Author Interviews

Books

'Failure Is An Option' Urges People To Let Go Of the Constant Grind Towards Success

6:50pm May 02, 2018

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with H. Jon Benjamin about his new book, Failure Is An Option. The memoir urges us to let go of the constant grind towards success.

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'Soul Of America' Makes Sense Of Nation's Present By Examining Its Past

2:37pm May 02, 2018

by Dave Davies

Presidential historian Jon Meacham says looking back at times when the nation was divided by partisan fury and racial strife can help shed light on "the politics of the moment."

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Actor Leslie Odom Jr. attends the 2018 Tony Awards Nominations Announcement on May 1, 2018. in New York City.

Books
Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Talking 'Hamilton' And 'Failing Up' With Leslie Odom Jr.

9:00am May 02, 2018

by Linda Holmes

Broadway's original Aaron Burr sits down to talk about his new book, how it feels to hear ugly things about your career, and what he wants to do now that he couldn't before.

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Questlove's latest book, available now, is called Creative Quest.

Questlove Aims To Save Your Brain: 'Creativity Might Be In Jeopardy'

5:08pm May 01, 2018

The Roots bandleader and Renaissance man has a new book called Creative Quest, in which he advises readers on how to consider creativity, how to pursue it and how to channel it.

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Books

Has The Partisan Divide Ever Been This Bad? Author Jon Meacham Says, 'Yes'

9:17am May 01, 2018

Steve Inskeep talks to Jon Meacham, who's new book, The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels, is an attempt to understand the present by looking back at critical times in U.S. history.

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Michael Hayden, former Director of the CIA and NSA, speaks at Nobel Week Dialogue: the Future of Truth conference on Dec. 9, 2017, in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Ex-CIA Director On National Security, Post-Truth 'Assault On Intelligence'

8:22am May 01, 2018

by Ailsa Chang

Michael Hayden's new book critiques the forces threatening the U.S. intelligence community, including President Trump, at a time he says the community's work has never been harder or more important.

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Alex Wagner is a contributor to CBS News and The Atlantic Magazine.

Books
Arts

A Journalist Seeks Out Her Roots, But Finds Few Answers In The Soil

2:40pm April 30, 2018

by Terry Gross

Alex Wagner says the birth of her son made her want to learn more about her heritage. "I wanted to tell my son a story that was true," she says. Wagner chronicles her journey in Futureface.

Former Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., served in Congress from 2001-2017. He is pictured here in 2014.

A Bill To Make Every American Bear Arms, In The Novel 'Big Guns'

5:52pm April 29, 2018

by Michel Martin

Steve Israel's new satire imagines a world where the gun lobby holds enough sway to pass such legislation through Congress. As a former Democratic congressman, he knows the subject intimately.

Books
Arts

In 'Emergency Contact,' Finding A Safe Space In Texts

3:42pm April 29, 2018

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Mary H.K. Choi's new novel follows Sam and Penny, both awkward and deeply damaged people, who forge a connection first through text messages and then in real life.

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A Long Fight For Justice For Contractors In 'The Girl From Kathmandu'

8:10am April 29, 2018

Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with author and journalist Cam Simpson about his new book, The Girl from Kathmandu, about the life of contract employees from poor countries working for the U.S. in Iraq.