Author Interviews

Alison Bechdel Takes On Exercise Trends In 'The Secret to Superhuman Strength'

1:24pm May 05, 2021

by Terry Gross

Bechdel's new graphic memoir is about her lifelong obsession with exercise. She says she has a "predisposition of being extremely self-conscious and very caught up in my head" — and exercise helps.

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Suzanne Simard is a professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia. Her own medical journey inspired her research into, among other things, the way yew trees communicate chemically with neighboring trees for their mutual defense.

Trees Talk To Each Other. 'Mother Tree' Ecologist Hears Lessons For People, Too

1:17am May 05, 2021

by Dave Davies

Ecologist Suzanne Simard says trees are "social creatures" that communicate with each other in remarkable ways — including warning each other of danger and sharing nutrients at critical times.

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren speaks during a Senate Finance Committee hearing in Washington on Feb. 24. Warren's latest book is called Persist.

Elizabeth Warren Stitches The Stories She Says 'Help Us Learn To Persist'

6:25am May 04, 2021

by Rachel Martin

Sen. Elizabeth Warren says she isn't looking to be president. She's looking for change, she tells NPR, which happens when we talk about our stories — from sexual harassment to child care troubles.

Books
Arts

'The Parted Earth' Traces The Impact Of India's Partition Across Generations

5:53am May 04, 2021

Partition split India and Pakistan in 1947 and affected millions of lives across decades. Journalist Anjali Enjeti's new novel explores the way people who don't process their trauma can pass it on.

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Nicole Lynn Lewis is the author of Pregnant Girl: A Story of Teen Motherhood, College, and Creating a Better Future for Young Families.

Former 'Pregnant Girl' Builds Support To Help Other Teen Moms

2:46pm May 03, 2021

by Terry Gross

Nicole Lynn Lewis felt overwhelmed and isolated as a young single mom in college. Now she runs a nonprofit designed to help teen parents get the financial and emotional support they need to thrive.

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The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis' 'The Premonition' Is A Sweeping Indictment Of The CDC

9:05am May 03, 2021

by Rachel Martin

In a new book, author Michael Lewis writes about public health officers who tried to get others to look at the data on COVID-19 and act to make sure the virus didn't spread.

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Books
Arts

Alison Bechdel Discusses A Lifelong Affair With Exercise In New Memoir

8:02am May 02, 2021

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Alison Bechdel about her new graphic memoir, The Secret to Superhuman Strength.

Books
Arts

Comics Hero Barry Windsor-Smith Is Back, And He's Brought Something Monstrous

7:00am May 02, 2021

by Etelka Lehoczky

Windsor-Smith is known for his work on Conan the Barbarian and lots of X-Men titles. Now, he's back with a passion project about a man subjected to ghastly secret government experiments.

Books

Sharon Stone On New Memoir 'The Beauty Of Living Twice'

6:04pm May 01, 2021

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with actress Sharon Stone about her new book — already a New York Times bestseller.

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Books
Arts

'Great Circle' Takes Flight Across Decades And Continents

9:08am May 01, 2021

by Scott Simon

The daredevil aviator in Maggie Shipstead's new novel was inspired by Amelia Earhart. Shipstead says she wants to investigate the difference between death and a disappearance like Earhart's.