Author Interviews

Tim O'Brien was a foot soldier during the Vietnam War. "The problem for me really is that I questioned the rectitude of the war," he says. "I thought I was doing the wrong thing by being there."

Books
Arts

Tim O'Brien On Late-In-Life Fatherhood And The Things He Carried From Vietnam

1:17pm February 24, 2021

by Terry Gross

Now 74, O'Brien didn't become a father until his late 50s. He reflects on writing, mortality and his experiences in Vietnam in the new documentary, The War and Peace of Tim O'Brien.

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What Does The 'War' Over Obamacare Reveal About Our Governing Bodies?

1:46pm February 23, 2021

by Terry Gross

In his new book, The Ten Year War, Jonathan Cohn looks at the intense debate surrounding the Affordable Care Act, the compromises of the law itself, and the ongoing fight for universal health care.

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Red Line: The Unraveling of Syria and America's Race to Destroy the Most Dangerous Arsenal in the World, by Joby Warrick

'Red Line' Examines Syria's Use Of Chemical Weapons, And The World's Discovery Of It

10:49am February 23, 2021

by Steve Inskeep

Journalist Joby Warrick takes a detailed look at an excruciating moment for the world — the time in 2013 when the U.S. concluded that Syria's government had used chemical weapons in its civil war.

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Books
Arts

'Popular Longing' Digs Into Everything We'd Rather Leave Unsaid

5:45am February 22, 2021

by Jeevika Verma

In her third collection of poems, Natalie Shapero takes a blunt, funny look at the uncomfortable realities of life under capitalism. She says her work engages with the things people don't talk about.

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Journalist Margaret Coker Retells The Story Of The Battle Against ISIS In New Book

8:01am February 21, 2021

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with journalist Margaret Coker about her new book, The Spymaster of Baghdad. It chronicles the work of Iraqi intelligence agents against extremist groups.

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Books

What Fashion History Says About A Vice Presidential 'Vogue' Controversy

4:16pm February 19, 2021

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Richard Thompson Ford, author of the book Dress Codes: How The Laws Of Fashion Made History.

Books
Arts

'Black Radical' Traces The Life And Legacy Of Activist William Monroe Trotter

1:34pm February 19, 2021

by Dave Davies

Trotter was a Black newspaper editor in the early 20th century who advocated for civil rights by organizing mass protests. Historian Kerri Greenidge tells his story. Originally broadcast January 2021.

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Books

In 'No One Is Talking About This,' Patricia Lockwood Enters An Internet Portal

4:07pm February 17, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Patricia Lockwood on her new novel, No One Is Talking About This. The book follows its protagonist down an Internet wormhole until a real-life event snaps her out of it.

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'Sum Of Us' Examines The Hidden Cost Of Racism — For Everyone

1:45pm February 17, 2021

by Dave Davies

Author Heather McGhee draws on a wealth of economic data to make the case that discriminatory laws and practices that target African Americans also negatively impact society at large.

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Books

Bette Midler Discusses Her New Children's Book, 'The Tale Of The Mandarin Duck'

4:57pm February 16, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Bette Midler about her new children's book, The Tale of the Mandarin Duck, a fable about a diva who catches the eye of New Yorkers.