Making The Case 'Against Football'
Steve Almond's new book is a powerful polemic laying out the reasons he, a longtime passionate football fan, is giving up the sport.
Arts & Life
'Black-ish' And The Color Of Money
The new comedy Black-ish not only addresses itself to race in a way not many sitcoms do, but does the same with socioeconomic class.
A Historic Backdrop Frames Forbidden Love In 'The Paying Guests'
Sarah Waters' latest novel, set in 1920s London, examines the moral consequences of passion. Though slightly too long, this book brings the past to life with exquisite clarity.
Book News: Author J. California Cooper, Whose Simple Prose Drew Acclaim, Dies
The playwright-turned-novelist had a conversational style that made even vast themes feel intimate.
In 'Afterworlds,' A Teen Imagines Worlds Within Worlds
Scott Westerfeld's latest book is about a teen who writes her own YA novel. Westerfeld alternates chapters about her life with chapters of her novel. This book honors YA tropes as it subverts them.
A Feisty Writer Spars With Her Young Protege
Brian Morton's Florence Gordon is about the relationship between a tough, 75-year-old feminist icon and her granddaughter. It's self-aware, funny and full of characters that are entirely believable.
From Sideman To Star: A New Film Captures Jimi Hendrix's Pivotal Year
Jimi: All Is By My Side focuses on the year Hendrix changed his name and recorded his first album. Director John Ridley and star André Benjamin (a.k.a. André 3000) talk about portraying the guitarist.
After WWI, A Mother And Daughter Must Take In 'Paying Guests'
Sarah Waters' spellbinding novel — about two women in 1920s London — is no simple period piece. Waters is a superb storyteller with a gift for capturing the layered nuances of character and mood.
Now That's An Artifact: See Mary Cassatt's Pastels At The National Gallery
Cassatt gave the three well-loved, wooden boxes of pastels to a friend's 10-year-old granddaughter, who later recalled: "I wasted lots of them on playing and swapping them with my friends."
Deggans Picks 'Gotham,' 'Black-ish,' 'The Flash' Among Fall TV's Best
As the fall TV season begins this week, NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans gives his picks on new shows to watch and a few to avoid (or hate-watch, if you like).