Author Interviews

Former Attorney General William Barr argues he wasn't a 'toady' to Trump in memoir

4:11pm March 07, 2022

In a new memoir, former Attorney General William Barr is defending his time in office. He says he refuted Trump's lies about the election, but blames progressives for dividing the country.

Books
Arts

It took this 'New Yorker' cartoonist 25 years to achieve his childhood dream

1:54pm March 07, 2022

by Terry Gross

David Sipress endured years of rejection before finally landing a gig with The New Yorker in '98. "I wasn't about to let all that rejection get in the way," he says. His new memoir is What's So Funny?

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William Barr, who served as the U.S. attorney general in the administrations of Presidents George H. W. Bush and Donald Trump, spoke with NPR during an interview at his house outside of Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

Politics & Government

Bill Barr won't back a 2024 Trump run but doesn't quite condemn his former boss

8:27am March 07, 2022

Former Attorney General William Barr spoke with NPR about his new memoir, former President Trump's election lies and why he thinks Trump shouldn't try to return to the White House.

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Books

Azar Nafisi's new book is on what it means to 'Read Dangerously'

9:15am March 05, 2022

by Scott Simon

Scott Simon speaks with author Azar Nafisi about her new book, "Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times."

Books

The novel 'Glory' is inspired by 'Animal Farm' and based on the 2017 coup in Zimbabwe

8:20am March 05, 2022

by Scott Simon

Scott Simon talks with NoViolet Bulawayo about her new novel "Glory," based on the 2017 coup that ousted Zimbabwe's long-time president Robert Mugabe.

Sarah Polley on the medical advice that inspired her to confront memories of her pain

4:41pm March 02, 2022

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with actress, director and writer Sarah Polley about her new book, Run Towards the Danger.

'New York Times' writer Frank Bruni on what losing eyesight taught him about life

4:55pm March 01, 2022

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Frank Bruni about his new book The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found, a memoir about the author partially losing his eyesight.

Books

'What My Bones Know' is Stephanie Foo's memoir on living with complex PTSD

8:53am February 27, 2022

by Sarah McCammon

Sarah McCammon speaks with author and journalist Stephanie Foo about her new book, "What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma."

Books

Beyoncé collaborator Warsan Shire releases her first full collection of poetry

8:12am February 27, 2022

by Sarah McCammon

Warsan Shire's poetry rocketed into public view when she collaborated with Beyoncé on the visual album "Lemonade." Sarah McCammon asks Shire about her first full collection of poetry.

Books

'Checkout 19' encapsulates a lifelong love affair with the magic of books

7:59am February 26, 2022

by Scott Simon

An English schoolgirl discovers the power of reading, writing and imagination in the new novel, "Checkout 19." Scott Simon speaks with author Claire-Louise Bennett about her story.