Author Interviews

Showers feel fabulous — but how frequent is too frequent for skin ecology?

In The Era Of Hygiene, 'Clean' Author Makes The Case For Showering Less

3:11pm September 26, 2020

by Emily Vaughn

Your skin's microbiome could use a break from soap and cosmetics, Dr. James Hamblin says. He ditched bathing for five years to harness the power of "good" microbes.

Books

Nic Stone Discusses Her New Children's Novel, 'Dear Justyce'

7:47am September 26, 2020

NPR's Scott Simon asks Nic Stone about Dear Justyce, her novel for young readers. She tells Dear Justyce through the letters an incarcerated teen writes to a friend.

The cover of the Elisabeth Thomas's Catherine House.

Books

The Surreally Diverse World Of 'Catherine House'

6:19am September 26, 2020

by Leah Donnella

This week, Code Switch is talking about our favorite pandemic reads. Today's conversation is with author Elisabeth Thomas, about her fictional cult-like college, set deep in the woods of Pennsylvania.

Books
Arts

Feminist Gloria Steinem On Finding Herself Free Of The 'Demands Of Gender'

1:37pm September 25, 2020

by Terry Gross

Steinem reflects on her unique childhood and the illegal abortion she had when she was 22. She is the subject of the new biopic, The Glorias. Originally broadcast in 1987 and 2015.

Queue Listen Now

Books

Sex, Love And Money In 'Take A Hint, Dani Brown'

11:31am September 25, 2020

by Karen Grigsby Bates

This week, Code Switch is talking about the books that are getting us through the pandemic. Today's conversation is with Talia Hibbert, who's written a classic romance with a modern twist.

'Behind The Kingdom's Veil' Offers Insights Into The Lives Of Ordinary Saudis

4:04pm September 24, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with correspondent Susanne Koelbl of Der Spiegel about her book, Behind the Kingdom's Veil: Inside the New Saudi Arabia Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Books

Colonialism, Eugenics And Downright Terror In 'Mexican Gothic'

2:09pm September 24, 2020

by Leah Donnella

This week, Code Switch is talking about the books that are getting us through the pandemic. Today's conversation is with Silvia Moreno-Garcia, author of the creepy and engrossing Mexican Gothic.

How to Fly (In Ten Thousand Easy Lessons): Poetry, by Barbara Kingsolver

Books

Barbara Kingsolver's Passion For Poetry Prevails In 'How To Fly'

7:53am September 24, 2020

by Rachel Martin

The author of novels The Poisonwood Bible and The Bean Trees has published a second book of poetry this week titled How to Fly (In Ten Thousand Easy Lessons).

Queue Listen Now

Books

'Owed': Poems That Celebrate Denigrated Places And People

4:33pm September 23, 2020

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks with poet Joshua Bennett about his new collection, Owed. Bennett says he tried to create poems that celebrate places and people who were disparaged.

Solutions and Other Problems, by Allie Brosh

Books
Arts

There's No 'Convenient Structure To Life,' Says Allie Brosh

6:03pm September 22, 2020

by Ailsa Chang

Comic artist Allie Brosh has just published her long-awaited second book, Solutions and Other Problems. It's full of her trademark googly-eyed drawings and stories about life, pets and loss.

Queue Listen Now