Author Interviews

Neuroscientist Joseph Jebelli says that while a certain amount of memory loss is a natural part of aging, what Alzheimer's patients experience is different.

Neuroscientist Predicts 'Much Better Treatment' For Alzheimer's Is 10 Years Away

7:21pm January 02, 2018

by Terry Gross

"Just the last few years alone have seen some serious breakthroughs in Alzheimer's research," Joseph Jebelli says. His new book is The Pursuit of Memory.

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In 'Green,' A Pre-Teen Wisens Up To His Privilege

8:12am December 31, 2017

by Lauren Frayer

Author Sam Graham-Felsen was the chief blogger for the Obama campaign in 2008. His debut novel is a coming-of-age story that grapples with race in America.

the cover of Hanif Kureishi's The Nothing

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In 'The Nothing,' A Dirty Old Man Lusts For Life

8:02am December 30, 2017

by Linda Wertheimer

The new novel from British author Hanif Kureishi finds its octogenarian protagonist, who suspects his wife may be cheating on him, preoccupied with sex and aging.

A graphic representing some of Fresh Air's most popular stories of 2017.

The 10 Most Popular 'Fresh Air' Interviews Of 2017

1:41pm December 29, 2017

In 2017, Fresh Air marked 30 years as a nationally syndicated, daily radio program by doing what it does best: more in-depth interviews.

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Novelist John Le Carré Reflects On His Own 'Legacy' Of Spying

3:00pm December 28, 2017

The 85-year-old novelist worked for MI5 and MI6 early in his career. "I felt I had to suppress my humanity," he says of those years. Originally broadcast Sept. 5, 2017.

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A Complicated Man, Outlined Clearly In Emily Wilson's New 'Odyssey'

8:24am December 24, 2017

by Lauren Frayer

The first woman to translate Homer's epic says she wanted to focus on the crystalline clarity she found in the original text, and let the muse speak directly to the readers.

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An Author Addresses A Young Santa Skeptic — Her Daughter

8:11am December 23, 2017

by Scott Simon

Martha Brockenbrough's new children's book Love, Santa answers potentially delicate questions. "This source of magic that so enraptures us around this time of year — well, it's us," she says.

How Battles Over Sex, Gender And Sexual Orientation 'Fractured American Politics'

1:39pm December 19, 2017

Moral Combat author R. Marie Griffith says the fight for women's suffrage and legal birth control in the early 20th century helped create a political divide in the U.S. that still exists today.

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For Novelist Jennifer Egan, 'The Joy Of Writing Is Being Delivered Out Of My Life'

2:19pm December 18, 2017

by Sam Briger

"I don't use my life as inspiration," says the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist. Her new book, Manhattan Beach, imagines the lives of the women who worked on the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II.

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Books

In 'Fortress America,' Examining How Fear Crept Into American Life

6:42pm December 17, 2017

by Ray Suarez

Historian Elaine Tyler May says that since the Cold War, fear has crept into American life. Her new book, Fortress America, examines key events that shaped today's political climate.

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