Author Interviews

New Book Presents A 'Secret History' Of Nuclear War Planning In America

1:19pm January 27, 2020

by Dave Davies

In The Bomb, journalist Fred Kaplan reveals how U.S. presidents, their advisers and generals have thought about, planned for — and sometimes narrowly avoided — nuclear war.

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Books

Journalist Joshua Yaffa On New Book, 'Between Two Fires'

5:14pm January 26, 2020

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with journalist Joshua Yaffa about his new book Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition and Compromise in Putin's Russia.

Books
Arts

'This Isn't New': Questions For Tochi Onyebuchi, Author Of 'Riot Baby'

10:00am January 26, 2020

by Petra Mayer

Tochi Onyebuchi's slim, devastating novella follows a young man born amidst the chaos of the 1992 Rodney King riots — and his sister, whose terrifying magical powers can't protect him from racism.

Books

Author Interview: Dennis Baron On 'What's Your Pronoun?'

7:56am January 26, 2020

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Baron's new book chronicles the history of the gender-neutral, third-person word, "they."

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Dogs' olfactory capacity — they can sniff in parts per trillion — primes them to detect disease.

How Super Sniffer Dogs Are Helping Detect Disease Around The World

8:55pm January 25, 2020

by John Henning Schumann

Our canine buddies can do more than play fetch. Turns out dogs' incredible sense of smell is a secret weapon in medicine.

Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, by Marcia Chatelain

Books
Arts

'Franchise' Tracks The Rise And Role Of Fast Food In Black America

5:32pm January 25, 2020

by Michel Martin

History professor Marcia Chatelain's new book tracks what she calls the hidden history of the relationships between the struggle for civil rights and the expansion of the fast food industry.

Books

Marcelo Hernandez Castillo On 'Children of the Land'

7:54am January 25, 2020

by Scott Simon

The Mexican-born poet talks to NPR's Scott Simon about his new memoir and the struggles his family faced as undocumented immigrants.

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Books
Arts

'Interior Chinatown' Puts That Guy In The Background Front And Center

7:54am January 25, 2020

by Scott Simon

Charles Yu's new novel follows a TV actor who often gets stuck playing generic Asian men. Yu says he was inspired by shows that set episodes in Chinatown — but keep Asian actors in the background.

Books

'American Dirt' Author Jeanine Cummins Answers Vocal Critics

7:35am January 24, 2020

NPR's Rachel Martin talks to author Jeanine Cummins, who responds to criticism from Latino writers who say her new novel — American Dirt — is not an accurate portrayal of the migrant experience.

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Michael Chabon attends the premiere of CBS All Access' Star Trek: Picard in Hollywood, Calif., on Jan. 13, 2020.

Arts

'First, Last And Always, I Am A Fan': Michael Chabon Steers Latest 'Star Trek'

6:16pm January 23, 2020

by Eric Deggans

The Pulitzer prize-winning author says he never had the "chutzpah" to dream of writing for Star Trek. But now, he's showrunner and executive producer on Star Trek: Picard on CBS All Access.

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