Author Interviews

How Black Leaders Unwittingly Contributed To The Era Of Mass Incarceration

2:20pm July 17, 2017

James Forman Jr., son of civil rights activists, says that African-American leaders seeking to combat drugs and crime often supported policies that disproportionately targeted the black community.

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'American Fire' Tells A True Story Of Love And Arson In Rural Virginia

11:07am July 17, 2017

by Michel Martin

In 2012 and 2013, Accomack County, Va., was plagued by arson. The culprits, it turned out, were a local man and his girlfriend. In a new book, journalist Monica Hesse tells their story.

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Jack Gilbert, co-author of the book "Dirt Is Good," says kids should be encouraged to get dirty, play with animals and eat colorful vegetables.

'Dirt Is Good': Why Kids Need Exposure To Germs

7:15am July 16, 2017

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Should I use antibacterial soaps? How often should I bathe my child? Those are just some of the questions Jack Gilbert, a microbiome scientist, answers in his new book.

Books
Arts

New Novel Explores 'What We Lose' When We Lose A Parent

6:35am July 16, 2017

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

When Zinzi Clemmons was taking care of her dying mother, she only had time to write brief vignettes — and those fragments became the core of her new novel about identity and loss, What We Lose.

Books

The Total Eclipse Of 1878

8:52am July 15, 2017

NPR's Scott Simon interviews science writer David Baron about his new book American Eclipse, the story of the total solar eclipse of 1878.

Books
Arts

Lawrence Osborne Doesn't Care If You Like His Characters In 'Beautiful Animals'

6:00pm July 14, 2017

by Ari Shapiro

"Likable characters are usually completely forgettable ... " he says. "We love villains ... because they show us these disturbing complexities." His sun-drenched summer novel is set on a Greek island.

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Books
Arts

'Schumer' Writer Jessi Klein On Barbies, Ageism And Pumping At The Emmys

2:13pm July 14, 2017

Klein won an Emmy in 2015 for her work on Inside Amy Schumer. Her book, You'll Grow Out of It, is a collection of humorous personal essays. Originally broadcast July 12, 2016.

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Books
Arts

'Refuge' Captures Divide Between Father And Daughter Through Lens Of Immigration

6:33pm July 11, 2017

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Dina Nayeri about her new novel, Refuge, which tells the story of an elderly man in Iran and his adult daughter in Amsterdam.

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Books
Arts

Is The Justice Department Shying Away From Prosecuting Corporations?

4:12pm July 11, 2017

ProPublica reporter Jesse Eisinger says that the government undermines the notion of equity and fails to deter crime when it allows large corporations to settle lawsuits by paying fines.

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Books
Arts

Bestselling Author Alexandra Fuller Talks New Novel: 'Quiet Until The Thaw'

5:32pm July 09, 2017

Alexandra Fuller's new novel, Quiet Until the Thaw, follows the lives of two Oglala Sioux cousins who grow up to take very different paths.