Author Interviews

Books

'Little Soldiers' Examines China's Military-Like Education System

7:51am September 28, 2017

Mary Louise Kelly talks to journalist and Shanghai resident Lenora Chu about educating her young son in the Chinese public education system. Chu has written a book called: Little Soldiers.

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President Barack Obama speaks at the 2014 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, D.C. Speechwriter David Litt, who helped craft the president's comedy routine that night, says, "Some of the joke is always that it's the president tel

A Former Speechwriter Looks Back On His 'Hopey, Changey' Years With Obama

5:59pm September 25, 2017

by Terry Gross

David Litt says writing speeches and jokes for former President Obama was often a delicate task: "There's a whole industry of people trying to take your words out of context."

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'Nomadland' Tracks Rising Number Of Americans Living On The Road

4:33pm September 25, 2017

A new book by the journalist Jessica Bruder describes the increasing number of Americans living on the road, often in RVs, moving from job to job as a way to avoid the expense of a permanent home. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Bruder about her book, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century.

In his new book, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella explores how he's had to work on his capacity for empathy to change the company's culture.

Books

How Do You Turn Around A Tech Giant? With Empathy, Microsoft CEO Says

4:33pm September 25, 2017

by Aarti Shahani

The CEO of Microsoft was hired to turn the company around. And now, just three years into the job, Satya Nadella has written a book reflecting on this monumental task — and the empathy it requires.

Books
Arts

'Unforgivable Love' Resets Steamy 'Dangerous Liaisons' In 1940s Harlem

8:02am September 24, 2017

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

The retelling of the 1782 French novel has just as much betrayal and bed-hopping as the original, but in a new locale. Author Sophfronia Scott explains why Harlem — and how she writes good sex scenes.

Books

Poetry For Kids Who Are 'Just No Good At Rhyming'

8:11am September 23, 2017

Poetry has to rhyme, doesn't it? Chris Harris talks with Scott Simon about his new book for kids called I'm Just No good at Rhyming.

Books

A Suicide Reverberates In 'The Ninth Hour'

8:11am September 23, 2017

NPR's Scott Simon talks to author Alice McDermott about her new novel, The Ninth Hour. It starts with a suicide and then reveals how the kindness of faithful strangers can steer people's lives.

'Cuz' Examines The Tragic Life And Death Of A Young Black Man In LA

12:52pm September 20, 2017

Danielle Allen's memoir centers on her cousin Michael, who was sentenced to a long prison term for carjacking when he was 15. Three years after his release, he was found shot to death in a parked car.

"It's just truth," Gucci Mane says of his new book. "It's the underdog story because I been jumping hurdles my whole life."

'The Autobiography Of Gucci Mane': A Story Of Rap And Rebirth

5:42pm September 19, 2017

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks to rapper about his new book, The Autobiography of Gucci Mane. It traces his life as an artist who forged an unlikely path to stardom and personal rebirth.

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Could The Trump Presidency Lead To An Era Of Democratic Renewal?

2:55pm September 19, 2017

Journalists E.J. Dionne and Norm Ornstein say that a new wave of political activism springs from the fact that Trump is unfit for office. Their new book (with Thomas Mann) is One Nation After Trump.

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