Author Interviews

Books

'We Need To Hang Out' Aims To Remedy Struggles Some People Have To Connect

8:10am January 27, 2021

Studies have shown men have trouble maintaining close friendships, and that has detrimental effects. NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Boston Globe reporter Billy Baker about his book: We Need to Hang Out.

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The simplest of sentences requires a complex set of the vocal "gymnastics" of the tongue and throat that relies on timing and gives rise to a sort of music that is human speech.

A Writer Lost His Singing Voice, Then Discovered The 'Gymnastics' Of Speech

7:00pm January 26, 2021

by Dave Davies

New Yorker writer John Colapinto developed a vocal polyp when he began "wailing" with a rock group without proper warmup. His new book explores the human voice's physicality, frailty and feats .

Books
Arts

'Voice' Author Explores Accents, Language And What Makes A Tone Sexy

1:50pm January 25, 2021

by Dave Davies

New Yorker writer John Colapinto says the development of vocal structures may have been the key to humans' becoming the dominant species on the planet. His new book is This is the Voice.

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Cicely Tyson says her mother did not want her to be an actress. "But in my gut, I knew there was something there that I was put here to do," Tyson says.

Books
Arts

'Just As I Am': Cicely Tyson Reflects On Her Long Career

6:03pm January 24, 2021

by Michel Martin

In a memoir, Cicely Tyson recalls an improbable journey through a six-decade career. She says several roles "hurt me deeply because it happened simply because of the color of my skin and my sex."

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Books
Arts

The Trojan Women — And Many More — Speak Up In 'A Thousand Ships'

9:38am January 24, 2021

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Natalie Haynes's new book tells the epic story of the Trojan War from the perspectives of the women involved in it. And that means all the women — from Troy and Sparta, goddesses, Amazons and more.

Author Interview: 'The New Phd: How To Build A Better Graduate Education'

5:35pm January 23, 2021

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with professor Leonard Cassuto and former university administrator Robert Weisbuch about their new book.

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Books

Maurice Chammah Charts The History Of The Death Penalty In 'Let The Lord Sort Them'

8:46am January 23, 2021

NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Maurice Chammah, staff writer for the Marshall Project and author of a new book, Let the Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty.

Biography Traces Political Mistakes And Personal Scars That Shaped Joe Biden

1:51pm January 22, 2021

by Terry Gross

Evan Osnos talks about Joe Biden's enduring quest to become president. He says Biden has a different mindset today than he once had: "He's a man who is at peace." Originally broadcast Oct. 27, 2020.

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With the pandemic, many people are turning to at-home workouts and walks in their neighborhoods. That's good, says Exercised author Daniel Lieberman. "You don't have to do incredible strength training ... to get some benefits of physical activity."

Just Move: Scientist Author Debunks Myths About Exercise And Sleep

2:13pm January 21, 2021

by Terry Gross

Paleoanthropologist Daniel Lieberman says the concept of "getting exercise" is relatively new. His new book, Exercised, examines why we run, lift and walk for a workout when our ancestors didn't.

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Books

Historian Tyler Stovall Discusses His New Book: 'White Freedom'

6:07am January 20, 2021

NPR's Noel King talks to Tyler Stovall about his book: White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea. It traces the complex relationship between freedom and race starting in the eighteenth century.

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