Author Interviews

Arts

Remembering Jill Ker Conway, The First Female President Of Smith College

12:32pm June 15, 2018

by Terry Gross

The women's history scholar, who died June 1, grew up on a remote Australian sheep farm and later went on to write three memoirs, including True North. Conway spoke to Fresh Air in 1989, '94 and '98.

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Books

'The Perfect Weapon' Tells The Story Of Growing Cyber War That The U.S. Is Fighting

5:14pm June 14, 2018

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with David Sanger about his new book The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age. It tells the story of the growing cyber war that the U.S. is fighting in secret.

Books
Arts

A.M. Homes: Short Stories Are 'Food For The Soul And For The Mind'

5:57pm June 13, 2018

by Audie Cornish

Her first story collection in 15 years is called Days of Awe, and it covers everything from a chat room for bird lovers, to a summit on genocide, to a superstore where someone's abandoned a baby.

How Taking A Stand For Justice Can Threaten The Careers Of Black Athletes

2:07pm June 13, 2018

by Terry Gross

Journalist Howard Bryant discusses the history of social protest among African-American athletes. His new book, The Heritage, traces the tradition back to Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali and others.

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Books

In 'Fight No More,' Author Lydia Millet Uses Homes As Windows Into Characters' Lives

4:39pm June 12, 2018

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with the award-winning author Lydia Millet about Fight No More, her latest book that's collection of interconnected short stories set in houses around Los Angeles.

CRISPR and other gene technology is exciting, but shouldn't be seen as a panacea for treating illness linked to genetic mutations, says science columnist and author Carl Zimmer. It's still early days for the clinical applications of research.

A Science Writer Explores The 'Perversions And Potential' Of Genetic Tests

3:07pm June 11, 2018

by Terry Gross

Carl Zimmer wondered what secrets lurked in his genetic code — so he decided to have his genome sequenced. He writes about the implications of the study of genetics in She Has Her Mother's Laugh.

Books
Arts

Somali Refugee Abdi Nor Iftin: 'I Am Here To Make America Great'

7:54am June 10, 2018

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Back in Somalia, Abdi Nor Iftin was nicknamed "Abdi the American," and his love of this country put him in danger — but then he got a visa to come here. Iftin has a new memoir out: Call Me American.

Ron Stallworth (pictured here in 1975) was the first black detective in the history of the Colorado Springs Police Department.

How A Black Detective Infiltrated The KKK

4:44pm June 09, 2018

by Scott Simon

In Black Klansman, Ron Stallworth writes about an undercover investigation in which he — an African-American police detective — convinced the Ku Klux Klan that he was one of them.

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Books

Carrie Fisher And Debbie Reynolds Remembered In 'My Girls'

8:10am June 09, 2018

Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds died within hours of each other. Todd Fisher talks with NPR's Scott Simon about losing his sister and mother and his new memoir My Girls.

Former Obama Administration Insider Says U.S. Is Losing Its Standing On International Stage

4:23pm June 07, 2018

Ben Rhodes witnessed all eight years of Barack Obama's presidency from inside the White House, helping the president make key national security and foreign policy decisions. NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Rhodes about his new memoir about those years, The World as It Is.

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