Author Interviews

Former CIA chief John Brennan has a new book out titled Undaunted.

Former Spy Chief Brennan Looks Back At Sept. 11 — And Ahead To Presidential Election

2:04pm October 06, 2020

by Mary Louise Kelly

John Brennan discusses national security implications of Trump's coronavirus infection and what he'd have done differently post-Sept. 11. The former CIA director's memoir, Undaunted, is out this week.

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Lenny Kravitz performs in Tours, France in 2018. He says touring is hard — and wonderful: "Everything is about those two and a half hours on stage."

Lenny Kravitz On Race, Being On The Road, And Ruff Ruff The Magic Dog

12:19pm October 06, 2020

by Sam Briger

Kravitz's new memoir, Let Love Rule, follows his childhood and early career. Still touring in his 50s, Kravitz says, "I'm going to continue doing this as long as I can."

Books

'Nothing Like I Imagined': A Window Into Kaling's World Away From Cameras

6:40am October 06, 2020

NPR's David Greene talks to actress and writer Mindy Kaling, who you may know from television's The Office or The Mindy Project. She's released an essay collection entitled: Nothing Like I Imagined.

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Books
Arts

Anger And A Sense Of Betrayal Drive 'Why Didn't We Riot?'

7:52pm October 05, 2020

by Ari Shapiro

Journalist Issac J. Bailey had a hard time writing the essays in his new collection Why Didn't We Riot? because it was painful to confront his suppressed anger about being a Black man in America.

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Books
Arts

Dylan Farrow Spins A Tale Of Truth, Lies And Power In 'Hush'

7:43am October 04, 2020

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Dylan Farrow's new young adult novel — based on her own experiences — is about plague-blighted land where a cabal of magical men can steal away your ability to distinguish fact from fantasy.

Former mayor of South Bend, Ind., Pete Buttigieg, pictured in Charleston, S.C., in February.

Pete Buttigieg Says There's A 'Crisis In Trust'

7:04pm October 03, 2020

Pete Buttigieg argues that Americans don't trust enough — in the government and in each other. Buttigieg talks with NPR about his book, Trust: America's Best Chance.

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Books

Sir David Attenborough Has A Dire Message About The Earth's Future

8:19am October 03, 2020

NPR's Scott Simon talks with British natural historian and broadcaster David Attenborough about his new book, Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and Vision for the Future.

Books
Arts

Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet Vijay Seshadri Releases New Poetry Collection

8:19am October 03, 2020

NPR's Scott Simon talks with Pulitzer Prize winning poet Vijay Seshadri about his new collection, That Was Now, This Is Then.

The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III, by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser

James Baker, 'The Man Who Ran Washington,' Laments Today's Politics

4:12pm October 02, 2020

by Mary Louise Kelly

A new book by the journalist-author duo Peter Baker and Susan Glasser delves into the story of the once-powerbroker. "I think he always has this idea that things can be fixed," Peter Baker says.

A new book tells the story behind Operation Varsity Blues, the largest college admissions scandal ever prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Lies, Money And Cheating: The Deeper Story Of The College Admissions Scandal

1:57pm September 30, 2020

A new book tells the story behind Operation Varsity Blues. The juicy details demonstrate how the admissions process was already broken and extremely unfair.