Author Interviews

Books
Arts

'Utopia Avenue,' The Greatest Sixties Band That Never Was

7:54am July 11, 2020

by Scott Simon

David Mitchell's new novel chronicles the rise and fall of fictional 1960s psychedelic rock band. He says he was drawn to both the music and the "dark magic that was in the air" in that era.

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'The Beauty In Breaking' Chronicles Chaos And Healing In The Emergency Room

1:51pm July 09, 2020

by Dave Davies

In a new memoir, Dr. Michele Harper writes about treating gunshot wounds, discovering evidence of child abuse — and drawing courage from her patients as she's struggled to overcome her own trauma.

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'Unholy' Examines The Alliance Between White Evangelicals And Trump

1:27pm July 08, 2020

by Terry Gross

The president isn't known for his faith. Instead, author Sarah Posner says he connects with Evangelicals by voicing the legal, social, religious and cultural grievances of the Christian right.

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Dana Canedy announces 2019 Pulitzer winners at a ceremony in New York.

Books
Arts

Dana Canedy Is First Black Person To Head Major Publishing Imprint

12:29pm July 08, 2020

by Rachel Martin

Simon & Schuster has named Dana Canedy executive vice president and publisher of its namesake imprint. She is the first Black person and the third woman to hold that position.

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Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy, by Larry Tye

'We've Got To Learn From Our History,' 'Demagogue' Author Warns

3:32pm July 07, 2020

by Terry Gross

Author Larry Tye chronicles Sen. Joseph McCarthy's infamous smear campaign in a new book. He says both McCarthy and Trump are "bullies" who exploit fears and "point fingers when they're attacked."

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Coronavirus And Drinking Games: Author Of New Book Sees Commonalities

1:24pm July 07, 2020

by Susan Brink

Adam Kucharski, author of the new book The Rules Of Contagion, talks about how to predict the spread (and end) of contagious events, from viruses to internet trends.

Books

In 'Members Only,' Pandya Examines Brown Space Between Black And White

6:29am July 07, 2020

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Sameer Pandya, author of the new book: Members Only.

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Friends and Strangers, by J. Courtney Sullivan

Books
Arts

Privilege Takes Many Forms In 'Friends And Strangers'

4:15pm July 06, 2020

by Mary Louise Kelly

J. Courtney Sullivan's new novel examines the relationship between a mother and her child's caregiver — both women with significant degrees of privilege, despite their surface economic differences.

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"I dug my fingers there and here and stretched my arms like ropes. I threw my body through the air and caught myself in all the ways I'd imagined, a bright path of thinking."

This Book Teaches Kids 'How To Solve A Problem' Like A Rock Climber Would

11:16am July 05, 2020

by Samantha Balaban

Nineteen-year-old Ashima Shiraishi may be one of the most talented rock climbers in the world, but lofty titles aside, she wants kids to know that most of climbing — and life — is "just falling."

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Books

Author Lacy Crawford Looks Back At Her Sexual Assault In New Memoir

7:53am July 05, 2020

NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with author Lacy Crawford about her new memoir, Notes on a Silencing, about her sexual assault at an elite boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire.