Author Interviews

Crime Is Down In American Cities, And 'Uneasy Peace' Explains Why

7:29am January 20, 2018

by Scott Simon

Contrary to what you might see on TV, homicide, assault and rapes have decreased in big cities since the 1970s. Patrick Sharkey attributes the change, in part, to something that happened in the '90s.

Books
Arts

How The Man In The Apartment Hit Big With 'The Woman In The Window'

7:25am January 20, 2018

by Lynn Neary

Take a pinch of Hitchcock, a bit of Gone Girl, stir in a mysterious author and you've got the recipe for something unusual: One of the rare debut novels to hit number one its first week on the market.

Daniel Ellsberg Explains Why He Leaked The Pentagon Papers

1:30pm January 19, 2018

In 1971, Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers to the press in the hope that they would help end the Vietnam War. His story is portrayed in the new film The Post. Originally broadcast Dec. 4, 2017.

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Books
Arts

In 'Munich,' Neville Chamberlain Gets The Best Of Hitler

5:58am January 19, 2018

by Steve Inskeep

History hasn't been kind to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who tried to head off war by appeasing Adolf Hitler. But Robert Harris' new novel Munich asks readers to reconsider Chamberlain.

"It brings back a lot of shame," Christian Picciolini says of his time fronting a white power punk band. He has since disavowed the white supremacist movement and works to help others disengage from it too.

A Former Neo-Nazi Explains Why Hate Drew Him In — And How He Got Out

2:27pm January 18, 2018

by Dave Davies

Christian Picciolini spent eight years as a member of a violent, white power skinhead group. He eventually withdrew and co-founded a nonprofit to help extremists disengage.

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Books
Arts

Daniel Pink's 'When' Shows the Importance Of Timing Throughout Life

7:01pm January 17, 2018

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with author Daniel Pink about his new book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. In his book, Pink examines the importance of timing in various aspects of life.

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Are Implanted Medical Devices Creating A 'Danger Within Us'?

3:11pm January 17, 2018

by Dave Davies

Medical journalist Jeanne Lenzer warns that implanted medical devices are approved with far less scrutiny and testing than drugs. As a result, she says, some have caused harm and even death.

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Books
Arts

New Picture Book Illustrates How 'Love' Is Always Around

8:33pm January 15, 2018

If you're lucky, you know what love is before you can even say the word. When you're a little kid love is a piece of toast, the color of a sunset, music from the radio. That's the message of a new picture book called, Love. NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with author Matt de la Pena and illustrator Loren Long.

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'They Didn't Want Me There': Remembering The Terror Of School Integration

3:31pm January 15, 2018

by Dave Davies

In 1957, three years after the Supreme Court declared segregated schools unconstitutional, Melba Pattillo Beals was one of nine black students who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Ark.

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The French-Moroccan author Leila Slimani has just released her breakout novel, The Perfect Nanny, in the U.S.

Books

When 2 Children Are Murdered, 'The Perfect Nanny' Is Anything But

7:51am January 14, 2018

by Barrie Hardymon

Leila Slimani's breakout novel, inspired by true stories of killer caregivers, chronicles the complex relationship between a mother and her babysitter.