Author Interviews

Books
Arts

For Stanley Tucci, food is like religion — and cancer almost took it away

4:36pm November 26, 2021

by Dave Davies

Tucci has always connected to his roots through food, so he was devastated when cancer treatment put him on a feeding tube. He's now cancer-free, with a new memoir. Originally broadcast Oct. 5, 2021.

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The new book 'Taste Makers' celebrates 7 immigrant women who shaped American cuisine

4:44pm November 25, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Mayukh Sen about his new book, Taste Makers. It tells the stories of seven immigrant women who shaped the way America eats.

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Encore: Author Kati Marton explores Angela Merkel's impact on Germany and the world

4:19pm November 25, 2021

NPR's Sarah McCammon speaks with author Kati Marton about her biography of Angela Merkel, The Chancellor, and what the politician's departure means for Germany and the world.

Steven Van Zandt [left], James Gandolfini and Tony Sirico starred in HBO's hit television series, The Sopranos.

Books

HBO revolutionized TV, but the next few years are tipped to be pivotal for its future

7:30pm November 24, 2021

by Eric Deggans

Journalist James Andrew Miller and NPR TV critic Eric Deggans talk about how HBO changed television and why the next few years are pivotal for the network's future.

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Dave Grohl performs onstage during the taping of the 2021 "Vax Live" fundraising concert at the in Inglewood, Calif.

Dave Grohl retraces his life-affirming path from Nirvana to Foo Fighters

4:32pm November 24, 2021

by Terry Gross

After Nirvana ended, Grohl wasn't sure he wanted to continue making music. But, he says, "I realized that music was the one thing that had healed me my entire life." His memoir is The Storyteller.

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Ann Patchett on the friendship that came from quarantining with Tom Hanks' assistant

4:45pm November 23, 2021

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with author Ann Patchett about her latest collection of essays, These Precious Days, and how she ended up quarantining with Tom Hanks' personal assistant.

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Author Louise Erdrich next the cover of her new book, The Sentence.

The white ghosts haunting Native Americans in 'The Sentence'

6:00am November 23, 2021

by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler

Louise Erdrich's novel turns the trope of the haunted Indian burial ground on its head with the story of a Native-run bookstore being visited by the ghost of a white woman obsessed with indigeneity.

Dave Eggers' new book depicts a dystopian future and an all-powerful tech giant

5:20pm November 22, 2021

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with author Dave Eggers about his new book, The Every, a dystopian look at the near-future when one massive company controls just about everything.

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A clerk shows a customer an AR-15 style rifle at a gun show in Costa Mesa, Calif. in June 2021. Gun sales increased in the U.S, following COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

Former gun industry insider explains why he left to fight for the other side

1:20pm November 22, 2021

by Dave Davies

Gunfight author Ryan Busse was once a rising star in the gun industry. But he became disillusioned after Columbine when, he says, the NRA began to use "fear and conspiracy and hatred" to boost sales.

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Books

Author interview: 'The Deeper the Roots'

5:09pm November 21, 2021

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Michael Tubbs about his memoir, The Deeper the Roots.