Author Interviews

Rachel Johnson Talks New Memoir Detailing 'Political Mid-life Crisis'

5:02pm July 17, 2021

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Rachel Johnson, sister of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, about her memoir, Rake's Progress: The Madcap True Tale of My Political Midlife Crisis.

Books

Three Women Wait Every Day For Their Unknown Husbands In The 'China Room'

9:52am July 17, 2021

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with novelist Sunjeev Sahota about his new book, "China Room."

Books

'Bring Your Baggage And Don't Pack Light' Collects Hilarious Essays On Midlife

9:16am July 17, 2021

Scott Simon speaks with author Helen Ellis about her new collection of essays about midlife, "Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light."

Intense physical activity may not be as helpful in losing weight as you may hope.

Why Crash Weight Loss Programs Don't Work: Clues From Hunter-Gatherer Societies

4:02pm July 16, 2021

by John Henning Schumann

Evolutionary anthropologist Herman Pontzer shares why some of the most physically active people in the world don't burn more calories than office workers. And what that means for your fitness goals.

Books
Arts

Anthony Bourdain: The 'Fresh Air' Interview

1:43pm July 16, 2021

by Dave Davies

We listen back to our 2016 interview with the late food writer and TV host, who killed himself in 2018 while in France to film Parts Unknown. Bourdain is the subject of a new documentary, Roadrunner.

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Re-Revising 'The History Of Jazz'

11:27am July 15, 2021

by Natalie Weiner

Ted Gioia first published his History of Jazz in 1997, updating it for the first time in 2011. This year he did so again, after a very important decade for the genre.

Meet Oakland's First Poet Laureate: Dr. Ayodele 'WordSlanger' Nzinga

5:13am July 15, 2021

by David Exumé

Oakland, Calif., has named its first Poet Laureate. Dr. Ayodele Nzinga — also known as WordSlanger — will serve a two-year term aimed at making poetry more accessible to Oaklanders.

MLB Pitcher C.C. Sabathia Shares Stories From The Mound — And Of Sobriety

1:48pm July 14, 2021

by Dave Davies

The six-time All Star pitched for the Yankees and the Indians during his 19-year career. He also struggled with alcoholism. Sabathia reflects on baseball and sobriety in the memoir, Till the End.

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Reporters Reveal 'Ugly Truth' Of How Facebook Enables Hate Groups And Disinformation

4:50pm July 13, 2021

by Terry Gross

In a new book, Cecilia Kang and Sheera Frenkel say Facebook failed in its effort to combat disinformation. "Facebook knew the potential for explosive violence was very real [on Jan 6]," Kang says.

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Revenge, Red Smoke And Rubber Trees: A Vietnam Ghost Story

4:25pm July 12, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Violet Kupersmith about Build Your House Around My Body. It's the story of a woman's disappearance in Vietnam, populated by vengeful — but not always scary — ghosts.